July Kids’ Corner
from the Gale River Cooperative Preschool

Beating the Heat

July is usually known for the intense heat, long days outside, and fun in the sun! But what’s happening with the sun to bring the heat all summer long? The sun is the star at the center of our solar system and its gravity is what keeps our solar system together. It’s huge - more than a million earths could fit inside it! It’s mostly made of hydrogen and helium gasses which burn really hot - 18 million degrees Fahrenheit at the center. It takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds for light leaving the sun to reach us here on earth and it’s that light and heat that support all life on earth. 

The major reason we have summer in June, July, and August is because the earth is tilted. As it goes around the sun over the course of a year, the top half of the earth is closer to the sun during our “summer.” The bottom half of the earth is actually closer during what we think of as winter. This means that for Australia, it’s summer in December, January, and February! The amount of light we get during the summer is also longer thanks to this tilt. The sun goes down around 8 in the summer as opposed to close to 5 during the winter.

The sun is extremely powerful and produces a lot of heat. It’s so hot it can burn us if we’re not careful. This is why it’s so important to wear sunscreen, to block the sun’s ultraviolet rays from burning our skin. As you enjoy the warm water, the long days, and bare feet, make sure to thank the sun for all it does, and wear lots of sunscreen! 

Want tips on how to explore the sun this July? Here are some ideas before you head outside!

• Wherever there’s light there will also be shadows when it’s blocked. A fun game to play is shadow tag! The goal isn’t to tag the other players’ bodies but rather step on their shadows. It’s interesting to play this game at different times of day. Is there more shadow to step on at noon or at 4?

• Create shadow art. Creating sculptures based on the shadow they cast is an interesting geospatial challenge. Collect a bunch of nature objects and try to set them up to create a piece of shadow art. It could be an animal, an object, or a scene! Has your art changed when you check on it later?

• A great activity to demonstrate the power of the sun is to make sun prints. You can either purchase special paper for this, or use construction paper. You’ll also need a clear plastic sleeve or glass sheet. The next step is to collect some flat nature objects like leaves and flowers. Place them on your paper and slide it all into the sleeve or cover with glass. Leave it outside on a sunny day to see what happens! The sun’s UV rays will break down the chemicals in the paper, lightening the color. The objects will block the rays leaving the paper the same color as before.

• Who doesn’t want to play with water on a hot day? Using water also helps demonstrate how the sun can change the state of water. Two fun activities include ice and painting with water. Place some ice on two different plates, a black one and a white one. Wait and see which one melts faster. Dark colors absorb the heat so that ice should melt faster. It’s also fun to paint with water on stone. How fast does your painting evaporate? How hot are the stones?

  Thanks to our partner, the Gale River Cooperative Preschool in Bethlehem, for helping our area parents get kiddos outside for fun no matter the time of year.

  We can't wait to share the family fun we're planning with you. Keep an eye out in the coming months for announcements.

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