Solstice Light

Overview

Why not try your hand at creating your very own solstice light to admire your own henge monument when the sun sets?

Background

The Winter Solstice occurs when the sun sets on the shortest day of the year and is the official start of winter. Studying the passage of time was important for many ancient cultures and it is believed Neolithic people constructed monuments aligned to the movement of the sun.

One of the most famous of these monuments is Stonehenge, where the stones were shaped and set up to frame at least two important events in the solar cycle – the midwinter sunset at the winter solstice and the midsummer sunrise at the summer solstice.

Other examples of monuments aligned to the midwinter sunset are:

– Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland

– Callanish on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides

– Maeshowe Cairn, Orkney

– Long Meg and her Daughters in Cumbria

Follow the instructions below to make your own stone circle light.

Instructions

Liz Caldwell – Mick Aston’s Young Archaeologists (Somerset)

Adult supervision is not required for this activity.

Type of Activity : Crafting

How many people required (minimum) : 1

Safety Measures : Please be careful when using scissors – you may wish to have an adult cut out the stones.

Ages : All ages

Time Required: 1 hour

Step 1

Mark a line on the black card which marks the depth of your base. Then draw the outline of your stone circle on the card, making sure not to draw below the line. Your stones should not be more than 1cm apart.

Step 2

Carefully cut out your stones.

Step 3

Paste PVA glue around the outside of your disk.

Step 4

Carefully stick your stone circle to the disk and secure the ends where they overlap with the sticky tape.

Step 5

Draw a wavy line along the top of the red tracing paper and then cut along this line.

Step 6

Curl the red tracing paper around and place it inside your stone circle.

Step 7

Stick the edges of the paper together with sticky tape.

Step 8

Switch on your LED candle and put it in the centre of the circle.

Step 9

Your Winter Solstice light is finished!