Groundhog Day: Hand Shadows
First, go outside on a sunny day so everyone can find his/her shadow – run with it, try to step on it, etc.
While outside, explain that we can measure the heights of tall trees and buildings, even each other, by measuring our shadows. First, have them measure the shadow of a yard-stick. It will be 9 feet long, or three times as long as the stick itself. It will be the same for everything they measure: the shadow will be three times as long as the object. For instance, if a flagpole's shadow is 60 feet long, then the flagpole itself is 20 feet long. They'll enjoy doing this with each other, as well.
Teach the song, "Me and My Shadow" (lyrics: Billy Rose; music: Al Jolson and Dave Dryer), and Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, "My Shadow."
Have the children put on a shadow play: tape cut-out shapes of people and animals onto barbecue sticks and have the children hold their sticks in front of a flashlight. (The closer the light, the larger the shadow.)
Play Shadow Bluff: Tape a sheet tightly between two walls. Place a strong lamp a few feet behind it, leaving enough room for a child to pass between the sheet and the light. Choose someone to be "Buffy" and seat that child in front of the sheet. The other children pass one at a time between the sheet and the light, disguising themselves as they do so. Buffy tries to identify each child. When successful, they switch places.
