Children explore the concept of light and shadows through play and creating shadow tracings.

Shadow Art

LESSON 4

  • Paper (watercolor paper if using watercolor paint)

  • Pencil

  • Objects of child's choice to trace

  • Paint or crayons

Optional

  • Chalk (try activity outside on sidewalk using chalk)

Materials

  • Gather materials

Preparations

  • Facilitate shadow exploration and play, inside or outside.

  • Guide and assist children in selecting a shadow to trace.

  • Offer paints or sidewalk chalk to help children fill in their traced shadows.

Objectives for Teachers

  • Children explore and play with shadows using their hands, bodies, and objects.

  • Children enhance their fine motor skills by tracing shadows.

  • Children express creativity as fill in the traced shadow shapes.

Objectives for Children

Collect and Connect

Golden Sun

Great, glorious, golden sun

Shine down on me today

You are the light of all this earth

You can your magic ray

You are the life of bird and plant

All must depend on you

Shine down, great sun, the whole day long

Shine from the heaven’s blue

And I will welcome your golden rays

For you mean life to me

And you mean happiness and health

Strength and energy

Shine down, great sun, on flower and field

And never say goodbye

Forever and ever give us your light

From out the wide, blue sky

Create actions to the poem “Golden Sun” and practice saying it together.

Activity Flow

  1. Begin by reflecting on the previous lesson, catching sunlight. Here are some questions you might ask:

  • Do you remember what we made last time?

  • What colors or items did you use to make your sun catcher?

  • How does the sun catcher work? (it is transparent, light passes through)

2. Next, tell your child you discovered something really fun to do and you want to show them. Find a sunny spot to play with shadows. You can stay inside or head outside for this activity. Encourage your child to use their hands, bodies, and objects to play and explore shadows in an open-ended way.

3. After exploring and playing with shadows, tell your child you thought it would be fun to capture a shadow by tracing one! Encourage your child to pick a shadow they'd like to preserve on paper or using sidewalk chalk. We found the simpler the shadow, the better!

4. Provide them with paper and a pencil or sidewalk chalk to outline the shadow. Depending on their age and fine motor skills, they might be able to do this independently. However, for younger children, it's a great idea to do it together, or you can demonstrate the tracing process and then involve them in the next step.

5. Once you've finished tracing, it’s time to add some color! Use paints or sidewalk chalk to fill in the shadow shapes. When you're done, display your artwork or capture it with a picture to remember your creation.