STEM Activity: Spark Joy With Shadow Puppets

Have you ever seen your shadow stretch across the sidewalk on a sunny day? When a light source, like the sun, a lamp or even a flashlight shines on a surface like a wall, you can see that the light travels in a straight path, but when an object is placed between the wall and light source, it creates a shadow. You even can change a shadow’s size and shape by changing the object’s distance and angle.

Let’s explore shadow science by creating a shadow puppet theater that blends STEM and storytelling!

Materials Needed:

• Brad fasteners
• Cardboard
• Craft materials (clay, craft sticks, fabric, stickers, etc.)
• Disposable spoons
• Light source (cellphone light, flashlight, book light)
• Parchment paper
• Scissors
• Tape

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Create your own shadow stage! To create your screen, find a chair with four legs and tape a sheet of parchment paper to two of the chair legs to cover one side. Center a light source between the back two legs and explore the shadows of objects you place between the light source and the screen.
    
2. Lie on your belly and extend your arms in front of you to manipulate the objects in front of the light source. This position also will allow you to see the shadows cast on the screen.
    
3. Make different shapes with your hands to add animals to your story! Here are a few go-to shadow puppet animals for you to try out:
   • Bunny shadow puppet: Bend your pinky and ring finger down and hold them with your thumb. Your pointer and middle fingers will be the ears of the bunny. You can wiggle those two fingers to move the bunny ears.
      
   • Dog shadow puppet: Place both palms together, with your thumbs on top and curved to represent the dog’s ears. Next, move your pinkies in unison, making your dog’s mouth appear to bark, chomp and pant.
      
4. To create advanced shadow puppets, cut pieces of cardboard and use brass brads (found at stationery stores) to connect them. Place craft sticks on each piece of connected cardboard and operate each piece independently by moving the sticks.
    
5. Keep experimenting with all the ways you can bring your story to life. Here are a few tips:
   • Cut simple silhouettes out of cardboard to enhance your scenes with extra props, from pine trees to houses.
      
   • Experiment with movement to find the best positions for blocking light so that the shadows resemble recognizable objects.
     
     If you move an object closer to the light, you’ll see a bigger shadow, and if you move the object farther away, the shadow will shrink. Light does not bend around the shape of an object, so the blocked area becomes a shadow in the shape of the object’s outline.
      
   • Compare how translucent versus opaque objects block light.
      
   • Explore how clay, craft sticks, fabric, stickers or other objects can be combined to create shadows for your story.
      
   • The best stories come from your imagination! Write a script to act out with your shadow puppets or simply make up a story full of twists and turns as you go. You can sing or play music for a special shadow puppets dance performance.
      
6. Invite friends or family to view your shadow puppet show!

What Are We Discovering?

Curious about the STEM behind your amazing shadow puppet show? National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Inductee Thomas Edison invented the electric lamp, or light bulb, which helps us create a shadow puppet theater. Edison showed persistence as he made hundreds of small improvements to early lamps by changing the filament, shape and materials. Other inventors have continued to enhance the light bulb with lower-energy and higher-efficiency light sources used in large-scale theater productions.

Keep Exploring STEM

Shadow puppets are a timeless way to spark creativity and make lasting memories. Want to keep exploring the joy of STEM? Sign up to receive monthly emails filled with new ways to make STEM discoveries.