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Science activity

Shadow Tracing

Trace your shadow on the sidewalk with chalk! Go back later and see if your shadow moved. Discover that the sun makes shadows change.

OutdoorAbout 20 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

Trace your shadow on the sidewalk with chalk! Go back later and see if your shadow moved. Discover that the sun makes shadows change.

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Go outside on a sunny day with sidewalk chalk.
  2. Stand in one spot while a parent traces your shadow outline.
  3. Play with shadows: make your shadow wave, dance, and jump!
  4. Go back 2 hours later. Stand in the same spot. Is your shadow in the same place?
  5. Talk about why: 'The sun moved across the sky, so your shadow moved too!'
  6. Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.

Learning objectives

  • Understand that light creates shadows when blocked by objects
  • Observe that shadows change position as the sun moves
  • Explore how body position changes shadow shape

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Trace a shadow at 3 different times of day and compare. Measure shadow lengths and explore how the sun's position affects shadow direction and size.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Place an object (stick, toy) in a fixed spot on pavement.
  2. In the morning, trace its shadow with chalk and label the time.
  3. Trace the shadow again at midday and in the afternoon.
  4. Measure each shadow's length with a ruler or string.
  5. Draw a diagram showing all 3 shadows and discuss: 'When was the shadow longest? Shortest? Why?'
  6. Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.

Learning objectives

  • Measure and compare shadow lengths at different times of day
  • Explain the relationship between the sun's position and shadow direction
  • Record timed observations and identify patterns in data

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

Build a sundial and learn how ancient civilizations told time using shadows. Track shadow movement hourly, graph the data, and explore why seasons affect shadow length.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Build a sundial: push a straight stick vertically into the ground (or into clay on a plate for portability).
  2. Every hour from morning to afternoon, mark the tip of the shadow and write the time next to it.
  3. Connect the marks — you have made a sundial! Can you read the approximate time from it the next day?
  4. Research: how did ancient Egyptians and Greeks use sundials? Write a paragraph about the history.
  5. Measure shadow length at noon today. Research: will the noon shadow be longer or shorter in winter? Why? (Hint: the sun's angle changes with seasons.)
  6. Create a diagram showing Earth's tilt and how it causes the sun's angle to change throughout the year, affecting shadow length.
  7. In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.

Learning objectives

  • Build a functional sundial and understand how it measures time
  • Track and graph shadow movement over the course of a day
  • Explain how Earth's axial tilt causes seasonal changes in shadow length

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Investigate the physics of light and shadows: explore how light travels, measure angles of incidence, study how Earth's rotation and tilt create time zones and seasons, and build an accurate sundial calibrated to your latitude.

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Research: light travels in straight lines. Demonstrate this with a flashlight and objects — show how shadow size changes with distance from the light source. Measure and graph shadow size vs. distance.
  2. Build a sundial and calibrate it. Research: why does a sundial need to be tilted to match your latitude? What is your latitude and how does it affect the sun's angle?
  3. Take shadow measurements every hour. Calculate the angle of the sun above the horizon using trigonometry: tan(angle) = object height / shadow length. Create a graph of sun angle over time.
  4. Research time zones: why do they exist? How are they related to Earth's rotation? Calculate: if it's noon here, what time is it in London? Tokyo? Sydney? Explain using Earth's rotation speed (15 degrees per hour).
  5. Investigate: why are shadows longer in winter and shorter in summer? Draw a diagram showing Earth's 23.5-degree axial tilt and how it affects the sun's angle at your location during solstices and equinoxes.
  6. Write an essay connecting your shadow experiments to the bigger picture: how do Earth's rotation and tilt affect daily life (day/night, time zones, seasons, climate)?
  7. In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.

Learning objectives

  • Demonstrate that light travels in straight lines and apply this to shadow formation
  • Use basic trigonometry to calculate sun angles from shadow measurements
  • Explain how Earth's rotation and axial tilt create time zones and seasons

Safety and evidence note

Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.

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