Livestock Shade Barn

Shown is the construction of a completed livestock shade barn, a structure with only three walls. The photo and video demonstrate an example of a structure that was designed to provide shelter for cattle. The shade barn was constructed to provide shade from the sun or rain in the summer and wind and snow in the winter.

• Why do people and animals lie in the shade on a sunny day?

• How can we use the sun to do work?
• How does the sun affect life on Earth?
• Why do we need the sun?

Students could:

• Compare the temperature in different areas such as in the classroom, outside in the sun, and outside in the shade.
• Place ice cubes in the sun and in the shade and record how long it takes them to melt.
• Place ice cubes on white and black pieces of paper in the sun and record how long it takes them to melt.
• Design a shade structure for a pet that lives outdoors.

• PBS LearningMedia | Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms: Earth and Space Science: The Sun Warms Earth: This video shows cooking an egg using the energy from the sun.
• Arcadia High School AP Environmental Science Classes | I’m So Hot, The Sun Song: Short music video teaching facts about the sun.
• PBS LearningMedia | Ready Jet Go: The Energy From the Sun: This two-minute clip explains that the sun is a star and is necessary for all life on Earth.
• PBS LearningMedia | Science-U: Can you cook a s’more without fire or electricity?: A brief video demonstrating how to harness the power of the sun using a pizza box solar oven to cook a s’more.