Do you remember when you had to learn how to tell the time? Do you remember how confusing and difficult it was in the beginning? My son Jack is just learning how to tell the time now so I am thinking how to make it more fun and enjoyable. I remember that I had a interactive clock face as a child and I found it very useful. Why not make one for my son? Last month was my birthday and I was lucky enough to receive some beautiful flowers. They came in this pink and quite tall box which I thought would be perfect for some wonderful creations. Why not combine this cardboard box with interactive clock face?
Let's make a clock tower! Our tower wasn't inspired by any particular tower but researching " Most interesting clock towers in the world" was fascinating.
Did you know that "Old Joe" (full name - Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower), University of Birmingham, is the tallest freestanding clock tower in the world? It's 100m tall! It was built to commemorate Joseph Chamberlain, the first Chancellor of the University and its construction was completed in 1908.
My other favourites would be :
Spasskaya Tower- The Kremlin's Clock Tower ( Moscow, Russia). The tower has an enormous clock (6m in diameter) in charge of marking the official time of the city. Legends that the Spasskaya Tower had magical powers to protect the Kremlin from enemy invasions still surrounds the monument.
The Prague Orloj (Czech Republic) . The Prague Astronomical Clock is one of the world's oldest fully functional astronomical clocks. Totally impressive work of art and science is over 600years old!
When the clock strikes the hour (from 9am to 11pm), the procession of the Twelve Apostles sets in motion.
The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben ) (UK) is one of London's most enduring famous film and television stars. It has featured in the likes of 28days later, V for Vendetta, Lost, Doctor Who, Thunderball and Mary Poppins.
There are so many amazing clock towers in the world! You can take this project even further - get inspired by specific tower and try to create it at home.
I must mention Back to Future clock tower - even though it's not real - and it was built in Universal Studios - how cool would it be to skip the rest of 2020 and go straight to year -maybe - 2022 - when we can travel again, see our family and friends on regular basis an hug? Where is DeLorean time machine when you need one? :-)
Interactive clock face is a great visual aid for children and so simple to make!
It's fun, engaging, interesting and it saves a lot of printed paper! You only need two pieces of paper and couple of split pins (second interactive clock face is for Roman numerals). You can move hands to different positions to set the time and then quiz your children quickly and easily on their time telling skills.
We enjoyed making this clock tower together. We also used some lollipop sticks for decorating. Please watch my video "How To Make a Clock Tower from a Cardboard Box" for the instructions. Hope you will find it effective in teaching your child how to tell the time :-)
And it hardly costs anything! You just need a box, couple of split pins, paper, glue, scissors, brown paper (to cover the box but you don't have to), felt tips and some bits for decorating (we used lollipop sticks). Now you can practise telling the time with your children until they get it right...you can also practise Roman numerals by placing the second interactive clock face on the other side of the box. It's 2 for the price of 1!!:-) Happy learning!
What's the time Mrs Page?
It's 3pm!!!
It's pick up time!!! :-)
Hurry up!! :-)
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