Read

Our Earth is a big ball, and it is always spinning. It turns around once every day.

The Sun shines on the Earth. The side of the Earth that faces the Sun has day. The side that faces away from the Sun is dark: it has night. As the Earth spins, your home moves from the light into the dark and back again.

The Earth also travels all the way around the Sun. One trip around the Sun takes one year.

The Earth is a little bit tilted, like a spinning top that leans to one side. Because of this tilt we have seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Experiment: Make day and night

1. Put the sticker on the ball. This is where you live.
2. One child holds the torch still. The torch is the Sun.
3. Another child holds the ball about one big step away and slowly turns it round, like the Earth spinning.
4. Watch the sticker. When is it in the light? When is it in the dark?
5. Say 'Good morning!' when the sticker comes into the light and 'Good night!' when it goes into the dark.

Where is the sticker?	Day or night?
Facing the torch
Facing away from the torch
Just coming into the light
Just going into the dark

Questions

1. Draw the Sun and the Earth. Colour the day side yellow and the night side dark.

   🍎

2. Does the Earth spin round once every day?

   yes / no

3. Why is it warmer in summer than in winter?

Sources for every fact on this sheet: echoesof.science/school/day-night-seasons/sources/

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