Summer Solstice

Written By Laureanna Raymond-Duvernell

Learn:

We’ve made it! The summer solstice is what we’ve been building towards ever since those long, dark days of winter.

Not that we can take any credit...

The summer solstice is the “Longest Day” of the year. More accurately, it’s the day when we get the most hours of sunlight in the northern hemisphere. This year, it falls on June 21.

Why does this happen? It’s all about the tilt of the Earth.

The imaginary axis that runs through the imaginary North and South poles of the Earth is not entirely vertical. We’re tipped at an angle of around 23 degrees. At this time of year, the Earth is tilted toward the sun: Those summer rays are more direct, more intense, come from the highest point in the sky, and last for longer during the day because they are hitting us more squarely. It’s also why we have our seasons.

Without us even noticing, the Earth has continued on her path, bringing us into a different position in space, and bringing the official beginning of summer our way. It’s a reason to celebrate!

Read:

Summer is a great time to visit your local library or bookstore! While there, check out the book The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer and illustrated by Linda Bleck. It goes into the science of our seasons and also gives an introduction to the historical celebrations that have happened across the globe to mark the solstice.

Do:

We’ve marked the summer solstice in many different ways over the years. The easiest is perhaps to just get out an enjoy the summer sunshine in any way that you can, and just take a moment to give your thanks to the Earth and all that she provides us with. If you’re feeling particularly fun, try out some of these ideas below!

  • Bake solstice cookies! We use a sun-shaped cookie cutter on sugar cookie dough and paint patterns on using colored milk before baking.

  • Create a temporary sundial with sidewalk chalk by marking the shadows made from a stick throughout the day.

  • Stay up until the sun goes down and create your own light into the night with a bonfire.

  • Or, have a midnight feast! This is a common tradition, especially north of the Arctic Circle.

  • Create a sun catcher out of materials around the house

  • Use the power of the sun to make sun prints on blue/black construction paper

  • Make s’mores using a homemade solar oven

How will you celebrate this year?

Laureanna Raymond-Duvernell
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First Summer Berries