# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A raccoon finds a flashlight in the woods.

Sound design by Florian Calmer
Re-recording mix by Ben Huff

GOLD MEDALIST - 45th Student Academy Awards
JACK LARSON STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD - Fine Cut Festival of Films 2018
FIRST PLACE in Animation - Josiah Media Festival 2018
JURY PRIZE - Paris International Animation Film Festival 2018
NETIZEN CHOICE AWARD - Bucheon International Animation Festival 2018
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED FILM - Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival 2020
SHORTLIST - BAFTA Student Awards 2019
FINALIST - FilmJam 2018
FINALIST - Hsin-Yi Chidren's Animation Awards
HONORABLE MENTION - Ortometraggi Film Festival 2018

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Festival du Film d'Animation de Savigny 2018
San Diego Underground Film Festival 2018
Routes to Roots Film Festival 2018
Chaniartoon Festival 2018
Kuandu International Animation Festival 2018
Alexandre Trauner ART/Film Festival 2018
Early Bird International Student Film Festival 2018
Hyperfest International Student Film Festival 2018
ReAnimania International Animation Film Festival of Yerevan 2018
Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth 2018
Gold Coast International Film Festival 2018
Seattle Asian American Film Festival 2019
New York International Children's Film Festival 2019
Mendocino Film Festival 2019
Visions 9 Film Festival 2019
Women of Color Film Festival 2019
Cinekid Festival 2019
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2019
International Children's Film Festival of Kerala 2019

Watch other films made by my classmates: https://vimeo.com/channels/calartscharanimfilms2018

# data[].attributes.body
hype video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Tinkering Studio team plays with lights (and a few other things)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A free-form play session with lots of lights and things that interact with them

# data[].attributes.body
-read book from Amplify kit
-tally students: can you see in the dark? why/how?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Voting for this episode is now closed. Would you like to vote on the most recent poll?

I pulled three questions from my jar. Which question do you want to explore next week?

How are candles made?

-Kaila, 3rd Grade

What was the first costume?

-Jamie, 1st Grade

Why are so many people scared of bugs?

- Hunter, 5th Grade

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Voting for this episode is now closed. Would you like to vote on the most recent poll? I pulled three questions from my jar. Which question do you want to explore next week? How are candles made? -Kaila, 3rd Grade What was the first costume?

# data[].attributes.headline
finish sound sources stations from amplify

# data[].attributes.subject
finish sound sources stations from amplify

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Look around you. What do you see?

You can see your desk when there is light in the room. Or the trees when it is light outside.

You can only see objects when there is light. Without light, everything would be dark.

Watch the video.

Space

Pause/Play video playback

Enter

Pause/Play video playback

m

Mute/Unmute video volume

Up and Down arrows

Increase and decrease volume by 10%

Right and Left arrows

Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds

0-9

Fast seek to x% of the video.

f

Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key.

c

Press c to toggle captions on or off

Click on Visualize It to find things in the light.

You must be signed in to save work in this lesson. Log in

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Look around you. What do you see? You can see your desk when there is light in the room. Or the trees when it is light outside. You can only see objects when there is light. Without light, everything would be dark. Watch the video.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Making paper stained-glass art is even more fun with these additional materials.

Cut up colored cellophane (available here). Use it in place of or in addition to tissue paper to make artwork that lets more light through.

Add opaque materials cut in interesting shapes. We like using star-shaped stickers to add dark stars to any paper stained glass project.

Ask students why adding these materials changes how their art looks.

You can also make art using a different pattern, such as a heart, a star, or a fish .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Making paper stained-glass art is even more fun with these additional materials. Cut up colored cellophane (available here). Use it in place of or in addition to tissue paper to make artwork that lets more light through. Add opaque materials cut in interesting shapes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore natural and human made light sources in the environment in this live-action video produced by WGBH. The video can help children observe and identify light sources and describe objects that are visible in the light's path.

# data[].attributes.body
examples of different beams

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore how light starts at a source and travels away from it in a straight beam in this media gallery from WGBH. Use the video and images to observe natural and human-made light sources and make evidence-based claims about how light travels in a straight line away from a source until an object interrupts its path.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Observe how objects can be seen in a dark space when light enters the space, and how different objects reflect different amount of light that falls on them, in this video gallery from WGBH. Use this resource to help students make evidence-based claims about how objects can be seen in dark spaces even with low levels of light and how light reflects off different materials.

