Explore and Play: Shadow Matching

Can you match an object with its shadow?

Print Activity

Materials

shadow tracings on paper of four everyday objects you’ve prepared beforehand (examples: cup, scissors, hat, toy truck, pencil, doll, etc.)
the four objects you used to make shadow tracings plus four more objects about the same size
desk lamp
wall to project shadows onto

Key Science Concepts

A shadow is created by an object blocking the light.
A shadow shows the shape of an object, but it doesn’t show colors or many other details.

Directions

Tell children they will play a guessing game with shadows, similar to what they did in the book they just read.

Lay each of your four shadow tracings on the ground. Place the group of eight objects in front of the tracings.
Ask children to try to match the shadow to the object that made it. Ask, Which object made this shadow? Why do you think that is?
Then have a child recreate the shadow shape using the object and a lamp. How does this help them test whether they were right?
Repeat with the three other tracings.

Back to Curriculum

Week 2, Day 2

Morning Circle
Indoor
10 - 15 minutes

Accommodations

English Language Learners may not be familiar with the names of the objects whose shadows you have traced. To help them learn these words, ask children to repeat the name of the object after you: truck, block, scissors. Then have children point to that object and name it for you again. Try mentioning these objects throughout the day to reinforce children’s learning.

© 2024 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.