Materials
Flashlight Paper
Crayons Assorted objects, such as comb, ball, box
Various shadow pictures, created beforehand, forexample, of scissors, toy truck, coffee mug,fork, butterfly
Instructions
1. Tell the children that you need their help to make some really special pictures. Tell them that they are going to have to help you catch the pictures before they disappear.
2. Pull the flashlight out of the box and tell them that it is a special tool that makes the pictures appear.
3. Ask the children what kind of picture they think will appear when you shine the flashlight on the ball. Shine the flashlight on the ball in such a way that the ball casts a shadow. For some objects, just setting them on the table works best. First, tape some paper to the table. Call on one of the children to come and trace around the outside of the shadow on the paper. When the child completes the tracing, turn off the flashlight and look at the shape he drew.
4. Create other pictures using the other objects.
5. Ask the children why they think the pictures appear. Help them draw the conclusion that the pictures are really shadows and shadows are created when light is blocked.
6. Show the children the shadow pictures you created beforehand using the other objects listed above. See if they can identify them.
7. Show the children how to make shadow figures on the wall with their hands.More to doGames: Play Shadow Tag on a sunny day in the early morning or late afternoon. The person who is "it" tags another person by stepping on their shadow. * Make a matching game of objects and their shadows.More science: Go outside and discover all the things that have a shadow at various times of day. * Help the children draw their body silhouettes from their shadows on the sidewalk and then add the details.Original poemsPoems adapted from Think of Shadows by Lillian Moore and Deborah Robinson.Ground Hog DayGround Hog sleeps all winter snug in his soft warm fur.He dreams of grassy shoots,Of nicely newly nibbly roots Ah, at last he starts to stir.With drowsy stare he looks out from his burrowOn fields of wintry snow.What's that he sees? Oh no!His shadow. We've six more wintry weeks to go.Is There a Place?Is there a place where shadows go when it is dark?Do they play in the park?Slip down the slides?Run down streets?Stretch high and shrink thin?Do they spin in the wind and fly with the leaves?Splash in the rain and hang from the wires to dry?Do they miss us?Are they glad to see the sun or sad?
