Make a sundial in your backyard

On sunny days use nature to help you tell the time. All you need are rocks, paint and sticks!

Before clocks, watches and phones, we had sundials to tell the time. You can make a sundial with a stick, 12 rocks, paint or a marker and a watch or clock.

Number the rocks 1 to 12. Paint them different colors if you like. Find a sunny spot that you can return to throughout the day. Place the stick in the ground so that it stands upright.

Throughout the day watch your clock. Each hour, look where the stick’s shadow is. Place the rock in the spot that matches the time so that it is in the stick’s shadow.

Who needs a watch?