Little Steps Care · Autumn workshop

Shadow theatre

Shine a torch on a leaf. Predict how the shadow will change as the leaf gets closer to the light.

  • 4–6 · 6–8 · 8–12 years
  • About 15 minutes
  • Indoors

What will your child practise?

Predict and test how moving a leaf changes its shadow.

What you need

A torch, a large leaf, a pale wall and two pieces of tape.

Step by step

  1. Keep the torch in one spot facing the wall. Hold the leaf between torch and wall. Mark the width of the shadow with tape.
  2. Predict what will happen as the leaf moves closer to the torch. Keep the torch still and move only the leaf.
  3. Compare the width with your first marks. Swap roles and try to make the shadow exactly the original width.