Shadows are dark shapes we see when light is blocked. On a sunny day, the Sun sends light toward the ground, trees, toys, and people. When a child stands in the sunlight, the child's body stops some of the light and a shadow appears on the ground.
Learning about shadows helps young scientists notice how light travels and how the world changes during the day.
Light travels in straight lines, so it cannot bend around a person or object easily. The side away from the light becomes darker because less light reaches it. As the Sun seems to move across the sky, a shadow changes where it points and how long it is.
Children can explore this safely by tracing outdoor shadows or making hand shadows with a lamp on a wall.
Key Facts
- A shadow forms when an object blocks light.
- Light travels in straight lines.
- The Sun, a lamp, or a flashlight can make a shadow.
- A shadow appears on the side away from the light source.
- Shadows can be long, short, big, or small.
- Shadows move and change as the Sun moves across the sky.
Vocabulary
- Light
- Light is energy that lets us see things.
- Shadow
- A shadow is a dark shape made when something blocks light.
- Sun
- The Sun is a star that gives Earth light and heat.
- Block
- To block light means to stop it from passing through.
- Light source
- A light source is something that makes light, such as the Sun, a lamp, or a flashlight.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Thinking a shadow is a thing you can pick up is wrong because a shadow is only an area where light is blocked.
- Looking straight at the Sun to study shadows is unsafe because bright sunlight can hurt your eyes.
- Forgetting that the light source matters is wrong because a shadow appears on the side away from the light.
- Expecting a shadow to stay the same all day is wrong because the Sun's position changes, so the shadow changes too.
Practice Questions
- 1 A child looks at a shadow at 9:00 in the morning and again 3 hours later. What time is the second shadow observation?
- 2 A toy is 10 centimeters tall. Its shadow is 20 centimeters long. How many centimeters longer is the shadow than the toy?
- 3 A lamp shines on your hand and a hand shadow appears on the wall. Explain why moving your hand closer to the lamp can make the shadow look bigger.