# data[].attributes.headline
shining light on surface makes it brighter Ch. 1.5

# data[].attributes.subject
shining light on surface makes it brighter Ch. 1.5

# data[].attributes.body
-pass out flashlights; 5 min free play
-10 min challenges: move light source closer, what happens to light on surface? move light source farther, what happens to surface? can you block the light? does it matter what surface you are shining on?
-debrief

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Author - Pam Holden , Illustrator - Jane MacDonald

Illustrator - Jane MacDonald

Create an Epic account to start reading!

This is a game making shadow pictures with your hands. Can you make a rabbit with two long ears? Can you make a wolf or a dog?

Read this Book on Epic!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Author - Pam Holden , Illustrator - Jane MacDonald Illustrator - Jane MacDonald Create an Epic account to start reading! This is a game making shadow pictures with your hands. Can you make a rabbit with two long ears? Can you make a wolf or a dog? Read this Book on Epic!

# data[].attributes.headline
how do we stop light from getting to one part of a surface? we block it! Ch 2.1

# data[].attributes.subject
how do we stop light from getting to one part of a surface? we block it! Ch 2.1

# data[].attributes.body
shadow play time
-5 min free play with flashlights and shadows
-10 min challenges: how do we make a shadow with a specific shape? how do we make a big shadow? how do we make a small shadow? what happens if two people make shadows at the same time with one beam of light?
-can you make your shadows move? how?
-10 min: debrief as a group and write down observations on paper

# data[].attributes.headline
what made this shadow? book and sorting game Ch. 2.2 

# data[].attributes.subject
what made this shadow? book and sorting game Ch. 2.2 

# data[].attributes.body
watch read-aloud, do shadow exploration like in their activity outside with chalk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Is your shadow your BFF? Is it always with you, even on cloudy days? When the Sun is directly overhead? At night? Can your shadow show you how the Sun and the Earth work together? Can you make indoor shadows?

Join the Exploratorium's own Vivian Altmann as she reads Moonbear's Shadow by Frank Asch and leads a related activity (and a bonus mini-activity!).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Is your shadow your BFF? Is it always with you, even on cloudy days? When the Sun is directly overhead? At night? Can your shadow show you how the Sun and the Earth work together? Can you make indoor shadows?

# data[].attributes.body
dark box activity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Instead of making Dark Boxes, you can use this distance-friendly substitute activity.

Make the classroom as dark as possible. From their seats, have students read words and signs around the room. Can they read them all? Can they identify the colors of the words?

Turn on the lights. Ask students to read the words and signs. Which words and signs were the easiest to see in the dark? Which were the hardest? Did they get the colors right?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Instead of making Dark Boxes, you can use this distance-friendly substitute activity. Make the classroom as dark as possible. From their seats, have students read words and signs around the room. Can they read them all? Can they identify the colors of the words? Turn on the lights.

# data[].attributes.body
make a shadow creation, take a photo, embellish it in seesaw into something new

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What do you see? Similar to seeing shapes and animals in cloud formations, shadow remixes invite learners to use their imaginations and share what they see in a shadow. This open-ended prompt encourages remixing and building on the ideas of others, and creates a wonderful series of images in the end.

Materials and Tools

You can make a shadow remix using a range of tools and materials Use a Variety of Materials and Tools
Why we value this: There's no one specific tool required for tinkering and we love experiences that support the use of a variety of materials. Pick what's best for you and your learning.

Paper and pen: Use a flashlight and an object to cast a shadow on a piece of paper, and then use drawing materials to bring it to life! Or, trace your shadow on a piece of paper and draw what you see on top. For remixing, make photocopies of the shadow outline or take a picture of your shadow and share it with others.

Digital tools: Draw on top of a photo of a shadow using a photo-editing tool like Procreate or Markup on your smartphone or tablet.

Chalk and sidewalk: Take your shadow remixing outside and use sidwalk chalk to reimagine what you see. Return to your drawing after a couple of hours and remix it using the new position of the shadow.

Shadow Remix Gallery

Part of the fun of Shadow Remixes is getting to create shadows, share them with friends, and see what they transform them into. We're doing an experiment to see how we can collect remixes of shadows and share them out. Please join in!

1. Download one of the shadows to remix in the top row.

2. Create a remix, and then add it to this gallery . You can also create shadows for others to remix.

3. Upload your remix or shadow by dragging and dropping it into the gallery or by clicking on the pink plus button to upload. Please include a Title and your Name (along with anything else you want us to know about your creation):

Featured Artist: Vincent Bal

Belgian filmmaker Vincent Bal is a self-proclaimed "shadowologist" who transforms simple shadows into whimsical shadow doodles. Check out more of his Shadowology work on Facebook and Instagram.

