We didn't see our shadows, will the groundhog?

If you saw my last post, you know we had a pretty crummy week for shadows.  My shadow lesson plans had to be changed a bit since there was no sunshine, but the kiddos had fun just the same.  I sent an email to the parents asking if we could borrow some flashlights for the week.  The kiddos were pumped to bring in something from home to share with their classmates :)

They brought in just enough so each kid could work with a partner.  It was a good thing they remembered, because I completely forgot to bring mine from home!

We started our shadows investigations as a whole group.  We sat in a circle and took turns trying to create a shadow using a flashlight and a notebook.  A few of the kiddos managed to accomplish this, and then we made observations as to what they did differently to get a shadow to appear.  We also discussed what we needed to make a shadow (light, an object, a surface).  Once we figured out how to make a shadow they drew and labeled a picture of the items we used and the placement of them to create a shadow.

"When do we get to use the flashlights?"--was a question I heard all too frequently this week.  I guess I should be glad, it means they are curious (or else they just want to shine lights at each other.)  Just kidding, my kiddos were really good about flashlight etiquette.

Our next activity involved a flashlight and a basket of objects (laid out on the table because I forgot to take the photos during the activity!)

plastic wrap, plastic cup, marker, coin, book

I made a chart for the kids to copy in their notebooks (Does light shine through it?).  Then they made predictions about which objects the light would shine through.  They got a chance to test the objects with a partner, and then we discussed our findings.  The answers were recorded on the chart in their notebooks.

One day when we were running short on science time, I let them explore the classroom with their flashlights and find objects that make shadows.  They loved it, and they got practice positioning the flashlight and object correctly to make a shadow appear!  Win, win!

Our final lesson was supposed to help us discover how shadows move if the object does not move (the light source/sun moves).  Unfortunately, our schedule was so busy we did not get to it.  The kiddos were stoked about taking their flashlights back home, so we will have to save that one for a sunny day when we can trace our shadows outside.

We finished up our shadow activities this week with some groundhog activities.  I snagged these cute FREEBIES from Sheila Melton.

We practiced ABC order!

"I hope the groundhog does see his shadow because I want to go in the snow so I can build a snowman."

"I hope the groundhog does see his shadow because I like winter."

There was about a 50/50 split on who wanted more winter and who wanted spring.  They also made predictions about whether the groundhog will see his shadow on Feb. 2nd.  The majority said yes, it will be sunny and he will see his shadow.   I guess we will have to wait and see!