One of the most difficult things for children to grasp nowadays is telling the time especially if it is not on a digital clock.

To overcome this and also to give the children an awareness of how time is different depending where you are in the world, this is a very simple display idea.

I bought 4 clocks which cost about £2.50 each although I have found them cheaper. When put on display it is easier to put them in a horizontal line than vertical. Then pick 4 countries that are roughly equal distance around the globe. Using teletext you can find out the time in the countries and set the clocks accordingly. The Timeticker website is also very useful for this.

This gives you a time display which allows you to ask key questions. My clocks are NEW YORK, LONDON, MOSCOW & SYDNEY and are clearly labelled. Basic questions such as "what is the time in....?" to the more complex "Is it night or day in.....?" and "how do we know?" grasp the children's enthusiasm and after 2 years of having these clocks I now have statements such as "school is just starting in New York" or "just finishing in Moscow" being fired at me by the children.

This also gives the children a better global awareness as well as reinforcing the science topic earth and beyond aswell.

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