VE ALWAYS FOUND that checking the time and finding where the sun is located will give me a pretty good idea which direction I'm headed. As the Earth rotates each day, it appears as if the sun is traveling east to west. Granted, it is a low-tech navigational system, but it works for me.
Unfortunately, this knowledge doesn't help if I can't see the sun. For example, in a forest, trees can block out the sun, or in a city, skyscrapers will do the same. Tourists in New York often use the Empire State Building as a directional guide. In Philly, you can use City Hall - if other buildings aren't blocking the view.
A better way to find your way is with a compass. It's a device that determines direction by pointing north. The simplest form of a compass is a magnetized needle, or steel wire, mounted on a pivot. Once magnetized, the wire will align itself with the Earth's magnetic field and point to the Earth's magnetic north. Under the needle is a compass rose, which is marked to show the directions north, south, east and west on a circle.
I made this box compass with directions I found at the website of the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Va.
Supplies you will need
* Square box with sides no more than 2 inches high (the bottom of a half-gallon milk carton would work)
* Cardboard circle small enough to lie in the bottom of the box
* 1 1/2-inch nail with a head
* 1 large paper clip, straightened
* Compass rose, downloaded from ph.ly/Compass
* Magnet
* Tape
How to make it
Print out the compass rose. You may have to change the scale on a copier so it fits inside the box you are using.
Pierce the center of the box with the nail from the bottom up into the box. Check the length of the straightened paper clip against the rose. If it's too long, trim it. Rub the paper clip on a magnet for several minutes.
Cut out a circle of cardboard (an empty cereal box will work) the same size as the compass rose. Tape the wire to the cardboard circle, slightly off center.
On the same side as the wire, find the spot on the circle that lets it balance when it is placed on a nail. Mark the spot and use the nail to pierce halfway through the cardboard, making a dimple. Place the circle on the nail at that point and let it settle. It will turn until the needle points north.
Glue the compass rose to the cardboard with the fleur-de-lis placed where the needle end points to the north.