DIY: Outdoor Shadow Art Activity With A Twist

Girl holding shadow art experiment

This easy DIY takes full advantage of the summer weather, while teaching a child complex concepts. Including this in your child’s summer activities gives them the opportunity to learn about shadows with a fun twist!

Things you need:

Materials needed for shadow art
  1. Cardboard

  2. Markers

  3. Clear tape

  4. Scissors

  5. Colored cellophane sheets

Making the stencil:

  1. Take a piece of cardboard. Draw a butterfly (you can choose any object of your choice) and cut out all the spaces with a craft Knife. *Note that this step should be done by an adult.  
  2. Outline the edges with a black marker for a clean look.
Cutout of the butterfly stencil

Pasting the cellophane paper:

  1. Cut out bits and pieces of the cellophane paper to fit over each space you cut out on the butterfly.
Front view of the stencil with cellophane in the back

2. Flip the stencil on its back and direct your child to paste the pieces over each space. *Try using alternate colors to make the end result look attractive in the light.

Sticking the cellophane sheet on the stencil

The experiment:

Take the finished activity outdoors under the sunlight and watch the magic happen!

Shadow art activity final result
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