Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.
September is a month of balance. The days and nights are almost the same length during the autumn equinox, and at the same time, people around the world mark Car-Free Day by imagining what our communities could look like if we relied less on cars.
As an unschooling parent, you don’t have to treat these events like a test or a worksheet. Instead, they can be natural sparks for curiosity. When your child notices a long shadow stretching across the grass in the evening or feels the wind pushing against their face on a walk, that’s an invitation to pause, wonder, and play.
Wondering About Shadows (Earth’s Tilt & the Equinox)
- Step outside with your child and notice the shadows around you.
- Ask: “Why do you think the shadows look so long right now?” or “What do you notice about where the Sun is in the sky?”
- If your child is curious, you can explore the idea that the Earth tilts as it moves around the Sun. That’s why some days are longer and some shorter. On the equinox, day and night are almost the same length.
STEAM connections:
- Science (2-ESS1.C, 2-ESS2.A/B/C): Explore how the Sun’s light and Earth’s movement create patterns of day and night.
- Math (2.MD.D.10): If your child measures their shadow throughout the day, they can compare the lengths and even draw a simple bar graph to see the pattern.
- Art: Invite your child to trace their shadow on the sidewalk with chalk and decorate it. How does the shape change later?
- Engineering (ETS1.B): If they want, they can stick a straw in the ground or a cardboard plate to make their own sundial. The straw becomes a design feature—a tool to track the Sun’s movement.
- Crosscutting Concept – Patterns & Cause/Effect: Shadows change size because the Sun moves across the sky. What pattern do you notice? When is the shadow shortest?
Power from the Sun and Wind (Car-Free Day Connections)
Car-Free Day is a great chance to explore how energy moves things without gas or engines. If your child sees a leaf blowing across the yard, you might ask:
- “What’s pushing it?”
- “Could we use the wind to move something we build?”
Or, if you’re outside on a sunny day, you might wonder together:
- “How could we use sunlight to make something move instead of gasoline?”
From there, let them choose:
- Maybe they want to build a simple sailboat out of a sponge, a straw, and paper, then test it in a tub of water with a fan.
- Or maybe they’d like to tinker with a little solar-powered car kit, watching how the Sun’s energy turns into motion.
STEAM connections:
- Science (2-PS1.A/B): Notice which materials make the best sails or wheels. Which ones are stronger? Which bend? Which float?
- Engineering (ETS1.B): Try one design, then improve it. Ask: “What would happen if we made the sail bigger?” or “How can we make the car go straighter?”
- Math (MP.2, MP.4, MP.5): Time how long it takes the boat or car to move a certain distance. Compare different designs with a simple chart.
- Art & Creativity: Decorate the sail with your child’s favorite patterns or symbols. Can they make a design that looks like fall leaves blowing in the wind?
- Crosscutting Concepts:
- Cause and Effect → The Sun or wind makes the vehicle move.
- Structure and Function → The design of the sail or wheels changes how well it works.
- Stability and Change → Some boats tip, some stay steady—why?
Portfolio Connections
You can keep these explorations as part of your child’s unschooling record by:
- Photographing their shadow tracings or sundial at different times of day.
- Saving their graphs, drawings, or notes.
- Recording a video of their boat or car moving.
- Asking your child to tell a story (or make an audio recording) about their experience—maybe imagining what it would be like if everyone traveled by wind or sun power.
This creates a living portfolio that shows not just what they learned, but how they thought about it.
Why This Matters for Parents
Children at this age are natural pattern-finders. The second grade NGSS standards encourage them to notice how the world changes over time, how materials serve different purposes, and how humans can design solutions to real problems.
By inviting your child to play with shadows and renewable energy this month, you’re helping them see:
- That the Sun is more than just light—it’s energy we can use.
- That the Earth’s tilt and spin create the changing days and seasons they notice in their everyday life.
- That engineers and inventors use creativity to solve problems—just like your child can when they adjust their sail or car.
Instead of memorizing facts, your child is experiencing science, math, art, and engineering as part of daily life. And you get to watch their curiosity light the way—just like the Sun itself.