After finding out whether Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, ask the children if they know how to find their own shadow. Take the students outside if it is a sunny day to locate their own shadow and explain that blocking light, even sunlight is what creates a shadow. Have them observe how the shadow changes shape as the sunlight hits them from different angles. Take them inside to show them that any light source will create a shadow, not just the sun. Use the overhead projector on a blank wall and make animal shadows on the wall. Have the students make their own animal shadows as well.
Reinforce the idea of shadows by reading books about the Groundhog Day shadow as well as other animals' shadows. Book ideas include, "Gregory's Shadow," by Don Freeman, about a shy groundhog who is separated from his shadow right before Groundhog Day; "Moonbear's Shadow," by Frank Asch about a bear who learns how light and objects create shadows; and "Whose Shadow Is This?," by Claire Berge, which encourages children to guess which animal shadow belongs to which animal.
Have the students create a shadow box. Pair up the students and give each pair a shoe box without a lid and help them cut out the bottom, then cover the space with wax paper. Next, have the students place objects in the box, which could be modeling clay creatures, trees, pencils, paper figurines or anything that stands up on its own. Give each pair a flashlight and place it so it lights up the box, creating shadows visible through the wax paper on the other side. Allow each child to present their shadow box and have the other students try to guess what shape the shadows in their box are creating. Another arts activity is to pair students up and have them trace the other's profile. One at a time, have one child sit between the overhead projector's light source and the wall, which should have a large paper taped to it. The partner traces the shape of their profile before switching places. The children can then decorate their shadow profiles however they would like.
Have the children determine a wide variety of shadow shapes in a friendly competition. Divide the class into two teams and show a shadow outline of an object or animal. You can also use the profile outlines the students created. The team must "buzz in" by raising their hands to determine and take a guess as to what or who the shadow belongs to. If they get it right they get a point. The first team to 10 points wins.
Shadow Bluff requires one child to leave the room while the others get behind a sheet. Using a strong lamp, children must pass between the sheet and the lamp, and the selected child has to try to guess who each person is. The other kids can make faces and try to distort their shadow image to make it difficult.