Story Time + Tinkering

We've collected a set of our favorite books to use as inspiration for engaging with specific tinkering activities as part of our Story Time + Tinkering initiative. Learn more about Story Time + Tinkering →

Book Pairing: Duck! Rabbit!

Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

Is this a duck or a rabbit? What happens when you add more context, like a sandwich in front of the duck's bill or a carrot in front of the rabbit? This story explores differences in perspective in a playful way. You might pair it with shadow remixes by making a rabbit shadow with your hand, and then trying to turn it into a duck!

Shadow Remix Credits: Ahra Jo, Astrid Poot, Lianna Kali, My Nguyen, Paola Mattioli, Ryan Jenkins, and Saskia Leggett.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What do you see? Similar to seeing shapes and animals in cloud formations, shadow remixes invite learners to use their imaginations and share what they see in a shadow. This open-ended prompt encourages remixing and building on the ideas of others, and creates a wonderful series of images in the end.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds.

Mar 9, 2019 · Vincent Bal shows us a whole other world hidden in the shadows with his shadow doodles (aka ...Duration: 3:41 Posted: Mar 9, 2019

A humorous play of shadows that evokes a world of imagination. In Vincent Bal's world, a tea cup becomes an elephant, a wineglass, a prisoner, and a fork staff-lines. By using the shadows of everyday objects, Bal creates highly original and quirky... Google Books

Originally published : 2017

Mar 13, 2019 · Shadow Doodles (aka Shadowology) by Vincent Bal. My Modern Met. My Modern Met. *Duration: 6:24 Posted: Mar 13, 2019

Nov 19, 2018 · A compilation of some of the little Shadowology movies I have been making. Easier to see them ...Duration: 8:32 Posted: Nov 19, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds. Mar 9, 2019 · Vincent Bal shows us a whole other world hidden in the shadows with his shadow doodles (aka ...Duration: 3:41 Posted: Mar 9, 2019 A humorous play of shadows that evokes a world of imagination.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Recycled Reflections | PBS LearningMedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore how some smooth, shiny, flat materials reflect light in this live-action video from PEEP and the Big Wide World. The video can help students carry out observations using light and different reflective materials and make evidence-based claims about how light interacts with different materials. Support materials include: Background Reading, Teaching Tips, and Discussion Questions.

# data[].attributes.body
-share chart of different ways they could add sound
-use mystery science to get started with silly sounds and vibrations
-sound scavenger hunt around house/classroom/garden/school
-sound stations START

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Have your students try other sound effects that are favorites of sound effects artists.

For a chugging steam train, shake a box of macaroni and cheese in just the right rhythm.

For a crackling fire, crunch a package of ramen noodles or crumple a big piece of cellophane wrap.

For a gurgling stream, use a drinking straw to blow bubbles in a cup of water.

For a flying bird or bat, slap a pair of leather gloves together.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Have your students try other sound effects that are favorites of sound effects artists. For a chugging steam train, shake a box of macaroni and cheese in just the right rhythm. For a crackling fire, crunch a package of ramen noodles or crumple a big piece of cellophane wrap.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Create Flashlight Constellations | Crafts for Kids | PBS KIDS for Parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Whether viewing them in the night sky, at a planetarium or as projections onto your bedroom ceiling, looking up at the stars can be relaxing. Not just beautiful, stars and groups of stars have long kept their place in history and mythology.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Light and shadows are all around us at all times, they are a fundamental aspect of the world that is ripe for observation, careful noticing, manipulation, and tinkering. Young learners are particularly fascinated by the endless interplay of lights, shadows, reflections, and refractions, but learners of all ages can engage with some of the prompts suggested in this page, make some discoveries, create art, and experiment with a tinkering approach to developing understanding of the world around you!

Tinkering Tenet

EXPRESS IDEAS VIA CONSTRUCTION
A big idea with shadow tracing is making visible the effect of time on the way the world looks, specifically shadows. Tracing them over the course of a day is a great way to visualize this process, especially for the youngest learners!

Go outside and find something permanent (a sign, hydrant, mailbox, or even a tree will do) and bring some colored chalk. Trace the shadow of your object at different times of day, making sure to use a different color each time. How does the shadow change as the sun moves across the sky? Can you predict what the shadow will look like next?

Go outside or look around your house for interesting shadows! Are there some time of day that seem to make shadows more interesting? Morning and evening might lead to shadows looking particularly long and distorted, while closer to noon things will look smaller and sharper.

You can also find natural materials like sticks, leaves, and rocks and make your own interesting shadows on the ground. Here, the name "Viva" is spelled with shadows by carefully arranging sticks on the ground. What would want to write?

