How to Make a Sun Clock

You can make simple sun clocks with your children or more complex clocks that will be instant conversation pieces. Follow these steps.

Instructions

1. Decide on the type of sun clock you want: painted on hard surface, like a parking lot or play ground, small and simple, no bigger than a pie plate or large and complex to create a yard or park attraction. Research the different types of sun clocks before making a decision. There are some beautiful choices out there.

2. Design the clock yourself or download a sun clock diagram that will lay out magnetic north for your location. Whether you do this or not depends on how accurate you want your sun clock to be.

3. Start laying out your design once you find magnetic north. Depending on the design you choose, you can order sun clock kits or build the pieces yourself out of word, cement or clay. No matter how you do it, you will need to create the Date bar, and the clock circumference. You can find many different versions of these on the Internet. Search under "sun clock," "sun dial" or even "human sun clock"

4. Prepare your surface once you have decided on your design. Prepare your surface by sweeping or pressure washing the area if you are painting your sun clock. If you are laying down your design on grass, sink the pieces far enough into the ground so that you can mow over them.

5. Build your sun clock. Take your measurements carefully. Most sun clocks will be 14 to 16 minutes ahead or behind standard time, depending on where you are located. If your clock is off further than this, you might have made a mistake in the calculations.