Christmas Shadow Puppet STEM

Shadows are formed when light cannot pass through an object. As light moves in a straight line, shadows are the same shape as the object making the shadow.

You can make shadow puppets to demonstrate this. We made a Christmas tree puppet and some different festive shapes to put on top.

If this isn’t quite the Christmas science activity you’re looking for, try one of my other Christmas science experiments or festive STEM challenges!

Christmas Shadow Puppets

What you need

• card
• scissors
• straws or lolly sticks
• tape
• torch or light
• pens

Instructions

Draw a tree shape on the cardboard and carefully cut it out.

Attach the tree to a lollypop stick or straw.

Decorate if you wish.

Hold the shadow puppet against a wall in a dark room and shine the torch or light at them. You should see the shadow on the wall.

Try moving the torch away from the puppet to make the shadow bigger and closer to the puppet to make the shadow smaller.

Shadows – A Real-Life Example

Shadows are formed during an eclipse of the sun. An eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, casting a shadow over Earth. If the shadow blocks out all the light from the sun, it becomes dark during the day.

More light experiments for kids

I LOVE this colourful light box idea from Teach Beside Me.

Make arrows change direction using just water and a glass. This cool trick uses refraction ( making light bend ). The water acts like a convex lens. It’s great fun, and you can experiment with words and images which will reverse, too!

Create a maze of light using a torch and mirrors! This can be set up as a challenge where children have to use a set number of mirrors to bend the light from a torch around a specific path.

A light maze is another great way to demonstrate how light travels in straight lines.

Last Updated on November 7, 2024 by Emma Vanstone