STEAM Learning Lab – Twisty Time

Materials:

• Cardboard (or construction paper)
• Markers
• Paper Fastener
• Open, carpeted space to lie in.
• Objects to represent the 3, 6, 9, & 12 positions on an analog clock. (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut out a circle of cardboard (or paper) and label it with the 12, 3, 6, and 9
2. Cut out two arrows for the hour and minute hand.
3. Poke hole at the base of each arrow and in the center of the cardboard. Stack all three and thread the fastener through, creating a clock.
4. Now we are going to make a clock using our bodies. Our hands will represent the hour hand and our feet will represent the minute hand. Spin the clock and challenge everyone to make that time on the floor.
5. Continue to spin the clock and have kids make different poses. As they improve, challenge them to do it without looking at the clock for help.

More Fun

• Certain times can be trickier than others. Try out these “time poses,” and see if you can come up with your own!
  • Go from 12:30 to 6:00. What is different about these poses?
  • Need to stretch? Try out a 3:15, 6:30, or 9:45 pose!
  • Try going around the whole clock, first with the minute hand and then the hour hand. Have kids freeze randomly and tell you what time they are posing.
• Check out the inspiration for this activity – a flashback to a show in the 1990s called the Big Comfy Couch!
• Different cultures have had many different ways for telling time. Explore some of the different clocks of the world by making your own sundial or replica Big Ben.