Summer Fun Day 1 -The Sun

The Sun

Read: Where Does the Sun Go at Night? By Amy S. Hansen

Discuss:

1. The sun gives us energy, light and heat.
2. The Earth moves around the sun.
3. The sun is a star, the only star that we see during the day because it's the closest star to the Earth.
4. The Sun sets in the west and rises in the East.

Shadow Sundial

Materials:

• Pavement
• Sidewalk Chalk

Directions:

1. Stand in the middle of the driveway, and trace around your child's feet.
2. Then trace the child's entire shadow and write the time of the day at the top.
3. Stand on the traced feet every hour and trace the shadow and write the time again (use a different color of chalk each time to clearly see the different shadows).
   
   

The Earth's Revolution

Materials:

• Construction Paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Globe

Directions:

1. Make a big sun out of construction paper.
2. Go into a dark room with the globe (the earth) and flashlight (the sun).   The Earth spins on its axis once everyday causing night and day.
   
3. Then go outside with the big construction paper sun and the globe.  The Earth spins on it's axis to cause day time to come.  Earth also takes a long trip around the sun once every year causing the seasons.
   

Sun Facts

Materials:

• Poster Board
• Markers

Directions:

1. Ask the children what they know about the sun.
2. Draw a big sun on the poster board with a yellow marker and draw sun rays out.
3. Child writes his ideas at the end of each sun ray.
   

Hanging Sun Craft

Materials:

• 3" foam ball

• Yellow craft paint
• yellow, gold, and orange pipe cleaners
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Fishing line
  

Directions:

1. Place the foam ball onto something that can hold it still while you work. We used a lid from a plastic milk jug. 
2. Paint the ball with yellow paint and let dry. 
   
3. Cut the pipe cleaners into 3" pieces and insert into the ball, about ½ an inch apart. 
   
4. When finished, remove one of the pipe cleaners and tie a piece of fishing line around it.
5. Place a dot of glue into each of the pipe cleaner holes as you remove them and then reinsert the pipe cleaners back into the holes.
   

Summer Sun Mosaic Cookie

Materials:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• Reese's Pieces
  

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. In large bowl, combine sugars, margarine, peanut butter, vanilla and egg; beat well.
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well.
   
4. Chill the dough for an hour or so.
5. Shape dough into a large cookie on a greased pizza pan.
   
6. Add Reese's Pieces in the shape of a sun.
   
7. Bake at 350° for 13-16 minutes.
8. Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on wire rack.