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Share the Week’s Discoveries

Review the week’s explorations and ideas about shadows.

Gather children in the Shadow Museum learning center to review the week’s discoveries. Use the photos and tracings of the shadows as you discuss this week’s activities.

Our Ideas About Shadows

Review the “Our Ideas About Shadows” chart. Ask, How do you think a shadow is made? When can you see your shadow outside?

Our Shadows

Ask for volunteers to show and describe the tracings of their own shadows. Ask,

  • How do you know which shadow is yours?
  • How does your shadow look different from you?
  • Discuss what you CAN and CAN’T see in a shadow (facial expressions, hair color, clothing, etc.) and why.

Disappearing Shadows

Remind children of the book about Rabbit and his shadow (Nothing Sticks Like a Shadow) and the activities Disappearing Shadows and Hide and Seek Shadows. Ask,

  • How can you make your shadow disappear? 
  • What time of day or night might your shadow disappear? Why do you think that is?

Outdoor Shadow Shapes

Ask children,

  • Does your shadow always look the same? When did it look different? Why?
  • How were you able to change the shape of your shadow? What shapes did you make?

Have children point out some of their favorite shadow shapes (or letters) they made themselves or with a partner. Ask them to demonstrate how they created these shapes.

Changing and Moving Shadows

Review the “How a Shadow Changes” chart and discuss the shadows children saw during Moving Shadows and Long and Short Shadows. Ask children to describe what happened during each activity:

  • What have you noticed about how our shadows change outdoors?
  • What’s different about the morning and afternoon shadows you traced?

Tell children that next week you will be looking at indoor shadows. Ask them to predict how they think they can make a shadow inside.