In early childhood education, following the lead of tamariki is key to fostering meaningful learning. Back in mid-February, I observed a growing curiosity about shadows among preschoolers in my centre. Their spontaneous questioning paved the way for an extensive exploration of light and shadow – a journey that paralleled our long-term internal review focus on oral literacy and communication. With thoughtful planning and simple, hands-on experiences, I was able to turn this curiosity into a powerful learning adventure that encouraged children to express themselves, ask questions, build memory, and develop confidence.
Exploring Shadows
It began with an immersive experience called under-sea shadows, using a special light to mimic the ocean's flow. As sea creature toys formed magical shadows, the children’s reactions were documented – an example of combining science with oral language development. We then engaged in creating shadows, using a glass door to capture shadow silhouettes with sunlight. Children excitedly noticed how their own shadows formed when light was blocked, solidifying this fundamental scientific concept.
Diving deeper into the learning, I introduced drawing around shadows with dinosaur toys – another favourite theme in the centre. Tamariki worked collaboratively, tracing shadow outlines cast by sunlight and colouring them in – supporting fine motor development. They also continued to explore creating shadows, using torchlight and selected objects. Children shared thoughts and held the torches themselves, building autonomy and language through action.
For our next activity, creating our own shadows, I involved parents and whānau to collect various light sources like study lamps, rainbow lights, and torches. This expanded exploration saw tamariki running around projecting shadows on tables, floors, ceilings, and even each other’s backs – gleefully engaged in peer-to-peer learning.
To further deepen understanding a shadowbox was introduced, much to the delight of tamariki who responded enthusiastically, engaging with puppet characters and taking part in interactive dialogue. Tamariki later presented their own shadow-puppet shows, narrating jungle-themed stories that empowered them to speak confidently, think spontaneously, and use language to share their imagination with peers.
Reflection & Rainbows
The concept of reflection was introduced through magnetic blocks, where children marvelled at the radiant colour patterns created. The activity led to animated conversation, developing expressive vocabulary and observation skills. The fascination grew as we explored reflections in water, with tamariki excitedly greeting their watery reflections and relating it to previous mirror-based learnings.
We explored making rainbows with mirrors, light, and water. Children experienced prism reflections, colour play with bottles, and mirror rays casting rainbows on ceilings – sparking wonder and scientific thinking. For Matariki, tamariki made their own binoculars, kaleidoscopes and star lamps using various materials – enhancing scientific understanding through play and bringing together their exploration of light, reflection, and shadow in a cultural celebration.
Probing Further
With the foundations of understanding laid, we introduced the concept of day and night using a globe and torch in a dark box to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation. Tamariki worked in pairs, spinning the globe and discussing day and night transitions. This hands-on experience evolved into discussion about transparency, translucency, and opacity and tamariki actively categorised indoor and outdoor objects into these scientific groups, using new vocabulary like "partially", "see-through", and "block."
Our Mother’s Day project light and shadow card beautifully captured the culmination of two-and-a-half months of learning. This multi-fold card had eight frames featuring:
Mum & Me silhouette on marble paper
Shadow puppets storytelling
Tracing mum’s shadow
Looking through different mediums
Sensory lava heart pouch
The techniques used to create the cards explored concepts like impression, ripple colouring, and lava gel, offering both creative and tactile learning while cementing new knowledge.
This learning journey demonstrates how a single spark of curiosity (in this case, shadows) can unfold into a rich, multifaceted experiences for tamariki. It nurtured inquiry, expression, scientific thinking, and creativity in our young learners, all while aligning with our centre’s oral literacy goals.
About the Author
Shuchita Jain is an accomplished ECE teacher and leader with over 18 years’ experience in the education sector. She currently works as Head Teacher of the preschool room at Kids Cove ELC, Albany, Auckland. Shuchita is passionate about music, dance, arts and sustainability, seamlessly integrating these themes into her teaching practice. She has earned recognition from the British Council’s International School Award and has had numerous educational articles published globally, including her academic paper on relational leadership in He Kupu (New Zealand Tertiary College’s online ECE journal).
