Each year on December 21, 22, or 23, darkness envelops Earth’s Northern Hemisphere for a bit longer than normal. While what we now know to be the winter solstice has a straightforward astronomical explanation, early myths of why the solstice takes place also share insights into early civilizations’ steps into science.
Science ATL
Image by Tom Fisk from Pexels
Why YOU Want to Know About Winter Solstice?
I’m choosing to write about Winter Solstice this month because it’s important for all of us, adults and kids alike, to S…L…O…W down and pay some attention to the environment around us this time of year. With all the ‘getting ready for the holidays’ frenzy full of shopping, wrapping, gifting, partying, eating, travel, finishing up work before the world shuts down the week of December 23, it’s easy to miss the calm that settles upon the Northern Hemisphere as the days grow shorter, darker, and colder. For those readers in the Southern Hemisphere, the solstice marks the glory and heat of the summer months with long days.
You want to know about Winter Solstice because it is full of intriguing information for young learners including: science, history, awareness of what is happening in world around us, and, as importantly, fostering social and emotional connections based upon common experience and reflection. After all, building knowledge and utilizing background knowledge, as well as increasing vocabulary is what literacy is all about at any age.
Tips to Explain Winter Solstice to Kids–Bullet Point Facts for YOU!
Image from freeimages.com
- It’s the SHORTEST day of the entire year, meaning, the Northern Hemisphere receives the least amount of daylight on that day. The days following the Winter Solstice become a bit longer each day when the sun again begins to climb. On this day, the sun appears the lowest in the sky because the sun hits the Northern Hemisphere at an angle. Because of the angle, the sun’s rays are more spread out rather than directly shining upon us. It is also the first day of winter and occurs on December 21, 22, or 23. This year, Winter Solstice falls on December 21.
- All the planets in the solar system revolve around the sun, which is at the center…but our Earth also rotates upon an axis (as do all the other planets). The Winter Solstice occurs at the point when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted the furthest away from the sun. The tilt of the axis is not straight up and down as it appears on two dimensional maps. This ’tilting’ of the axis is what creates our seasons.
- Winter Solstice is also referred to as ‘hibernal solstice’ and ‘the extreme of winter’. I guess that means it’s time to ‘chill out’!
- The word ‘solstice’ comes from 2 Latin words: ‘sol’ meaning “sun” (recognize this word in Spanish?) and ‘sistere’ meaning “to stand” from the Latin solstitium “point at which the sun seems to stand still”. The word’s usage dates from the 1200s.
- Even though the word ‘solstice’ dates from the 1200s, humans have been observing the Winter Solstice as far back as the Stone Age’s Neolithic period occurring approximately 10,200 B.C!
- Legends surrounding the Winter Solstice were often used to explain environmental phenomena before the science was understood. For example, ancient peoples believed monsters who stole the sun away caused the lack of sunlight. Finnish folklore ascribed the winter solstice to the ‘witch goddess of the north’, Louhi, who stole both the sun and the moon. Greek and Yupik cultures believed the additional darkness allowed gnome-like creatures the opportunity to hunt.
- Additional associations to Winter Solstice include the focus on ‘light’ and ‘rebirth’. It was thought that the earth’s emergence from the long night to the light of day corresponded to the continual cycle of life and death. An additional interpretation is the opportunity to create light and goodness in the face of darkness or evil.
- Historically, many cultures celebrated the Winter Solstice with ceremonies and festivals to mark the day of the sun’s rebirth, celebrating life, death and the human connection with nature’s most powerful force, at locations such as Stonehenge in England, which was built approximately 5000 years ago as an observatory.
Image from Farmers’ Almanac
What New Vocabulary to Discuss?
I suggest you use the illustration above to help explain some of these terms. You will notice I use simple and child/student friendly definitions as opposed to dictionary definitions. I prefer the Collins CoBuild Dictionary as a source of more ‘friendly’ or easier to understand definitions. I encourage you to use images to help explain these vocabulary words.
- axis : a real or imaginary straight line going through the center of an object that is spinning, or line that is spinning, or a line that divides a symmetrical shape into two equal halves: The earth revolves around the axis that joins the North and South Poles.
- hemisphere : from the Greek ‘hemi’, meaning half and ‘sphere’ meaning a 3 dimensional round object, in this case the Earth. Hemisphere literally means 1/2 of the Earth.
- hibernal : having to do with winter when some plants and animals are in a dormant or resting state. Many children are familiar with the notion that animals hibernate during the winter months.
