Tracking Your Shadow in the Sun
Long in the morning, almost gone by noon: their shadow tells the time of day.
Tracking Your Shadow in the Sun is a Montessori activity for a child aged 4 to 6 years. Area: Science and Nature. Time: 15 min.
What the activity builds
Observe that a shadow changes in length and direction over the course of a day, and keep a measurable record of it.
The materials
- A sunny day
- Sidewalk chalk, or colored tape if the ground can't be marked
- An open space, a yard, patio, or quiet sidewalk
- A fixed object, a flowerpot or a planted stick, if you'd rather not trace your child
How to do it, step by step
- In the morning, have your child stand at a specific spot and trace their feet with chalk.
- Trace the outline of their shadow together, or just its length, and write the time next to it.
- Come back to the same spot around noon, feet exactly on the marks, and trace it again.
- Come back a third time in the late afternoon and trace it once more.
- Look at all three traces together at the end of the day.
- Let them tell you what they notice before you say anything.
The parent's role
Show once, then step back. All the value is in returning to the exact same spot, feet on the same marks: without that, there's nothing to compare. Skip the explanation about the sun moving, the question matters more than the answer at this age.
Safety
This activity happens outside: a hat, shade between measurements, and never during the hottest hours in summer. Never look directly at the sun, not even for a second. Choose a spot with no car traffic, and stay with your child through all three measurements.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: two measurements only, morning and afternoon.
- Harder: measure the shadow with a tape measure and write down the lengths.
- Extension: try the experiment again in winter at the same spot, the shadows are a completely different length.
Up next
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