Activities / Craft
Cereal box shadow theater
A cereal box becomes a stage, and paper cut-outs become actors made of shadow.
- Ages4+
- Time30 minutes
- A grown-up helps withCutting the window in the box
How to make it
- Ask a grown-up to cut a big window in the front of the box and take off the back.
- Tape the white paper over the window from the inside. This is your screen.
- Draw simple shapes on dark paper: a cat, a tree, a moon. Cut them out.
- Tape each shape to a stick.
- Turn off the lights. Shine the flashlight from behind the box and hold the puppets between the light and the screen.
Why it works
Light travels in straight lines. A puppet blocks some of it, and the dark spot left on the screen is its shadow. Move the puppet closer to the light and the shadow grows, because it blocks more of the beam.
Try next
- Make a puppet with a hole for an eye.
- Act out a story you already know with only three puppets.
Safety note. Scissors are for the table, not for walking around with. A grown-up should be nearby for the whole activity.
Watch it
The video for this activity is on its way. It will be on our YouTube channel first.
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