The weather is fluctuating…one day may be 65 degrees, and a couple of days later it’s snowing! Do fluctuating temperatures, overcast days, and fickle temperatures have you and your children feeling aggravated, house-bound, and on edge? You’re not alone! We can remind ourselves of warmer days to come with a couple fun activities involving the sunshine!
Sun prints
First, grab a few sheets of dark colored construction paper (in this case, cheap construction paper works better than the pricier stuff). Head outside and search nature items – leaves, branches of interesting shapes, rocks, etc. After your treasure hunt, set the items on the paper and leave them out in the sun all day (you can use a little bit of tape to keep the paper secure, or leave in a sunny window if it’s too windy or wet outside). When you retrieve the paper after the sun goes down, look at the shapes the items left behind. Did some items leave darker shadows than others? Which shapes are the easiest to recognize?
Shadow sun dial
Dig out the sidewalk chalk! Find a spot on a driveway or porch that gets plenty of sun and draw an X for your child to stand on. Then, draw a line from their feet to the tip of their shadow and mark the time. An hour later, do it again. Try marking every hour or two and notice how the shadows move! Can you use your clock the next day? Do the shadows match up?
Warm weather and plenty of sunshine will be here before we know it!
