Day, night and the sky
Physics · Early Years · The School
The Earth spins
It looks as if the Sun rises, crosses the sky and sets. But it does not. WE move. The Earth spins round once every 24 hours. So your side faces the Sun, and that is day. Then it faces away, and that is night. Hold a ball with a sticker on it. Turn it slowly next to a lamp. The sticker gets day, then night. And the lamp never moved at all.
Shadows tell the time
A shadow is where an object blocks the light. In the morning the Sun is low, so shadows are LONG. At midday the Sun is high, so shadows are SHORT. Then they get longer again. Draw round your shadow three times in one day with chalk. Now you have measured the Earth turning.
Never look at the Sun
Never look at the Sun. It is so bright that it damages your eyes for ever. And it does not hurt while it happens. That is exactly why the rule matters. Watch shadows instead. They tell you everything about where the Sun is. And you never have to look up at it.
Stand up. Put a lamp on the table to be the Sun. Face the lamp. That is midday where your nose is. Now turn slowly to your left. Your nose passes into shadow. That is sunset. Keep turning. Your face is away from the lamp now. That is the middle of the night. Keep going and the light comes back. That is sunrise. One full turn. One day and one night. And the lamp never moved once.