Shadow Puppet Show

With Groundhog Day less than a week away we thought it would be a great time to experiment with shadows.

This week at play group we read: "Under Ground" by Denise Fleming, "The Shape of Me and Other Stuff" by Dr. Seuss and we looked through "Groundhog's Burrow" by Dee Phillips.

The children when 'under' the table which was covered by a piece of white fabric.
We blocked the light in the windows and gave the children flashlights and shadow puppets.

Shadow puppets will require very little set up at night though...just turn off the lights and make use of the early dark sky and a light wall or surface.

We made the shadow puppets by painting balsa wood shapes black and hot gluing the shapes on a craft stick.
The shapes were 29 cents each and the couple of colored shapes we found were 59 cents each.

The children mostly loved the opportunity to use flashlights with this activity as well as hiding under the table and letting one child volunteer to peek under the fabric and "scare" them.
This activity did take a little coordination for younger children- holding an object in each hand and learning to place the light source behind their shape.
If you can, set your light surface on a stool, the children's hands will be free to puppeteer with both hands.

Shadow puppets work during the day too....when skies are clear and the sun is strong.