Take with you a stack of paper or a "shadow notebook," and when you see an interesting shadow lay the paper under it and trace it with a pencil or marker. Over time you will accumulate a beautiful collection of incredible shadows! Maybe you could also note what was making the shadow, where you were, and what time of day it was, so you can go back and remind yourself later on.

BYOL - Bring Your Own Light

Step 1 - Experiment

Grab a light source and a few objects around the house that you suspect might make interesting shadows. Experiment with the position of both light and objects to see how they affect the shadows - can you make them HUGE, small, or just plain weird? How do shadows behave when they wrap around ceiling corners, when they drape over irregular surfaces, or on semi-transparent ones like bed sheets? What stories can you tell with them? Can you make colored shadows with just a white light? Can you combine shadows to make interesting designs?

Light source: It's important to have lights that can be easily moved and adjusted to support explorations of shadow size and position. We try to use point sources as lights to create clean, crisp shadows (see box to the right).

Surface: Think about what projection surfaces will support different kinds of investigations. Hanging up a big sheet or using a blank wall supports large-scale dramatic play and working together. Making individual stations by clamping a canvas to a table or replacing one side of a cardboard box with a screen can create building spaces that feel personal and protected.

Materials to explore: There's no wrong path when choosing materials to investigate. Some general categories we like to use are colorful materials, materials that bend light, reflective materials, and shadow casters. Your kitchen is likely to have objects that fall into each of these categories!

What makes a good light source?

Did you know that different light sources will make different looking shadows? Our main light source, the sun, is so far away that it acts as a point light source, which means all the light appears to come from a single point. This creates nice sharp and defined shadows. Some good point light sources you can easily find at home are maglite torches (but make sure to unscrew the front lens or you will get a diffused light), the flashlight function of most smart phones, or even a candle!

Step 2 - Make Art

Now that you have a better idea of how objects and lights interact to create interesting and beautiful patterns of lights, reflections, and shadows, you can create wonderful art based on those concepts. Find a flat surface, and cast some interesting light pattern on a piece of white paper. Mason jars and other glass containers are particularly spectacular when you shine a light inside of them, but you can play around with relfections and shadows from kitchen utensils, and anything else you've experimented with so far. When you are happy with the pattern, use pencil, pens, and markers to trace it, color it, and interpret it in as many ways as you want!

Check out this page from TinkerLab for a quick and easy way to get started with light drawings.

Tinkering Tenet

MERGE SCIENCE, ART, AND TECHNOLOGY
On their own, science, art, and technology all make for interesting, fun, and rewarding explorations. But when you mix them together, you get a veritable tinkering trifecta in which technological tools and scientific principles let you express your own artistic vision. Plus, we find that when you make something that is personally meaningful to you, you get expecially motivated to make it work, leading to tons of great insights into your chosen tools.

What do you see? Similar to seeing shapes and animals in cloud formations, shadow remixes invite learners to use their imaginations and share what they see in a shadow. This open-ended prompt encourages remixing and building on the ideas of others, and creates a wonderful series of images in the end.

You can make a shadow remix using a range of tools and materials:

Paper and pen: Trace your shadow on a piece of paper and draw what you see on top. For remixing, make photocopies of the shadow outline and share it with others.

Digital tools: Draw on top of a photo using a photo-editing tool like Procreate or Markup on your smartphone or tablet.

Chalk and sidewalk: Take your shadow remixing outside and use sidewalk chalk to reimagine what you see. Return to your drawing after a couple of hours and remix it using the new position of the shadow.

Curious for more? Check out the Shadow Remix Project Page for more in depth information about this tinkering activity.

This project is a little bit more elaborate than the previous ones, but it is a fun, expressive way to transform shadows into figurative representation. The idea is simple: arrange materials that you find around your house or have collected so that their shadow will create a portrait: a recognizable face. It can be realistic or cartoonish, big or small, you can make it solid or play with transparency-the possibilities are endless!

This way of playing with light and shadows can be quite challenging, and a lot of experimentation is required to see some good results. The position of the light is important: best results are achieved by a light that is very low and to the side, or high and right above the materials. Finding ways of holding materials at different levels could also help, perhaps with stands and clothespins.

The process of making a shadow portrait requires lots of trial and error, playing with materials and turning them this way and that and observing how they respond to the light. Sooner of later a shadow will emerge that reminds you of something-a nose, a chin, or perhaps a beard. Seize on that, and start adding other materials to build up to a face. Soon you will become a shadow portrait expert!

The Tinkering Studio team gets playful with a collection of lights and materials. What discoveries are possible when you let yourself play? Find out in this blog post!

