SNEAKY SHADOW SNEAKY
SNEAKY SHADOW SNEAKY SHADOW Sneaky Shadow Organiser’s Card About the activity This activity is designed to get children thinking about shadows. Cosmic has lost his shadow. He knows that it was with him all day but now it is missing. Gem and Aunt Stella try to help him to find it. Gem finds it under the street lamp and Aunt Stella finds it on the wall. Where has the sneaky shadow been hiding? Through this activity you will support your group to: • Think about how shadows are made • Experiment with making shadows indoors and outside • Record their results and create a shadow play to share Kit list • Torches or other light sources • Card or thick paper – coloured translucent material can add interest • Shadow theatre – light source (projector or bright lamp), screen (made of translucent material) e.g. a white sheet • Sticks to attach to the shadow puppets • Musical instruments (optional) What to do 1. Follow the instructions on the ACTIVITY CARD. Make sure you give children time to talk about their ideas. 2. Read the story. Get the children to talk about the questions and the opinions of Cosmic, Gem and Aunt Stella. 3.Children can explore shadows using torches or other light sources. 4. They can make shadow puppets and make up plays. 6.Children can cut out a variety of shapes e.g. people, animals or cars. They can use them to create a shadow play. 7.Some children may need help to think of a story for their play. 8.Let them share their play. 9.There are follow up activities for children who want to do more finding out and earn a bonus sticker.
OW Things to think about Children may think that shadows are there all the time, even when it is dark. They may think that shadows have faces or coloured clothes. It is important that they are allowed to talk about and explore their own ideas, without being told that they are wrong. A shadow theatre is ideal to disseminate the information. Put a bright light source behind a screen. Children hold their cut-out characters on sticks in front of the light and behind the screen so that the shadows are cast on the screen. A shadow is formed when something blocks light from the Sun or another light source. A shadow is dark, whatever the colour of the object. If light comes from more than one direction, or the object is translucent, shadows might look grey or coloured. Take it further As children explore they will find that the closer the object is to the light source, the bigger the shadow. The shadow is always on the opposite side of the object from the light source. You do not need complete darkness to explore shadows with torches or other light sources. Light coming through a window can form shadows. However, it is helpful to minimise light coming through windows to make the shadows formed by torches clearer. Keywords • Shadows • Light • Colour Watch out! Make sure children do not touch a hot light source. Observe the organisation’s policy for working outdoors. Do not look directly at the sun. Beware of trip hazards if working in dark conditions British Science Association Registered Charity No. 212479 and SC039236
