Daylight Savings Activities.

This past weekend, clocks moved forward one hour as part of the daylight savings time ritual.  This is the one where we wake up and our bodies tell us the clock is wrong.  It is the time when we wake up to a bright day, instead of early morning.  

There are several activities students can do to find out more about the mathematics involved with daylight savings time.  First, assume that daylight savings time lasts for 34 weeks of the year.  Ask students to calculate what percent of the year daylight savings time uses.  Then take this a step further and have students calculate the percentage of the year in days before comparing and contrasting the two figures.

Another aspect involved with daylight savings is to compare sunrise and sunset times a week before daylight savings time begins with both sunrise and sunset times a week after the change for Colorado and Arizona.  Colorado participates while Arizona doesn’t so you’ll want to have students determine the length of daylight in the two states so students can see how the change actually affects things 

The next activity requires a map of the four corner area with the Navajo nation, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. You will have students create a trip which has them changing clocks five times without repeating any part of the trip.  It is important for students to know that although the Navajo nation is in Arizona, it goes on daylight saving time as well as Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado.

Another activity is to have students research how much going on to daylight savings time actually saves for New Mexico, Montana, and Alaska as compared to before or after being one hour advanced.  Then students can prepare two graphs showing the way expenses are divided up between the two.

The final project is to have students research claims that going on daylight saving time causes more deaths, more health issues, more accidents at work, decreases productivity on the job, and an increased number of strokes.  Students can research the claims and provide evidence to support or prove them incorrect and put it all in a report with graphs etc.

Most times, students tend to live through the process without knowing how the change affects our lives and the world.  This gives them a chance to explore it.  Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear.  Have a great day.