Tinkering Tenet

GO AHEAD, GET STUCK
When you tinker, you're goin to mess up. You're going to get frustrated, fail, and maybe even break a thing or two. We call this getting stuck, and believe it or not, it is a very good thing. Failure tells you what you don't know, frustration is making sense of that failure in the moment, and taking action leads to a new way of knowing. Treat each problem that arises as a new problem to play with-rather than a problem to solve-and practice working through times of frustration without judging yourself. You'll find that you develop an astonishing capacity for new understandings.

Extensions and Connections

Related tinkering projects

Inspirational Artists

Shadowology
Artist Vincent Ball creates delightful drawings based on shadows

László Moholy-Nagy's Light Space Modulator
László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and artist in the Bauhaus movement. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts. His work Light Prop for an Electric Stage, also known as Light Space Modulator, was one of the main inspirations for our Light Play activity!

Literacy Connections

My Shadow, by Robert Louis Stevenson
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see...

Shadow Race, by Shel Silverstein
Every time I've raced my shadow
When the sun was at my back,
It always ran ahead of me,
Always got the best of me....

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tinkering Our Work: Light and Shadow Play | Exploratorium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Light and shadows are all around us at all times, they are a fundamental aspect of the world that is ripe for observation, careful noticing, manipulation, and tinkering.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Shadow Doodles (aka Shadowology) by Vincent Bal

# data[].attributes.body
-cardboard
-push pins
-flashlight
-

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Light Play lets you explore light, shadow, and motion using a variety of simple materials and light sources. Beginning with gently guided explorations of shadows, single and multiple light sources, three-dimensional objects and translucency, participants gain the proficiency and "light vocabulary" to express their ideas, and their creativity is sparked. They will work toward building kinetic light and shadow vignettes, and eventually combine them into a collaborative installation.

What are the qualities that we value in this activity?

New uses for everyday objects

Seeing common objects such as strawberry baskets, plastic mesh, toys, doilies behave in surprising ways leads to unexpected experiments with, and new tests of these things.

It's a playful and inventive approach to learning about light and shadow

This is a playful and inventive way of exploring light, shadows, reflections, refraction, symmetry, and motion.

Collaborative Opportunities

Sharing each participant's kinetic sculpture in a collaborative "light wall" is a good way for participants to contribute to the group's understanding of the activity.

Reusable Materials and Components

This activity utilizes a set of materials that can be used again and again, by a variety of participants, in a variety of ways.

This activity is about de-mystifying what "making art" means and looks like, and who is allowed to do so, by using familiar materials that create unfamiliar and evocative effects, and by manipulating an element that is literally everywhere: light itself.

We are passionate about sharing our work and developing a community of people interested in these activities, practices, and ideas. The guides below are free to download and use to help you get started with tinkering, whether it's at home, or in your school or educational institution.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Light Play lets you explore light, shadow, and motion using a variety of simple materials and light sources. Beginning with gently guided explorations of shadows, single and multiple light sources, three-dimensional objects and translucency, participants gain the proficiency and "light vocabulary" to express their ideas, and their creativity is sparked.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this 6-8 lesson, students will learn how light interacts with matter through the creation of puppets in shadow plays. Students will examine how light travels and how an object’s shadow is affected by the intensity and position of the light in relation to both the object and the surface on which a…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this K-2 lesson, students will learn the history of the Chinese Lion Dance and create lion head puppets to perform in a parade. The Chinese New Year celebration dance is believed to bring good luck and happiness. Students will learn about the traditional dance, the costumes that are worn, and the…

# data[].attributes.headline
which materials let light through? which materials block light?

# data[].attributes.subject
which materials let light through? which materials block light?

# data[].attributes.body
-mystery science paper stained glass, video only
-set up testing areas
-test different materials and record results
-different types of blocks (foam, wood, colorful)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How could you send a secret message to someone far away?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this lesson, students practice using light to communicate information.

# data[].attributes.body
-markers
-white paper
-flashlight

# data[].attributes.body
independent work

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Play and Learn Science Mobile Downloads | PBS KIDS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn core science concepts! The games in this app are designed to encourage real-world exploration and build science inquiry skills. The Play and Learn Science app encourages kids to see the science in their world.

# data[].attributes.headline
design dark scene for puppet show & test

# data[].attributes.subject
design dark scene for puppet show & test

# data[].attributes.headline
design medium bright scene for puppet show & test

# data[].attributes.subject
design medium bright scene for puppet show & test

# data[].attributes.body
-finish sound stations
-add your sound to puppet show and record!

rubber band guitar
maracas
tuning fork/metal
popsicle stick thumb piano
cup/string