Share Some Facts About the Earth's Rotation

What can we use instead of a styrofoam ball or skewer if those are hard to find?

If you don't have a styrofoam ball, use the blow-up balloon option from the instructions or tightly crumpled paper wrapped in masking tape for a globe, and if you lack a wooden skewer you can use a pencil or a straight floral wire pushed through from the North Pole mark to the South Pole mark.

My globe wobbles or the balloon pops when I try to push the skewer, what should I do?

If the balloon pops or the globe wobbles, make small starter holes at the North and South Pole marks and reinforce them with a piece of tape before inserting the skewer, then tape each end of the skewer lightly to the jar rim as the instructions say to keep it from slipping.

How can we adapt the coloring, skewering, and poster-writing steps for different age groups?

For younger children have an adult pre-poke the skewer holes and help color the oceans and continents and write the title and facts on the poster, while older kids can draw more accurate continents, set the skewer at the 23° tilt precisely, and write a detailed effect like time zones as instructed.

How can we extend or personalize the spinning globe and poster once the basic activity is done?

Extend the activity by marking major cities on your colored globe, using the flashlight to show local sunrise times as you spin, and adding a time-zone chart or glow-in-the-dark paint to your poster board next to the three facts and one effect.