Children observe their own shadows indoors and explore making their shadows move and change.
This projector has a strong light. What can we do with it?
We can make shadows on the wall over there!
Materials
- Bright LED lamp
- White poster board, foam core, or a sheet
- Little Shadow, Dance with Me: Lyrics (PDF)
- iPad with Cool Shadows photos of children’s shadows
- Optional: Cool Shadows tool in the digital Shadows Journal on the iPads
Preparation
- Create a Shadow Center in the room. Place the LED lamp on a table or another surface about 4–6 feet from the wall. Adjust the position of the light so that children’s shadows will appear on the wall.
- Cover the wall where the children’s shadows will be cast with white poster board, foam core, or a sheet.
- Familiarize yourself with the words to the song “Little Shadow, Dance with Me” (sung to the tune of “Skip to My Lou”). If you wish, print out the words from the Little Shadow, Dance with Me: Lyrics PDF.
- Identify some Cool Shadows photos taken during Circle Time to share with the group.
Directions: Lesson 1
Guided Small Group
- Introduce each small group to the Shadow Center. Point out the lamp and blank “shadow wall” surface. Turn on the lamp. Where do you have to stand to see your shadow on the wall?
- Give directions to children as they pose to make shadows.
- Make a shadow . . . with your hands on your hips, with your hands on your head, with your hands on your knees.
- Make a shadow where you can’t see your arms.
- Make a shadow that is . . . big, small, wide, thin.
- Move closer to/farther from the light. What happens to your shadow?
- Sing “Little Shadow, Dance with Me” as children dance with their shadows! You may want to take photos of children dancing.
- Encourage children to observe and compare the shadows on the wall with the shadows in the Cool Shadows photos. How are they the same? How are they different?
- If available, show some examples of photos from Cool Shadows. Possible discussion ideas:
- What light is the (object) blocking to create the shadow in this photo?
- What light were we blocking when we were dancing? What if we were dancing outside, what light would we be blocking?
- Discuss how light comes from human-made sources (flashlight, lamp, etc.) and natural sources (sun, lightning, etc.). What light sources do we use in our classroom?
