Schoolgen is offering teachers and students the chance to be part of an awesome, astronomical event – and an ingenious, infographic challenge.

At the Spring Equinox (23 September), our beautiful planet is perfectly balanced between the winter and summer solstices. And to highlight this special event, Schoolgen has a super-easy, science experiment for your class to enjoy anytime between 20-27 September – measuring the sun angle for the Equinox.

What you need: the contents of a pencil case, a straw and some string.

What you do: Make a DIY science instrument to measure the angle of the sun in the sky within a few days of the Spring Equinox.

You can find out all you need to know at schoolgen.co.nz/STEM/how-to-make-an-angle-measurer. Next, enter the results in the Google Form provided (this will close 30 September).

Enter the Infographic Competition

The collected raw results from across the country will be shared with all participants and used to investigate how the sun appears to move through the sky in New Zealand during the Equinoxes.

An infographic competition for schools will also be run using the data. You’ll be asked to analyse the results and present them in an impactful infographic, with the best entries showcased on the Schoolgen website.

Why should you take part?

This activity links to the New Zealand Curriculum: Science (Level 3-5): Planet Earth & beyond. Physical World. Nature of Science; and Mathematics (Level 3-5): Geometry and Measurement. Statistics. Number and Algebra.

It’s interesting and fun to find out about our place in the world and nature using instruments we have made ourselves.

It’s real-world learning, and blends ancient observation techniques with 21^st Century collaboration and digital based learning.

For more, go to
schoolgen.co.nz