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Explore Shadows

Teaching Strategies

Shadow Theater

Children will create shadow puppets and use shadow theaters (both a small and a large theater) to put on plays. They’ll use what they know about shadows—how to change their size, shape, and position—to help tell their stories.  

Time: 5-10 Minutes
Shadow Theater Mystery
Guess what object is making a shadow.
Time: 20-30 Minutes
Mini Shadow Theater
Create a mini shadow theater and put on a play.
Time: 20-30 Minutes
Hand Shadow Puppets
Make shadow puppets with your hands.
Time: 20-30 Minutes
Shadow Theater: Animal Shadows
Create a large shadow theater and make animal shadows.
Time: 20-30 Minutes
Shadow Theater: Monster Shadows
Create a large shadow theater and make shadows that look like monsters.  
Time: 20-30 Minutes
Shadow Puppet Show
Create a large shadow theater and shadow puppets to put on a play.
  1. Peep and friends!
  2. National Science Foundation
  3. 9Story
  4. American Public Television
  5. TVOntario

© 2025 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. Peep and the Big Wide World and the Peep characters and related indicia are trademarks of WGBH Educational Foundation. All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Used with permission. “Peep,” “Quack,” “Chirp,” “Tom” and “Nellie” were originally created by Kai Pindal for the National Film Board of Canada productions The Peep Show, © National Film Board of Canada, 1962, and Peep and the Big Wide World, © National Film Board of Canada, 1988. Peep and the Big Wide World ® is produced by WGBH and 9 Story Entertainment in association with TVOntario. Major funding for Peep and the Big Wide World is provided by the National Science Foundation. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1222607. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.