How To Find North

Different Ways To Find North

A Read-Along Activity

S63_Header_CrackersWorksOutWhichWayIsSouth

When the teddy bears were out walking round the shops recently in their local town, they were talking about how to find their way around. They've visited their local town many times, of course, so they always know where they are. But what would happen if they were in a strange town and didn't know their way around?

If they had a town map, it would be relatively easy.

The Satellite Dish Points South

They would simply align the map with the streets in front of them - that means moving your map around until the streets on the map match the streets on the ground. Then they would be able to follow the streets to the places they wanted to visit.

But Tommy wanted to know what would happen if they were out in the countryside where there were no streets. In that case, they might be able to see some features on the ground that matched the features on the map and then move the map around until they matched up - a bit like using the town map.

It's also useful to know that the top of a map is always pointing North, so all you have to do is match that with North on the ground.

Moss On The North Side Of Tree

This is easy to do if you are carrying a compass, which Crackers would normally do if he had organised a walk for them. And they've learned how to use a compass before - read all about that here.

But what would happen if they didn't have a compass with them? How would they know which way was North? First of all if they were in a strange, new town? Crackers had the answer to that: In towns, you can usually work out which way is North by looking for satellite dishes attached to houses. In this country (and all of the Northern hemisphere in fact) they will be pointing South, so then North would be in the opposite direction.

"But there are no satellite dishes in the woods," complained Tommy. "How would we find North then?"

Boo Draws A Clock Face

Crackers explained that they could look at tree trunks. Apparently, again in the Northern hemisphere, you would normally find lots of moss growing on the North side of a tree trunk, so you would know which direction was North.

The bears all found that very interesting, but Tommy had yet another question (Crackers was beginning to feel that Tommy had far too many questions actually, but he was too polite to mention it). "But how would we find North out in the fields?" he asked. "There are no satellite dishes, and hardly any trees!"

It's 3 O'Clock

Crackers explained that he would use the time, and the sun! This sounded very intriguing! Crackers said that he would point the hour hand of his watch at the sun, and then the mid-way point between the hour hand and 12 would point South, so North would be in the opposite direction.

"But what if I don't have a watch?" asked Tommy. "I normally look at the time on my mobile phone and that doesn't have an hour hand."

Crackers Works Out Which Way Is South

"Simply draw a clock face on a piece of paper and mark the hour and minute hands on that, and then use that as if it were a watch," replied Crackers.

"Ooh, that's quite clever!" said Tommy, and the rest of the bears agreed. So they tried it out in the garden. Boo drew a clock face on a piece of paper and marked the time, which was three o'clock. Then Crackers showed them how to mark South on it as he'd explained previously, and therefore which way was North.

It Matches The Compass!

Then Teddy ran and found Crackers' compass which they laid next door to the paper, and checked that their North matched up with the compass red arrow for North - it worked!! How brilliant is that?

Perhaps on your travels you could practice working out which way is North. Take a compass with you to check that you are right. And well done if you are!!

To see a video of how to find North using the "clock face" method mentioned above, click here.

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