Choose Learning Type ▼

Solstice Science

Activity

Sundials and Solar Movement

Visit the solstice field on top of the Land Bridge and make a sundial to learn about the sun’s movement and timekeeping. Find a sunny spot and place a straight stick or pole into the ground, this is the gnomon. Use a flat surface like cardboard or a plate to mark the gnomon shadow’s position with a pencil at different times throughout the day. Observe how the shadow changes as the sun moves from east to west, allowing you to tell time based on its position.

Science Seed

A sundial uses the sun’s position to cast a shadow, showing the time of day. The gnomon (the vertical stick) creates this shadow, which moves as Earth rotates, changing its angle and length. The Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours, creating day and night as different parts face the sun. The Earth also orbits the sun in about 365 days. Its tilted axis means that as it revolves, different areas get more direct sunlight, causing the seasons. Rotation creates day and night, while revolution and tilt create the seasons of the year. Indigenous peoples and cultures worldwide have used the sun’s position, especially during solstices, to track time and guide planting or harvest dates. Archaeoastronomy explores how ancient cultures, like the Incas, aligned structures with the sun to mark events like the summer and winter solstices. Visit the solstice marker to see how the sun aligns during your visit!

move to the next activity

earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

Explore the Memorial Park Conservancy

The mission of Memorial Park Conservancy is to preserve, restore, and enhance Memorial Park for the enjoyment of all Houstonians, today and tomorrow.

join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.

This project was made possible by