Week 3: Changing Shadows

Children observe how the shape of a shadow changes as a plate, lid, or other object is rotated.

Children watch and discuss the video Outdoor Shadows and make a list of some activities they would like to try outside.

Children explore rotation and changing shadow shapes through hands-on experiences.

Children explore how a shadow changes when the object is turned or rotated.

Children use their hands and shadow puppets to cast shadows on a sheet.

Children create shadow puppets and mount them on coffee stirrers, craft sticks, or rulers.

Children explore digital simulations of how shadows are made by light and an object that blocks the light.

Children continue to explore creating shadows to provide shade for dogs. They arrange different materials—bushes, bricks, and trees--to create big, small, tall, and wide shadows.

Children create sculptures from play dough and craft materials, then shine a flashlight on their sculpture to examine its shadow.

Children sing and act out a song, turning so that their shadows are in front of, next to, and behind them.

Children revisit and discuss the documentation they gathered during their outdoor explorations.