This week we are looking at having fun by torch light to create shadows. There are different activities you can chose from.

Topic Make a recycles bottle lantern

You will need:

• One  clean 1 litre bottle
• Permanent coloured markers
• Battery tea light 
• Sand

How to make To make your lantern :

• Cut the top half of the bottle.
• Decorate the bottle with pretty pictures of stars, moons, flowers shapes or patterns.
• Place sand in the bottom of the bottle to weigh it down for stability. 
• Light the tea light
• Push the tea light into the sand

Shadow art

Cut a long sheet of white paper and place it on the floor. Ask your child to chose their favourite toys, animals or shapes. Line the toys in front of the paper and shine the torch in front of the toy. What can the children see? Can the children draw their shadow picture? If it is a sunny day you can draw around shadow outside, using chalk.

Shadow puppet

Draw around a shape of your choice on black card. Cut out the shape and tape a straw on the back of your puppet. There are some examples below. Use your torch to create a shadow on the wall. Can you make your shadow big and small? Would you like to create a story with your puppets? 

Maths Glow Number formation. Make numbers from glow stick bracelets.

Write or trace over numbers written on individual sheets of paper, It is best to use dark sheets of paper. use a black felt to write the numbers. Ask your child to snap the glow stick then place them on the paper to form the number. Tape the glow stick to the number. Then turn off the lights. Can you read the numbers in the dark? 

Literacy Sound of the week r

Hide sounds of the alphabet around a room or words that begin with the sound of the week. Write the words, using glitter pens. Put them high and low. Turn the lights off to make the room dark. The children can go searching and exploring, reading the words or sounds as they shine the torch on them. It is up to you what words you want to use. Try blending the word to help your child read the word.  Look at the letter formation below to help you practise writing letters correctly. 

r cvc words 

rat

ram

rot

run

red

rug

rag

rib

rod

rip

With your family look at the wordless book that shows us what you might see in the dark. Talk with the children after they have seen the book and ask what the child is shining the torch on. May be you would like to have fun using your torch outside and go exploring in the dark. What can you see?