Activity
6: Light and Shade
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Optics
/ Light
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Target group: Children of 3 to 6 years in kindergarten
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Aim: Discover how shadows develop
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Where? Darkened group area
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How long? approx. 45 minutes
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What? Shadow experiments
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Preparation:
Spotlight, torches, different items
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Steps:
The beginning of a story
makes the children become interested in the topic (see left column).
They darken the room,
shine the torches and discover their shadows on the walls.
They light up different items and identify them on
the basis of the shadows that they produce. They investigate, how they must
place items or persons in order to produce a sharp shadow.
They experiment with the
size of the shadows. They play catch with the shadows. They find the mouses
shadow again and bring the story to a happy ending.
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Scientific Explanation:
Shadows develop because light spreads
only in straight lines. The area behind an object which does not let
any light through is black. The shadow of an object has the same shape as the
object, because the rays of light continue in straight lines around the
object. The closer you bring a light source to an object, the more light is
intercepted; the shadow becomes larger.
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Example of the beginning
of a story:
The mouse Fridolin lived
in the larder of an old house all by himself. He only had his shadow to keep
him company. He called it (Wendelin)..(The children suggest a name.) Life was
never boring with Wendelin, since she followed her friend Fridolin obediently
whereever he went. And life was never boring, because Wendelin always looked
different. Sometimes she was was short and big, sometimes she was tall, and
sometimes she was even amusingly crooked. And the best to it was: She was
never hungry. So Fridolin had a faithful companion, with whom he could
discuss his experiences, and who never quarrelled with him about food.
But one day a big fat tomcat moved into the old house. And he had it
in for the two. Again and again he jumped onto the shelves in the larder and
chased Fridolin and Wendelin. Once he even hit Wendelin with his paw.
Fridolin got so scared that he ran away. But where did he go? He wandered
through the house, the fat tomcat always on his heels, until he landed in the
dark coal cellar. Here he was safe for once. But - where was Wendelin? Why
hadn't she followed him? Oh dear, now Fridolin felt lonely. What could he do
to get his best friend back?
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Note!
Children who become afraid of the dark may leave the room.
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Possible Variation:
The children improvise small shadow plays with their bodies and
different items.
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