Those of you know me know that I enjoy science almost as much as I enjoy design. Anytime I find a science-design connection, I get particularly excited. I have seen shadow drawings floating around the internet as an activity for younger kids, and they are indeed a great way to practice fine motor skills, shapes, and shadow patterns. It also helps younger kids start thinking about how shadows can be used to track the movement of the sun, which is a science standard for 1st grade.
However, I realized that they are also a great activity for older kids because they have such a wonderful artistic potential and they help kids think about the relative movements of the Earth and the sun. Data collection can be very beautiful, and depending on how you structure it, the designs you create could be so interesting while also communicating an important scientific concept. Completing a drawing like this even fulfills a science standard for 5th grade.
We used plastic animals at first, which resulted in a really interesting drawing:
But then realized that a simple shape might be just as interesting:
This activity is best if done over the course of a few hours, so it works well for at-home learning as long as you have access to a sunny spot. We used scrap matte board that a framing friend gave me, but paper taped down to cardboard would work as well. I recommend tracing the bottom of the object in case it gets moved. Enjoy!
