10 16
10 16
Why are sunny winter days COLD, while sunny summer days are HOT? Kid Scoop News’ winter expert Dr. I. Cicle explains it all!
Standards Link: Earth Science: Students know that weather can be observed, measured and described; changes in weather and seasons are affected by the Earth’ s position.
Try this experiment to understand the difference between indirect and direct sunlight. Keep track of your work on a separate sheet of paper like the Scientist’ s Notebook.
• 2 metal pie tins or flat pans
• A sunny winter day
• Watch or clock
1. Lay one pan flat on the ground in the direct sunlight.( Fig. 1)
2. Tilt the other pan on its side. Lean it against a rock or a shoe. This pan is being hit with indirect sunlight.( Fig. 2) 3. Wait three minutes. 4. Which pan is warmer?
( Fig. 1) direct sunlight
( Fig. 2) indirect sunlight
Question
Which pan do you think will feel warmer after three minutes in the winter sun?
SCIENTIST’ S NOTEBOOK
Hypothesis
What do you think the answer to the question is?
pan in direct sunlight
pan in indirect sunlight
Observation
Which pan was warmer in three minutes?
pan in direct sunlight
pan in indirect sunlight
Conclusion
Was your hypothesis correct? What did you learn from this experiment?
Official Kids Mag www. kidscoop. com © Vicki Whiting December 2025