Shadow Dancing!

Children learn through first hand experiences. Our children's interest of shadows peaked last week when a child began dancing in a sunbeam shining through our window. Everyone took notice to her shadow twirling around the floor.

Children's knowledge and understanding grows when they make connections. Last week as we began our exploration of shadows, many of the older children made the connection between shadows and the sunshine. This week we will continue investigating where we can find shadows and how they change (e.g. size, movement, clarity). Can we make our shadows move behind us...in front of us? Can your shadow touch a friend's shadow?

We are using the light projector in our room and the children are delighted by the different shadows we can make on the wall! With a variety of materials, the children are experimenting with the cause and effect of blocking the light with different shape objects. Their understanding that a shadow is formed by blocking light is quickly developing!

Our shadow exploration has been a favorite as it has turned into games of shadow tag, shadow stories, shadow puppets, and more!