Dancing Panda Pilot - Activity 7 - “Here Comes the Sun” (October 2020)

Ni Hao, Panda Pals! Today we’ll be doing a Science activity called, “Here Comes the Sun.” While reading this activity, feel free to listen to the Beatles song “Here Comes the Sun.”

Today we’re going to be talking about the Sun. Did you know that the Sun is actually a really bright star that is over 90 million miles away from our planet, planet Earth? Do you think the Sun appears in the same part of the sky all day? Make a guess.

Now, if it’s a sunny day, this is an activity that can be done outside. If you cannot get outside, or it’s a cloudy day, you can do this activity by imagining you are outside.

Go outside with a grownup and pick a spot where you can see your shadow. Describe your spot to your grownup. Where are your feet? What do you see from your spot?

We want to find where the Sun is in the sky, but we know it is never safe to look directly at the Sun. So instead, we can use our shadows. The Sun will always be in the opposite direction of your shadow. Look for your shadow, and tell your grownup about your shadow. What does it look like? Where is it in relation to your feet and body?

Now imagine you are going to come back to your spot and find your shadow later in the day or tomorrow. Where do you think your shadow will be? Where will the Sun be? Remember the Sun can be found in the opposite direction of your shadow. Will the Sun appear to stay in the same place all day? What do you think will happen if you try this activity at a different time tomorrow?

Parents and Caregivers: if you can make arrangements to come back to the same spot later in the day or another day, that will make the activity even more fun. Just be sure to mark the spot where your child is standing.

Need some help doing this activity?

Tips:

What is really important is that your child notices that the Sun *appears* to move in the sky over the course of the day. Remember that the Sun stays in one place and the other planets, like Earth orbit around it. (We live in what’s called a Heliocentric Universe because all the planets orbit around the Sun.) When discussing this activity with your child, try to avoid language that makes it sound like the Sun is moving, and frame it more like the Sun appears to move in the sky.
This activity is more fun if you can get outside with your child. However, you can still have a discussion about the Sun, even on a cloudy or rainy day.
If you are having the conversation on a rainy day, or you are not able to get outside, talk about the Sun and try to remember where you have seen it in the sky.
If you plan to go back to your spot at another time, bring a piece of chalk or an object that can help you remember where your spot is, and where your shadow is. If you have a piece of chalk, draw a line from where your child is standing to their shadow and make a prediction of where they think their shadow will be. This is something you can do repeatedly - over a few days, or even a few months!

Want more fun?

Here is another activity:

Hold out a finger or a foot and track where your shadow is. Is your shadow behind you? In front of you? Or to the side?

If you have extra time:

If you can return to your spot later in the day or on another day, ask your child:
- Where was our spot? How were we standing?
- Where was our shadow when we were here last?
- Where is your shadow now? Remember the Sun can be found in the opposite direction.

Was the activity too hard?

Instead of asking the child to make a guess about the location of the Sun later in the day, the grownup and share first their observations and have a discussion with the child.

Was the activity too easy?

Introduce cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. Share with your child that the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Notice where the Sun is, and try to guess where the East and West are. If you have an iPhone, use the compass app and look for north. The compass app comes pre-installed on all iPhones.

Learning Connections

In this activity, students are learning about the Sun. In First Grade Science, students are taught to observe patterns, describe them, and use patterns to make predictions. The first step in describing patterns is to observe them, and that is what we are doing in this activity

.If you are able to return to your spot and observe where the Sun has moved, then you and your child are starting to collect data. If you can collect enough data, a pattern will emerge, and your child will then be able to start making predictions as to where the Sun might be during different times of the day.

All of these activities - observing, collecting data, and making predictions, are all skills that scientists use in real life.

Additional Resources

Articles for Grownups:

Our activity aligns with nationally recognized science standards. Here’s a link to the standard: Next Generation Science Standard: Earth's Place in the Universe.
Check out the book SOHO Explores the Sun. It's a book about a spacecraft called SOHO that has been taking pictures of the Sun.

Kid-Friendly Resources:

They Might Be Giants wrote a song about the Sun many years ago now, but it’s still a fun one to listen to: They Might Be Giants "Why Does the Sun Shine?" (1:51)
StoryBots has created a cute video about the Sun: Outer Space: "I'm So Hot," The Sun Song by StoryBots (1:59)
National Geographic has an informative video about the Sun: Sun 101 | National Geographic (5:00)