Show the concept of the September equinox and play a simple game with day and night flip stones, an easy garden activity for kids.
An equinox occurs twice a year (around 20 March and 22 September), when the plane of the Earth's equator passes the centre of the Sun. At this time the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun.
What you’ll need:
- Smooth round stones
- Old newspapers
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrushes
- Water cup
- Clear varnish or nail polish
Step 1
Get the kids to find a few smooth, round stones. Wash them, and let them dry properly.
Lay out some old newspaper on your work surface.
Step 2
Give each of the kids one stone. On one side of the stone, get them to paint a bright sky-blue background. (Making sure not to get any paint on the other side of the rock.)
When the blue paint dries, paint a large, smiling sun in the middle of it.
When that side dries, paint the other side black. Add a crescent moon when the black background is dry
Step 3
To protect your painted stones, coat them with clear varnish or nail polish once you're done painting them.
You might want to do two or three coats, waiting for each coat to dry before you add another.
Step 4
Now you are ready to play a toss game, much like heads or tails. Take turns calling "day" or "night" and tossing the stone on the grass to see if the side you called lands face up.
Keep score, and see how many "days" and "nights" you can guess.
Step 5
Paint other rocks with pretty spring scenes, and give them out as prizes.
