National Science Education Standards:

Content Standard A: Science As Inquiry
Content Standard B: Physical Science – Properties of Objects and Materials

These activities demonstrate how shadows are made and can change.

NOTE: Activities increase in difficulty. Educators/parents may want to work through all activities or choose those most appropriate for their students/children.

(BACKGROUND INFORMATION)

• For a shadow to form there must be light, an object to block light, and something on which the shadow forms.
• Shadows have the same shape of an object but not always the same size of an object.

SPECIAL SAFETY NOTE: Light bulbs can become very hot! Be careful if you must touch them.

Activity One - Shadows

objects such as pencil, cup, fork, spatula; bright light source (clear light bulbs are best when making shadows); light-colored wall

1. Sit in front of the light source facing a wall.
2. Another person will hold an object in front of a light source.
3. Guess what object is producing the shadow on the wall.
4. How could you identify each object?

Extension:

Turn the objects such that they produce a different type of shadow. Is the object harder to identify with a shadow that looks different?

Activity Two - Student Shadows

(This activity works best when conducted outdoors on a sunny day. Make sure students understand the dangers of looking directly at the sun.)

no special materials are required if conducted outdoors; small action figures and flashlights are needed if it is conducted indoors

(if conducted outdoors)

1. Take all children outdoors.
2. The children need to line up with their backs to the sun.
3. The children should look down and describe what they see.
4. Allow students to discuss how a shadow can be defined.
5. Discuss what is needed to produce a shadow.
6. Allow students to predict what will happen if they raise their arms. Have them raise their arms to see if their prediction was accurate.
7. Have the children turn around so that they are facing the sun. Direct them to find their shadow.
8. Discuss why their shadow did not move but is now behind them.
9. Direct the children to turn around again so that they can easily see their shadow.
10. Discuss how they can make their shadow change shape. Allow them to investigate how to change the shape of their shadow.

(if conducted indoors)

1. Children will line up several action figures on a table. Notice the way the figures are facing on the table.
2. Turn on a flashlight behind the figures.
3. Children should describe what is formed on the table in front of the figures.
4. Allow students to discuss how a shadow can be defined.
5. Discuss what is needed to produce a shadow.
6. Children will turn around all figures such that the shadows are now behind the figures.
7. Discuss why the shadows did not move but are now behind the figures.
8. Discuss how they can make the shadows change shape. Allow them to investigate how to change the shape of the shadows from the figures.

Activity Three - Hand Shadows

flashlights, white paper (large sheets), crayons

1. Place the large sheets of white paper onto a tabletop.
2. One child should hold their hand above paper.
3. Another child will hold and turn on a flashlight above the student’s hand so that it casts a shadow onto the paper.
4. A third child will trace the shadow onto the paper with a crayon.
5. Each child can switch jobs until all three children have had their hand's shadows traced onto the paper.
6. Direct the children to compare their traced shadows with their hands. Is the shadow bigger or smaller than their hand?
7. Discuss what will happen to the size of their hand's shadow if they move their hand closer to the flashlight. What will happen if they move their hand farther from the flashlight?
8. Allow students to investigate what happens to the shadow's size when they move their hands closer to and farther from the flashlight.

Extension:
Children can investigate if larger or smaller shadows of objects make it easier or harder to identify the object that made the shadow.

Activity Four - Growing Shadows

(This activity works best when conducted outdoors on a sunny day. Make sure students understand the dangers of looking directly at the sun.)

chalk (if conducted outdoors); small action figures, flashlights, and white sheets of paper are needed if it is conducted indoors

(if conducted outdoors)

1. Place children into teams of two-three children.
2. Locate a place outdoors where children can make drawings on the surface/ground with chalk.
3. One team member is to stand and create a shadow on the ground. The other team member(s) will trace outlines of the shadow cast and the feet of the child casting the shadow.
4. The children should also write the name of the child who cast the shadow within the shadow drawn on the ground.
5. Take the children indoors for other planned activities.
6. Wait 30-60 minutes. Take the children outdoors to the chalk drawings.
7. The same children who cast the shadows should stand in the same place as before (within the chalk tracings of where they stood before).
8. The length and position of the shadows should have changed. Discuss why this happened.
9. Repeat this activity several times throughout the day.
10. This activity can also be used as a part of activities describing that day and night are caused by the sun's different positions around the Earth.

Extension:
Children can predict where their shadow will be from one trip outside to the next. A chalk mark can be placed where they think the shadow will be the next time they look. They will discover how well they predicted the change.

(if conducted indoors)

1. The child will place an action figure on a table (on top of white sheets of paper).
2. Turn on a flashlight at an angle above the figure.
3. The child should trace the shadow of the figure onto the paper.
4. The child will move the flashlight to a different angle above the figure.
5. Discuss what happens to the length and angle of the shadow cast onto the paper. Discuss why this happened.
6. Repeat this activity by changing the location of the flashlight.
7. Relate this observation to what happens to shadows outdoors during the day as the sun is located in different parts of the sky.
8. This activity can also be used as a part of activities describing that day and night are caused by the sun’s different positions around the Earth.