Classroom Calendar Connections – June 2020
CategoriesThe Summer Solstice
Welcome to summer! Although there have been many disappointing cancellations in 2020, one thing is for certain - the solstice will still be held on Saturday, June 20 for everyone here on Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere, we will celebrate the start of summer-and the longest day of the year-as the North Pole is tilted closest to the sun. (The opposite occurs in the Southern Hemisphere where folks will be getting bundled up for winter.) This short PBS video provides an insightful demonstration of the location of Earth, relative to the sun, during the summer and winter solstice and the fall and spring equinox.
Continue reading for ways to focus your and your students’ attention and learning toward the sun this month. (Don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses!)
- NASA provides solar math problems for students in grades 3-12. Estimating solar wind speeds, determining the mass of the sun, comparing the size of the sun to other stars, and analyzing data from a solar flare are just a few of the many engaging activities. Be sure to challenge your students with this cross-curricular solar storm number puzzle.
- Virtual Storytime! Find out how life (literally) revolves around the sun in this endearing, yet informational book - Sun! One in a Billion by Stacy McAnulty (read by Karen Jeremiah).
- How old is the sun? How hot is the sun? How does the sun’s energy reach the Earth? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this video – Here Comes the Sun: Crash Course Kids.
- Give your stovetop a rest by using the heat of the sun to make refreshing sun tea with this 5-star recipe.
- Find out how solar energy is collected to make electricity and is used to heat homes and other buildings with these articles, videos, and diagrams published by Britannica Kids for students at all grade levels.
- Staying Safe in the Sun
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center teamed up with Scholastic to design this free sun safety program for students and their families in grades 3-5. (I think kids will be especially interested in learning about how wild animals stay safe in the sun.)
- This teacher’s guide provided by KidsHealth includes activities to encourage students in grades 6-8 to protect their skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
- If your shadow is short, you should seek shade. UV rays are strongest between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Review more rules of thumb about skin protection here.
- Determine your sun safety IQ by taking this quiz by the American Cancer Society.
Last, but not least, take time to mindfully witness the beauty and power of a sunset (and/or a sunrise) this summer – it’s good for your mental and emotional well-being. Use the Old Farmer’s Almanac sun calculator to find out when the sun will rise and when the sun will set on any given day anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.
Happy Summer Solstice to you and your students!
My husband took this photo last week at our cabin in Northern Wisconsin.
(Believe it or not, the sunset was even more stunning in person.)
Here are a few classes related to this topic:
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