Groundhog's Shadow

For groundhod day we studied shadows.  We had a great time learning about nighttime and daystime and how the sun affects shadows.

We started by talking about daytime and nighttime and what kinds of activities we do during each.  We worked together to sort pictures into daytime and nighttime. We had to add a "both" catagory when we decided that some activities are things we do in both daytime and nighttime. 

We took a short break to go outside (thankfully the sun was shining) to trace a friend's shadow.  Our friend had to hold very still while we traced his shadow.

Back inside we closed the blinds and got out flashlights to study how shadows can change and move.  15 minutes later we went back outside to trace our friend's shadow again.  He put his feet in the same place as before and struck the same pose while we traced his shadow.  Guess what! It MOVED!!!

Wednesday's activities extended into Friday (today).  In our centers be were able to play with flashlights and make shadows using various classroom items and small toys.  We then helped each other trace these shadows onto white paper to be used later to guess what made the shadow.