Shadow Activity for Students: "The Magic Shadow Show!"

This hands-on interactive, small group, activity was designed for first graders to learn about shadows. More specifically this activity focuses on how distances and angles between light sources and obstructing objects can change shadows. This activity has two parts to it. The first part is tracing a shadow of a person on the ground and seeing how the shadow changes as the light source moves. The second part is having students match physical cutouts of shapes or their bodies to shadows projected onto a wall, exploring how the projected shadow corresponds to the object.

1. Projector
2. Chalk
3. Computer
4. Flashlight
5. Ruler/ Popsicle stick
6. Paper or Foam Core (more durable)
7. Pen
8. Scissors or X-acto Knife or Laser cutter
9. Tape

For this activity, being in a dark environment will produce the best results. While it may be challenging to achieve complete darkness in a classroom and still draw on the ground, an alternative solution is to use a large sheet of paper and a marker as a substitute for concrete and chalk.

For step two, select two students: one to strike a pose and another to trace the shadow of the pose. Additionally, assign someone to hold the flashlight (preferably an adult). Once the student has chosen their pose, the teacher can turn on the flashlight behind them and adjust its position to find the best angle for creating a clear shadow.

Next, the student can begin tracing the shadow on the ground. Ensure they carefully outline the entire shadow, making it clear and easy to see.

Once the shadow is traced, the person holding the flashlight can begin moving it around. Be sure to move the flashlight slowly and in one direction at a time, allowing students to observe the changes and comment on what happens as the light source moves.

In the left image, the light source is placed directly above the student (dog). In the right image, the light source is positioned closer to the ground, creating a long, stretched shadow. You can see the traced shadow and how it changes dramatically as the light source moves.

Finally, to conclude the first part of the activity, you can wrap up by facilitating a discussion with the students about what occurred. Be sure to include questions such as:

1. Where was the light source located when the shadow was very long?
2. Where was it located when the shadow was very short?
3. If I wanted to move the shadow behind the student posing, how would the light need to move?
4. Is there a light source that we see every day that moves? (Yes, the sun!)

And add any other questions you may feel are appropriate.

For the next part of this activity, we will need to prepare a slideshow in advance. This slideshow should include basic outline images with color, allowing students to clearly see the difference between the projection and the shadow. It should also include silhouettes of people in various poses.

The purpose of this slideshow is to project these images onto a surface and then have students use objects or their bodies to block the light and create shadows. Through this activity, students will learn how to move the object in the correct direction to align the shadow with the projection.

This interactive approach helps students understand that the closer an object is to the light source, the larger its shadow becomes—and vice versa. I have attached the slideshow I used for reference.

For making the physical cutouts, we had access to a laser cutter, so we laser cut the shapes from the slideshow, which made the process fairly easy. However, if you don’t have access to a laser cutter, you can easily use scissors or an X-Acto knife to cut out the shapes. I will walk through that process. We made our shapes about 3-4 inches in size, but the exact size isn’t crucial.

1. Step 1: draw shape on paper
2. Step 2: cut out the shape you just drew
3. Step 3: repeat steps one and two with the same shape
4. Step 4: tape the top of the shape together
5. Step 5: tape the popsicle stick in between the two layers of paper
6. Step 6: repeat for all of your shapes!

Once the shapes are cut out, we used rulers to tape the shapes onto them (you could also use popsicle sticks). This created a lollipop-like design.

Once the preparation for the second part is complete, find a space where you can project your slideshow at ground level. The larger the projection, the better. Set up the projector and project the slideshow onto the wall, and this part of the activity will be ready to go!

Before giving the students their lollipop shapes, it's best to demonstrate what you're looking for. Make sure to emphasize that the shadow of the shape should be matched up with the projected shape, not the shape itself. It’s helpful to show them that when you move the shadow stick, the shadow changes size. This will give them a better idea of what is expected.

Next, the students will take turns, one at a time, matching the shape to its shadow. If the students are too small or too large for the projected figure, they can adjust the distance between themselves and the light source to better match the sizes.

Congratulations on completing the Magic Shadow Show! Once the activity is finished, have your students clean up the necessary areas. I hope you enjoyed it!