A Forest Program project
“One of my favorite projects began with the children’s fascination with shadows… Working at a life-size scale made the experience especially powerful, engaging, and joyful for the children.”
Life-sized shadow portraits
A fascination with shadows grows into self expression.
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The spark
A fascination with shadows began to grow.
Children noticed their shadows throughout the day. Sometimes long and stretched across the ground, other times small and tucked close to their feet. The question naturally followed.
Why does my shadow change?What does my shadow say about me? -
Following the question
The teacher followed the spark.
Through observation and conversation, the class began exploring the relationship between the sun and their shadows. They tracked how shadows moved, changed in size, and shifted depending on the time of day. What started as curiosity became an investigation rooted in both science and self-awareness.
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The project
Each child traced their life-size shadow.
From there, the teacher guided the experience into a self portrait project. Each child traced their life-size shadow onto large sheets of paper, capturing a moment in time. Using paint sticks, they transformed these outlines into expressive self portraits.
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What it became
More than art.
As they worked, they were connecting what they had observed about light and shadow to their own identity and expression. What began as a simple curiosity about shadows became a layered exploration of the natural world, the sun’s movement, and the uniqueness of each child.
