A little shadowgraph theatre provides a good way to show how shadows are formed by blocking a light source. The light source in this instance is a simple angle-poise lamp and the characters in the play are figures delicately cut out from card and mounted on rods. They are brought to life by a professional puppeteer. The story is a traditional folk tale about a man with a hump back on his back and how the magic fairies help him get rid of his hump. Then as a payback for his rudeness they give a greedy villager more than he bargained for. The way the fairies appear and disappear illustrates particularly well how shadows are formed and change when put in front of a light source. This Lesson Starter is designed to help children recognise that light can be blocked by objects and shadows formed. PROMPT QUESTION: How did the puppeteer make the fairy disappear?

Video Series: Lesson Starters
Release Date 2009