Investigating Daylight — How many hours of daylight are there at different times of the year?
The Sun Read Aloud Book:
The Sun Our Nearest Star by Franklyn M. Branley
The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch
Materials:
- Hours of daylight for the year
- Weather Spark — you can choose the state / county you live in
- Calendar (create your own, or use one you already have)
- Ruler
- Pencil or pen
- Markers
- Paper
- An adult to help
What to do:
- On your calendar, each day record the time of the sunrise and sunset.
- See if you can start to predict what time the sunrise and sunset will be each day. You should start to see a pattern!
- Make a graph that shows the average number of hours of daylight for each month of the year. Use the Weather Spark website to see the number of hours for the town you live in.
- Use the example chart below to help you make yours!
- The chart below is based on the hours of daylight at the VINS Nature Center in Quechee, Vermont.
- The numbers have been rounded up to the highest number of full hours per month.
- What time of year has the most daylight? What does the extra daylight do for you, plants and animals?
- Take a picture or record a video of your calendar and your graph, post it on Facebook and tag us! @VINS.VT
Contact education@vinsweb.org with questions or comments.