LightMySky

Building shade from the sun

Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area, such as a shade or shelter

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What a learner can do afterwards

  • Design a structure intended to reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area
  • Build the structure using available materials and test whether it reduces temperature
  • Compare the temperature in the shaded area vs an unshaded area as evidence of effectiveness

The lesson

The sun warms up everything it touches. A shade blocks the sun's rays. Under a shade, the ground stays cooler.

Shade70Sun90
The shady spot is cooler than the sunny spot.
Try it together

Mia built a shade from a big sheet and two sticks. She checked the temperature under the shade and in the sun. The shade spot felt cooler.

Good to know

Pick materials that block light, like cloth or cardboard. See-through plastic lets sunlight through. It does not block much heat.

A shade blocks sunlight, and testing proves it keeps a spot cooler.

Watch it

Where it sits

Learn first

This opens up

Nothing builds on it yet.

Where this leads

Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.

Then practise

8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.

Building shade from the sun · Science, ages 5 to 6 · LightMySky