Rain and Sunshine


“ Leila Arboretum's Kaleidoscope Garden ”

The Rain and Shine garden is where you will find our Sundial and Balloon! Become a human Sundial or climb into our hot-air balloon and feel like you're floating over plants and clouds!
accept What do you see?
accept What patterns do you see in the garden?

Balloon History

In September 1783, a sheep, a duck, and a rooster became the first "passengers" in a hot air balloon launched in France by the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph and Ettienne. The first human passengers went up two months later.

CGballoon_3  CGballoon_4

shape square Make your own Hot Air Balloon (adult help required)pdf


How to use a Sundial:
accept Step into the set of footprints next to the month that you are currently in.
accept Raise your right hand.
accept The sun will cast a shadow across numbers in the pavement.
accept This will reveal the time of day!

CGSundial  fb_2007_46

accept Humans first realized that the sun could be used to tell the time of day over 3,500 years ago!

shape square Make Your Own Sundial (paper)

shape square Make Your Own Human Sundial (adult help required)

Come to the Kaleidoscope Garden and see how a Sundial works, before you make your own.

Plants can tell time

accept Plants can help tell what time it is? A French astronomer performed the first known experiment on biological rhythms in 1729. He investigated the behavior of heliotrope, a plant with leaves that are opened during the day and closed at night.

shape square Biological Clock of Some Flowerspdf