Sundial

Hello there. My name is Sundial, and I am a very special clock. I don't go tick-tock like the clocks you see inside. I am a sunny clock. Long, long ago, before anyone had a clock on their wrist or on the wall, people would look up at the sky and wonder. They would ask, "What time is it?". I was the one who could help them. My best friend is the big, bright Sun. We work together every single day to show people the time. I love feeling the warm sun on my face.

Do you want to know my secret for telling time. It’s a fun game I play with the Sun. I have a little pointer that sticks straight up toward the sky. When the Sun shines on me, my pointer makes a long, dark shadow on my face. As the Sun travels across the big blue sky from morning to night, my shadow moves too. It creeps slowly from one number to the next. That is how I tell the time. A long, long time ago, around the year 1500 BCE, clever people in a sunny place called Ancient Egypt made me. They needed a way to know when to do their important jobs. I was so happy to help them.

I helped people know when it was time to plant seeds in their gardens. I helped them know when it was time to eat their lunch. And I helped them know when the day was ending and it was time to rest. I was very important. Today, there are many new kinds of clocks that tick and beep. But you can still find me in pretty gardens and big parks. I am still here, happily telling time whenever my friend the Sun comes out to play. I remind everyone of the wonderful dance the Earth and the Sun do together every day.