Me and My

SHADOW

Read and Do Science

Written by Melinda Lilly

Photos by Scott M. Thompson

Design by Elizabeth Bender

Educational Consultants

Kimberly Weiner, Ed.D

Betty Carter, Ed.D

Maria Czech, Ph.DCalifornia State University Northridge

Vero Beach, Florida 32964

Read and Do ScienceMe and My

SHADOW

For H. T.

—S. T.

©2006 Rourke Publishing LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced orutilized in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanicalincluding photocopying, recording, or by any information storageand retrieval system without permission in writing from thepublisher.

Globe illustration on page 19 is courtesy of Nelson’s Freelance,www.freelance.com; sun art on pages 18 and 19 is courtesy ofwww.1clipart.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lilly, MelindaMe and My Shadow / Lilly, Melinda.

p. cm. -- (Read and do science)ISBN 1-59515-403-5 (hardcover)

Printed in the USA

Before You Read This Book

1. Compare your shadow to your image in a mirror or photo. How is yourshadow different? How is it alike?

2. Sometimes you can’t see your shadow. What can you do to make itappear?

The experiments in this book should be undertaken with adult supervision.

Table of Contents

Here’s a Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Shadow Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Why? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Another Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Hand Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Moving Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Why Did Your Shadow Move? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Know Your Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Take It Further: Colorful Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Think About It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

4

Here’s amystery! You can run all day and

never get away from it,

but go in the dark and

it won’t follow.

WHAT

IS IT?

Your shadow!

You make a shadow

because you block

the light. It can’t

shine through you

very well.

Good night,

shadow!

5

There must be light

to make shadows.

6

When light shines through

glass, there is a pale shadow.

Not all of the light goes

through the glass. Some of

the light is blocked or

reflects off of it.

7

Use shadows to make a picture!

Shadow Picture

What You Need:

• A sunny day

• A piece of dark construction

paper (blue and purple work well)

• Double-sided tape

• Items with interesting

shapes (flat items work well)

WARNING:NEVER look at the

sun! Lookingdirectly at the sun

will damageyour eyes.

8

In the morning,

put the paper

outside in a spot

that will be

sunny all day.

Find things that are somewhat

flat and have interesting shapes

to fit on the paper. Include

something heavy so a wind

won’t take your paper.

9

L ightly

attach tape to

the bottom of

each item that

might blow

away.

Set them on the paper.

10

At sunset, gently

remove everything

from the paper.

The shadows remain!

11

Why?

Sunlight lightened

the paper. Your items

blocked the sunlight so

the paper stayed dark

beneath them.

Another Mystery

If you stand still, can

your shadow move?

12

Signing the word “light,” while

casting a shadow

13

Yes! If the source of

light moves, the

shadow will also

move. Test it!

Hand Shadows

What You Need:

• A light-colored, blank wall

• A bright flashlight

• A friend

14

Make these shadows move by moving your hands.

Here are some hand shadows you can try.

woof!

Ooooowooo!

The quiet fox The howling fox

The barking dogThe quiet dog

15

Make these

hand shadows

move by

moving the

light.

Can you make the bat grow?

Shake the

flashlight to

make the

monster’s

face jiggle.

Moving ShadowsWhat You Need:• A sunny day• A large patch of cement(Do NOT do this in the street! Try a

playground or sidewalk)• Chalk• A watch• A friend

Compare shadows. If

you stand in the same

sunny spot at

morning, noon, and

afternoon, will your

shadow move?

16

17

Stand in a spot that will be

sunny all day. At 9:00 a.m.,

outline your feet with chalk.

Stay still. Have a friend outline your

shadow. Write the time near the

outline.

Return at noon and stand in the

same place and position. Outline

the shadow and note the time.

18

You stood in the same

place and the sun

doesn’t budge.

Do it again at 2:30 p.m.

Compare the outlines.

“Nope,not me!”

Why did yourshadow move?

NN

WW

SS

EE

19

The Earth rotates, or

spins! Its movement made

your shadow change. At

9:00 a.m., the sun is in the

eastern sky.

At noon your part of

Earth directly faces the

sun. Shadows are short.

Compass

Shadows are getting

longer again. They point

in the opposite direction from the morning shadows.

20

At 2:30 p.m., the sun

is moving into the

western sky. Where you

are on Earth is turning

away from the sun.

21

Know your

shadow,

it will be with

you all your life!

It must have light.

If you move or the source of light moves, your

shadow moves.

It changes size and position throughout the day

due to Earth’s movement.

T

T

T

Glossary

compass (KUM pus) — A tool that uses a needle to

indicate North, and is marked with the four

directions of North, South, East, and West

damage (DAM ij) — To injure or harm

eastern (EE sturn) — in the direction of the east

point on a compass

reflects (rih FLECTS) — to bounce back something

such as light, sound

rotates (ROW tayts) — to turn around and around,

spin

western (WES turn) — in the direction of the west

point on a compass

22

23

Take It Further:Colorful Shadows

1. Use safety scissors to cut out a design on a piece of paper.

2. Tape colored cellophane over the holes in your design.

3. Hold your paper up to the light so it will cast a shadow on a blankwall or floor. It’s like stained glass!

Think About It!1. The sun sets in the western sky. At sunset, will your shadow point

west or east?

2. Predict if your shadow will be long or short if you stand outside atsunset.

3. The movement of the Earth has what effect on the length ofshadows?

Index

compass 19, 22

Earth 19, 20, 21, 24

hand shadows 14, 15

sun 7, 18, 19, 20, 24

24

Read and Do Science helps children get excited

about science! These attention-grabbing books explain

concepts, showcase three fun experiments per title,

and reinforce the learning steps of pre-teach, teach,

and re-teach by including thought-provoking questions

at the beginning, in the main text, and at the end of

each book. Read and Do Science satisfies most

state standards while it fosters curiosity and fun!

ENERGY

HOT AND COLD

ME AND MY SHADOW

ROCKS

SUN AND MOON

WATER AND ICE