• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • About
  • Videos
  • Contact

Play to Learn Preschool

A delightful preschool experience

  • Thematic Units
  • Learning Centers
  • Dramatic Play
  • Literacy
  • Classroom Management
  • Virtual Preschool
Home
  • Blog
    • Thematic Units
    • Learning Centers
    • Dramatic Play
    • Literacy
    • Classroom Management
    • Virtual Preschool
  • Shop
  • About
  • Videos
  • Contact

This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure for more information.

Shadow Play

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn

We had the most wonderful, accidental learning experience at preschool recently. What started as a few flashlights in the block center quickly turned into a complex, exciting and robust study of light and shadows. The best part? There were no special supplies and just a minute of set-up.

Come look at this beautiful Shadow Play center in our classroom:

Shadow Pin Text

Add flashlights to the block center in our classroom. The students build something out of blocks, shine the flashlight on the building and explore the shadow.

Flashlights

They did do that, but then they also did this.

They shone their lights through our magnetic tile blocks and were surprised (and thrilled!) to see that the shadows were colored.

Shadow Play

They were very intrigued by this discovery, but we soon realized that the little flashlights did not create the big shadows that they were desperate for.

Sooooo, we set up our movie projector to shine a HUGE, BRIGHT light onto a blank wall of our classroom.

Wow! This was exactly the canvas that the students needed to make their shadow creations.

Chameleon Shadow

We explored tiny little finger puppets and great big scary chameleon puppets. (Not really, of course, but they figured out that if you hold the object close to the light source it appears to be gigantic!)
Monster Shadows

We made our own monster shadows and our own heart shadows!
Color Wheel Shadow

We even set up a table in front of the projector so that they could build structures and project the colored shadows onto the wall. Look at what happened to this color wheel when we set it on the table?!
Castle Shadow

The preschoolers started to get really creative, building larger structures with the tiles. They noticed that they had to be only 1 tile deep. A cube of tiles projected a dark, regular shadow onto the wall.
Magna Tiles in Light

Some of our younger children just set up their pieces and stared at them in the light. Aren’t they beautiful?!

The activity was so rich with learning opportunities and discoveries that I think we will make it a regular part of our center rotations!

Have your children ever experimented with Lights and Shadows?! Have fun playing and learning with them today.

Are you a teacher?

FREE ’21-’22 Scope And Sequence!

After you subscribe, you will be redirected to the FREE Scope and Sequence. We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Science

You May Also Enjoy These Posts

Teaching Preschoolers about Sound Vibrations5 Senses Activity – Sense of TouchPine Cone SciencePine Cone Science Experiment for Preschool
The 10 Books every Preschooler should have
Band Aid Fine Motor Practice

Primary Sidebar

Are You a Preschool Teacher?

Join our private Facebook group (only for preschool teachers) and find even more great ideas. We can’t wait to meet you over there!
Join the Group!
Are you a teacher?

FREE Circle Time Ebook!

Tips and tricks to maximize learning and minimize stress!

After you subscribe, you will be redirected to the FREE Ebook. We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

 

Copyright © 2022 Play to Learn Preschool  •  All Rights Reserved  •  Privacy  •  Terms of Use  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs