Animal Shadow Tracing

We've got plenty of questions about shadows coming from our littles lately. "How?! Why?!"— creating the perfect learning opportunity & activity for today!

We spoke about time, the earth's rotation, and how the sun changes positions throughout the day. As they traced the animal shadows, it wasn't long before they realized this was something that they needed to do quickly, as it can change quickly from minute to minute.

While Little Man was having a great time carefully tracing each shadow, it was definitely much more difficult for Little Miss, who is not quite three years old. She tried, but ultimately decided drawing freely was more up her alley. (And that was okay, too!)

See what the animals look like once the sun has passed.. It can be quite comical; I know we all had a good laugh!

Materials:

• paper roll & painters/masking tape

• pencils or markers

• animal figurines — animals with notable characteristics ie. moose with antlers (we used our Schleich animals, as they are sturdy & realistic - perfect for tracing)

• a nice open area of hard-surface flooring

In This Activity

• Spark Conversation — chat more about the sun and about the animal types & their habitats.

• Fine Motor Work & Concentration — tracing these shapes is great for those little hands & muscles!

• Creativity — continue on after tracing & colour in the animal shapes; even colour / draw their habitats into the picture.

Happy tracing!