Teachers, save “Exploring Rotation and Revolution at Home” to assign it to your class.

Materials Needed: *flashlight *round object such as a globe or ball (preferably about the size of a basketball or beach ball) In a darkened room, hold the ball a few feet away from your child, and have your child shine the flashlight on the ball. Hold the ball so that the axis is pointing up and down at a slight tilt toward the flashlight. Holding the ball steady at this tilt, walk in a circle around your child, who should keep the flashlight aimed at the ball. As you revolve around your child, discuss how the ball represents Earth on its tilted axis and the flashlight represents the Sun. Stop periodically at different points in the “orbit," and ask your child to explain which season each hemisphere is experiencing and where it is day and where it is night. Try the exercise again, this time holding the ball so that the axis is perfectly straight up and down, rather than at a tilt. Ask your child how this changes the effect of Earth's orbit on each hemisphere. (Earth will still experience day and night as it rotates, but without a tilted axis different hemispheres will not experience different seasons.) Answer the questions on the template provided in complete sentences. Draw images to help explain your responses.