---
title: "Find north with a stick and the sun"
status: "Idea, not yet tested"
published: "2026-10-14"
updated: "2026-10-14"
author: "Dad Field Manual editors (drafted with AI help)"
time: "30 min"
cost: "$0"
ages: "5 and up"
where: "Any level, sunny spot: a backyard, a park lawn, or a schoolyard."
topics: ["outdoors"]
print: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/print?p=shadow-stick"
url: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/plans/shadow-stick/"
---

# Find north with a stick and the sun

> Thirty minutes on a sunny day with a stick and two stones. The sun moves, the shadow moves, and the line between two marks tells you which way is north.

**Tested on:** not yet. When a dad tries this, his name, the date, the place, and the kids' ages will be added here.

## What you need

- A straight stick about a yard long (free)
- Three small stones or twigs to mark with (free)
- A timer, or a snack that takes fifteen minutes (have)
- A phone compass or a map, to check your answer at the end (have)

## Sun safety: read this first

- **Never look at the sun,** not even for a second, and not through anything. Watch the shadow, not the sky.
- **Hats and sunscreen** if you'll be out a while.
- **Plant the stick firmly** and keep faces away from the top end.

## Steps

1. **Find level, sunny ground** (Kid) Look for a flat spot in full sun with no shade from trees or buildings for the next half hour. Bare dirt or short grass is easiest to mark.
2. **Plant the stick** (Dad) Push the stick into the ground so it stands up straight and casts a clear shadow.
3. **Mark the tip of the shadow** (Kid) Put a stone exactly where the tip of the shadow ends. This first mark is west, everywhere on Earth.
4. **Wait ten to fifteen minutes** (Kid) Have the snack, or see who can spot the shadow moving first. After ten to fifteen minutes the tip will have moved a few inches. Put the second stone on the new tip.
5. **Draw the line and face north** (Kid) Draw a line in the dirt, or lay a stick, from the first stone to the second. That line runs roughly west to east. Stand with the first stone on your left and the second on your right: you're facing north.
6. **Check it** (Dad coaches) Now check with the phone compass or a map. How close did you get? It's an estimate, and it gets better the longer you wait between marks. Point out north to something you know: which way is home, school, Grandma's?


## Variations

- **Ages 3–5:** Mark the shadow, go play, come back and see that it moved. That's the whole lesson, and it's a good one.
- **Ages 6–9:** The full plan, then make a big N, S, E and W out of sticks around the stick.
- **Ages 10+:** Try the slower, more accurate version from the same manual: mark the shadow in the morning, draw an arc through it around the stick with a string, and mark where the afternoon shadow touches the arc again.
- **Cloudy:** No shadow, no plan. Swap in the knots plan and try again on a sunny day.
- **Winter:** Shadows are longer when the sun is low, which makes them easier to mark.
- **Windy:** Use heavier stones as markers so they stay put.


## Sources

- **Shadow-tip method.** U.S. Army Field Manual 21-76, *Survival* (June 1992), chapter 18, "Shadow-Tip Methods": the first mark is always west, wait 10 to 15 minutes for the second, and stand with the first mark on your left to face north.