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Hands of Time
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Arrow of Light – 5th Grade
Estimations AOL
Elective
Requirement 2

Hands of Time

Arrow of Light – 5th Grade
Estimations AOL
Elective
Requirement 2

Hands of Time

Snapshot of Activity

Estimate time using your hands and the position of the sun in the sky. 

Outdoor
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If you want to know more about The Adventure Activity Key click here.
  • Access to AOL Sun in the Sky graphic in Additional Resources 

Before the meeting: 

  1. Check the weather.  Be sure you will have a clear sky.   
  2. Practice a few times on your own.  See Additional Resources for information. 
  3. Know the time of sunrise and/or sunset.   

During the meeting: 

  1. Discuss with Cub Scouts what an estimation means.  Estimation is a rough calculation of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something.   It is an educated guess based on a person’s background knowledge.  Discuss ways they currently guess the time of something.  (Example:  Math class is right before lunchtime.)  
  2. Estimating the time of day can be as easy as using your knowledge of the sun’s movement across the sky and parts of your body.  Allow Cub Scouts to discuss what they already know about the position of the sun in the sky during parts of the day.  (Example:  When you wake up the sun is low in the eastern sky.  This can tell you it is morning and where East is located.) Be sure they discuss the following ideas:  At midday, the sun is directly overhead.   The sun sets in the west, and we know that it must be afternoon.   Share the graphic Sun in the Sky. 
  3. Safety Minute:  Do not look directly into the sun.  The eye can be damaged by direct sun gazing.  Please remind Cub Scouts not to look directly at the sun.  
  4. Explain that a person can get a more accurate time estimation by using their hands.  
    • Start by planting your feet towards the sun, extending one arm fully in front of you, and rotating your wrist so your palm faces you horizontally.  
    • Close your fingers together and align your pinky with the horizon.  
    • Now, count how many finger widths it takes to reach the sun.  
    • Depending on the season and time of day, you may need to continue stacking one hand over the other to keep count.  
    • Four finger widths represent one hour of sunlight, a count of eight finger widths would equal two hours of sunlight.  If trying this in the morning while counting on an eastern sky, it is helpful to know when the sun rises that day and calculate your time from sunrise.  When calculating a western sky, a person is looking for how much daylight is remaining.  If you want to know the time, it would be helpful to know the time the sun will set to calculate the time.  
    • Note: This system is for an adult’s finger size.  To figure out the finger size of a child,  use a watch to figure out if you have, 10, 15, or 20-minute figures.  Adjust your calculations as needed.  
  5. Practice with a watch to get accurate timing that correlates with your hand size.  

Additional Resources

Sun in the Sky graphic

How to tell time without a Clock – Wiki How Website

How to tell time with your hands (1:44) – YouTube 

Other Activities Options

You can choose other activities of your choice.

Arrow of Light – 5th Grade

Sunny Sundials

Outdoor
2
4
2

Create a sundial to estimate the time of day.

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Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.