Lamp Shadow Center

Make shadows using the light from a lamp.

Print Activity

Materials

choose a room with lights that can be switched off (or the shades drawn)
desk lamp with a 100-watt bulb (or either a slide projector or an overhead projector)
flat blank wall, projector screen, or other surface to project shadows onto
multiple objects to use to make shadows (chair or stool, bowl, plastic toys, stuffed animals, football, etc.)

Directions

Set up the lamp facing the blank wall with enough distance between them so that multiple children can make shadows. Lay out objects children can use to make shadows. Let children freely explore making shadows, without speciﬁc direction. If children need ideas, encourage them to explore lamp shadows by:

rotating, turning, and flipping the objects
moving the objects closer and farther from the lamp
using multiple objects to create one shadow

Back to Curriculum

Week 2, Day 1

Learning Centers
Indoor

Educator Close-Up

Today, a group of kids worked with blocks in the Lamp Shadow Center. As I observed them, it hit me. They were really paying close attention to how shadows are made.

Juliet: Look, you can see our buildings’ shadows.

Basil: There are six buildings and only four shadows.

Noah: You can’t see mine ‘cause it’s on the other side. (He tries to move his building into the beam of the projector so he can see the shadow on the wall.)

—Aziza, preschool teacher

Lamp Safety

Because lamps can get very hot, explain to children that they are not allowed to touch or put their bodies or objects very close to the lamp. They should also not touch or play with the lamp cord or plug. To avoid tripping, you may want to tape down the lamp cord.

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