How can you tell they’ve got it: Building shade from the sun?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Design a structure intended to reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area; Build the structure using available materials and test whether it reduces temperature; Compare the temperature in the shaded area vs an unshaded area as evidence of effectiveness. Or just try it together: Can your child design and build a simple shade — like an umbrella or canopy — and test whether it keeps an area cooler in the sun?

Science Energy Ages 5–6

Building shade from the sun

Your child can build a simple shade, like a small canopy, to block the sun. They can test it by feeling that the shaded spot stays cooler than the sunny one.

In curriculum terms

Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area, such as a shade or shelter

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Design a structure intended to reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area
Build the structure using available materials and test whether it reduces temperature
Compare the temperature in the shaded area vs an unshaded area as evidence of effectiveness

🖨 Print this page to keep the checklist — it prints beautifully.

Try this together

Can your child design and build a simple shade — like an umbrella or canopy — and test whether it keeps an area cooler in the sun?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Sunlight warms things upages 5–6Must observe sunlight warming before designing a structure to reduce it

Modelling with Sketchesages 5–8Modelling/sketching skills support designing a shade structure

Building shade from the sunthis skill · ages 5–6

Unlocks

Nothing on the map depends on this yet.

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

This skill sits outside the F–6 Australian Curriculum — no candidate code matched (v0.1). No NSW K–6 outcome code matched (v0.1). No Victorian Curriculum 2.0 code matched (v0.1).

Nearby on the map

Sunlight warms things upages 5–6 Naming types of energyages 7–9 Building a simple circuitages 8–9 Conductors and insulatorsages 8–9

All Energy skills →