Daylight Saving Time ends today for many of my friends in Europe and it ends next Sunday for those of us in North American states and provinces that observe Daylight Saving Time. As someone who gets up early and lives in a northern state, I welcome the change as I’ll see the sun an hour earlier. And hopefully, my kids will take advantage of the “extra” hour of time for sleeping next Saturday night.
Like I do almost every time Daylight Saving Time begins or ends, I have gathered together a handful of short video explanations about why we have Daylight Saving Time. Take a look and see if there is one that can help you explain Daylight Saving Time to your students.
National Geographic has two videos titled Daylight Saving Time 101. The first one, published in 2015, is a bit more upbeat than the second one that was published in 2019. Both versions are embedded below.
The Telegraph has a 90 second explanation of Daylight Saving Time. The video doesn’t have any narration so it can be watched without sound.
CGP Grey’s video explanation of Daylight Saving Time is still a good one even if it isn’t as succinct as the videos above.
TED-Ed has two lessons that aren’t specifically about Daylight Saving Time but are related to the topic. First, The History of Keeping Time explains sundials, hourglasses, and the development of timezones. Second, How Did Trains Standardize Time in the United States? explains the role of railroads in the development of the timezones used in the United States (and most of Canada) today.
