Mai Lesson

Time Travel Trick

Math · 30 min · Any age · You and your child together

This Spark investigates the puzzling phenomenon of a "missing" hour in spring and a "gained" hour in fall. Children will use hands-on models to track how clocks change, discovering that time isn't actually lost or found, but rather re-labeled by agreement. They'll explore how 24 hours always remain in a day.

What your child gets out of it

• Model the concept of an hour being 'skipped' or 'repeated' due to Daylight Saving Time.
• Explain that a day always contains 24 hours, even when clocks change.
• Discover that time changes are agreements, not actual changes in the flow of time.

What you need

• Paper strips — Can be cut from a sheet of paper. (or Index cards, thin cardboard)
• Marker or pencil — For labeling hours. (or Crayon)
• Scissors — For cutting paper strips.
• Tape or glue stick — For connecting hour strips if making a loop.
• A clock (digital or analog) — To reference current time. (or Phone with clock app)

How it runs

1. Breakfast Time Warp · 5 min
2. Build Your Day Trackers · 8 min
3. The Great Time Agreement · 6 min
4. Spring Forward, Fall Back Model · 9 min
5. Time Detective Debrief · 2 min