- North/South Pole : northern/southern most point of the Earth where the axis meets the surface of the Earth either at the northern end or the southern tip
- rebirth : new or second birth, to occur again
- revolve : the idea of moving around another object in a circular motion (the Earth revolves around the Sun once each year)
- rotate : to turn around an axis (see above) in a circular motion. The Earth rotates upon its axis once every 24 hours. Thus the Earth BOTH revolves around the sun AND rotates on its axis. This can be a very difficult concept for children to understand–you may wish to make a model of the sun in the center, then the earth using a golf ball or pickleball with holes so that you can use a straw to demonstrate an axis.
- shadow : a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface. A person’s shadow is longer in the winter than in the summer.
- solstice : See the information above!
- tilt : to lean, incline, slope, or slant
Easy model of the Earth spinning on its axis. I would have included the Sun—but the playground ball I had likely migrated to my grandkids’ house!!
Image by Lori Josephson
Suffix <-est> : adjective suffix which compares 3 or more items (superlative for you grammar addicts). You will need to use this definition to explain words such as ‘farthest’, ‘lowest’, ‘shortest’, etc. It’s great to highlight its usage.
Prefix <re-> : prefix meaning ‘again’ in the case of words associated with Winter Solstice. By the way, this prefix also means ‘going back’ as in the words ‘recline’, ‘reverse’, etc. Many students are unfamiliar with this second meaning.
FYI, I explain the importance of vocabulary acquisition, as well as the importance of word parts, such as prefixes and suffixes in my book, Calling All Neurons! How Reading and Spelling Happen.
What Knowledge Building Blocks and Empathy to Think About?
It’s important for our young ones to both acquire knowledge and then use this knowledge as background knowledge when relating to the world, as well as reading text for in-school and out of school learning–and yes, even entertainment. In an article published actually yesterday, Dr. Doug Fischer describes knowledge building as, “an active process facilitated by educational experiences where teachers intentionally develop students’ knowledge bases necessary for future learning.” Alternatively, Dr. Fischer describes background knowledge as, “prior knowledge and experiences that students bring to the reading process. It includes everything from information and personal experiences to cultural norms and linguistic competence. This background knowledge shapes how students interpret texts and the connections they make [to the new text].”
If your child(ren) or student(s) know nothing about the solar system, learning about Winter Solstice would be classified as knowledge acquisition. On the other hand, your child(ren) or student(s) have some familiarity with the topic, they would be able to use their background knowledge to help them learn about Winter Solstice more easily.
In any case, learning about one’s environment and one’s connection to and interaction with the environment, as well as how the past connects to the present and future can’t possibly be anything but positive.
If you think about it, even this factual expository information (as opposed to narrative fiction) has connections to how people think and feel. This is the true essence of literacy–using text and pictures (even of the real world) to better understand each other and connect with others in an empathetic way.
Some Interesting Books and Activities To Share with Kids
Any activity to do with light is most appropriate to give a nod to the Winter Solstice. This could be a bonfire, lighting candles, making lanterns, and the like. After all, the Winter Solstice celebrates the end of the ‘darkest day’ of the year. Most, if not all, holidays at this time of year, celebrate light in some fashion.
Taking your kids on a “Winter Nature Scavenger Hunt” is an excellent choice for Winter Solstice. Obviously, this is a treasure trove in terms of adding more vocabulary to our kids’ lexicons.
Free Download from https://backwoodsmama.com
Storytelling about the origins of Winter Solstice seems like a good fit here. Some selected titles include, but are not limited to:
- The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice By Wendy Pfeffer
- The Shortest Day By Susan Cooper
- The First 12 Days of Winter By Nancy Adkins
Shadow play is a great idea! Go outdoors (or indoors even for that matter) and measure each others’ shadows. Then measure them every now and then and record the differences. The longest shadows occur on the day of Winter Solstice; just the opposite is true on the day of Summer Solstice in June.
For more great ideas, visit these websites I found:
https://tinkergarten.com/blog/how-to-celebrate-winter-solstice-with-kids
Yeah, it’s good to ‘chill out’ and hunker down at this time of year…stay in those pajamas all day!!
Even in today’s world, it is still a delight to view this day as a chance to cozy up and look forward to the light in the coming seasons.
P.S. It’s also a great time to express gratitude. If you missed my last blog focusing on gratitude, check it out here. My blog from last December, also about gratitude, can be found here.
P.P.S. I wish you a joyous and peaceful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year! See you in ’25!