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Sunny Sundials
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Arrow of Light – 5th Grade
Estimations AOL
Elective
Requirement 2

Sunny Sundials

Arrow of Light – 5th Grade
Estimations AOL
Elective
Requirement 2

Sunny Sundials

Snapshot of Activity

Create a sundial to estimate the time of day.

Outdoor
2
4
2
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  • Construction paper (pale color works best) or a 9- to 12-inch paper plate, one for each Cub Scout 
  • Piece of stiff cardboard (should be a little larger than your piece of paper or plate), one for each Cub Scout 
  • Large bowl for tracing  
  • Pencil or crayon, one for each Cub Scout  
  • Scissors, enough to share 
  • Unsharpened pencil or straw (the gnomon), one for each Cub Scout 
  • Mounting putty or soft clay, enough for each Cub Scout to secure the gnomon 
  • Four small stones or clear tape (for securing your sundial when it’s outside) 
  • Marker (dark color works best), one for each Cub Scout 
  • Access to Sundial image in Additional Resources 

Before the meeting: 

  1. Familiarize yourself with sundials.  
  2. Build a sundial to use as an example.  See directions below. 
  3. Sundials work on sunny days typically before 6 pm.   If you wish to tell time with the sundial, it might be best to make sure the sundial is outside before 6 pm.  Noon is the best time to watch the sun’s shadow move across the sundial.  If your den meets in the evening, determine if you build the sundial and allow the Cub Scouts to try measuring the sun at home on a sunny day.  
  4. Determine a place for the sundials where the dial will get the most amount of sun, have a flat surface, and will not be disturbed.  

During the meeting: 

  1. Discuss with Cub Scouts what an estimation means.  Estimation is a rough calculation of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something.   It is an educated guess based on a person’s background knowledge.  Discuss ways they currently guess the time of something.  (Example:  Math class is right before lunchtime.)  
  2. Show an image of a sundial (see Additional Resources.) Discuss what a sundial is and how it works.  Explain that sundials measure the position of the sun in the sky.  Since one rotation of the earth is a day, the sun’s position can help us tell time.   Explain that the part of the sundial that casts the shadow is called the gnomon.  When the sun’s light hits the gnomon, it casts a shadow on the base of the dial near a number.  This is how we tell the time.   
  3. Create a sundial.   
    • Create a circle on your piece of paper.  Either use 5 inches on a drawing compass or Turn your bowl upside down on your piece of paper and trace a circle. Cut out the circle. OR Gather paper plate.  
    • Poke a small hole in the center of the circle. The hole should be no wider than the pencil or stick you will use for the gnomon. 
    • Get the piece of cardboard.   Place a small ball of mounting putty or soft clay in the center of the piece of cardboard and push the eraser side of the pencil (gnomon) into the putty. Test to make sure the pencil stays upright.    
    • Once your pencil is secure, slide the paper down to the cardboard and press firmly to flatten the putty/clay.  
    • Find a flat spot outside that will stay sunny for all or most of the day and place your sundial on the ground or outdoor table. Choose a spot where the dial will not be disturbed.  
    • Secure the base of your sundial so it will not move using either small stones or clear tape. Your sundial must stay in the same place while you are making it. 
    • It is best to put the sundial out at noon. Mark where the shadow of the pencil is located on the paper plate. Write down 12 on the paper plate.  
    • Estimate the remaining times.  For example, 6:00 is the opposite of 12:00 on the dial.  Then 3:00 and 9:00 are opposite each other.   Continue until you fill in the clock.   
  4. Estimate the time by leaving the sundial outside for a while, then come back and check it.  Read the sundial and then state the time.  Check your guess against the actual time.  

Additional Resources

Sundial image

Other Activities Options

You can choose other activities of your choice.

Arrow of Light – 5th Grade

Hands of Time

Outdoor
1
1
1

Estimate time using your hands and the position of the sun in the sky. 

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Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.