Clocks go back

[sunflower68]

How can I explain to a 7 year-old why the clocks went back last night?!

[woofgang]

this looks good

http://people.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=time.htm&url=http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/

[sophie_1003]

It started in the war (not sure whether first or second) so farmers could get a longer time to do their jobs. That was what I was always told, not sure how that works but there you go!

[KARL]

You might tell the child this: Changing the clocks does not change the amount of daylight available per day nor does it take away or add time to our lives. The reason is mostly psychological combined with conservatism and lack of courage. It is said the reason is to allow people to better fit a standard routine (such as 9-5) to the reduced daylight in winter, but that is a poor explanation. Accepting that people don't want to change the routine (to 10-6, say, instead) why change in the spring, which brings you back to the need to change again in the autumn ? Several countries who used to change the clocks seasonally have stopped doing that. Find the answer as to why those who still do change haven't stopped and you will really answer the child's very sensible question (remember The Emperor's New Clothes ?).

[einsteinsdog]

It is hard to see a justification for messing with the clocks twice a year, Put simply there are just not enough daylight hours now and what you gain at one end of the day you loose at the other.In any case the original reasons given during the war were in my view facetious. It probably has more to do with government intervention in our lives and how every opportunity is taken to regulate every aspect of how we live .Many laws are to put it simply , pointless , but we have to live with it.

[Tim B]

It could be something to do with people getting up at day break or at least when it light. Psychologically speaking it's better for is, or so the governments have said.

[don1]

sunflower, if your 7 year old understands this then he must have twice my intelligence at least, I'm the wrong side of 50 and I've never understood it

[Jay70]

The clocks went back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) from British Summer Time or daylight saving time. Daylight Saving Time was introduced to do just as its name suggests - it enables us to take advantage of the long summer evenings. If the clocks remained at british summer time and did not go back this weekend then the mornings would be even darker and hence it was considered a danger to school children making their way to school.

So the clocks spring forward in spring

and fall back in autumn when the leaves fall from the trees.

That's what I told my eight yr old daughter anyway and she seemed to understand - either that or she got bored and was just agreeing to everthing I said.

Hope this helps,

Jason

[johnlambert]

because they do.