A plastic art activity outside… much more than drawing!

On a beautiful spring afternoon last year, I wanted to have my 1st and 2nd cycle elementary students do a plastic art activity that I had seen on Pinterest. I had no idea the lot of learning they would do that day. When teaching outdoors, there are more surprises than in the classroom. Interaction with the elements of nature offers plenty of opportunities big and small. 

The proposed activity is simply to draw the shadow created by an object. We therefore settled on the ground in front of the school. Our school is located on a very busy street in Montreal and curious passers-by could watch the children working.

Board with clip to hold the sheet, figurine of an animal and pencil in hand, each child is installed on the lawn. A beautiful ray of sunlight allowed you to play with the angle of the figurine to create different shadows. Everyone was focused on their work when a little cloud, perhaps a little jealous, came to stand just in front of the shelf so important for the activity. First discovery: a hazy or cloudy sky prevents shadows on the ground from appearing. Second learning: the wind in the sky pushes the clouds. You have to be patient before finding the sun!

When this famous cloud passed, the children immediately made a third discovery. Although they had not moved their figurine or their sheet, the shadow had shifted places. Why? Well because the earth is spinning! So, do not delay in making the outline of your shadow, because it is always changing. 

A fourth discovery, of a completely different order, made me smile. It was because passers-by would stop, take an interest in child labor and chat with them. They encouraged them to continue, laughing with them at their discoveries. Some children explained the principles learned and others proudly displayed their drawings. The school is sometimes so closed to the community. Working close to people brought about a whole other interaction with them. 

You will understand here that the aesthetic result of the children's works was not what mattered. But the scientific and social experience of this very simple activity pleased everyone.

Digital technology to carry out the activity differently

Are you interested in this project, but is it difficult to go outside or the weather is bad? Here is a way to get there anyway, using technology.  

1- It is about positioning the figurine on a sheet and directing a flashlight on the figurine to create the shadow which seems to offer the best image. It is also possible to use direct sunlight through the window, for example.

2- A friend photographs the shadow and the image is imported into an application or drawing software. 

3- For the activity, here we used the application Procreate. It allows you to draw on layers. 

4- We have drawn the outline of the shadow on a new layer. 

5- We then removed the shadow layer (the photo) and continued the drawing as we wanted.

The benefits of doing this activity outdoors are great. In addition to moving clouds, rotating the Earth and interacting with passers-by, one can use shadows created by the elements of nature (such as a tree or a flower), by one's friend, by vehicles or the elements. architectural designs and photograph them since they are often impossible to trace on a sheet. So the next time you go for a hike with your students, bring a device that allows you to take photos - who knows, you might discover an inspiring shadow!