Paper Plate Education
"Serving the Universe on a Paper Plate"

Activity: Portable Sundial

Instructions for making simple sundial.

* cut out the sundial tihJes c i rc le
* glue on to the center of a paper plate
* poke a pencil through the middle of the plate
* place the plate in a sunny place in the yard and line up the shadow of the top of the pencil with the time
you currently" show. For example; if it is now 9:00 AM line up the pencil shadow on the 9:00 line on the paper plate clock.

Throughout the day, you will be able to tell time by watching the shadow of the pencil as it moves along the paper plate. People once used sun clocks like this. The sun helped them measure time.

Sample plate with markings

Contributed by Dave DeRemer.

For variations on sundial activities, see Eye on the Sky's "Sundials: Observing and Using Shadows." Within this website, see Portable Sundial II, Portable Sundial III, and Portable Sundial IV.

The contents of this site may be reproduced for non-profit educational purposes only. Please cite the contributing author in credits.
All other uses require the express written permission of the respective contributors.