This week we made DIY shadow puppets and found different ways to play/explore with them as part of our Light & Reflections Series! These were very easy to make and only required a few inexpensive items that you may already have on hand and you can reuse all that old cardboard you have laying around!
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Exploring Light with DIY Shadow Puppets
- Cardboard (or a heavier card stock paper)
- Kebab Skewers or wooden dowels
- Black Paint
- Scissors
- Tape (packaging or duct tape work best)
When they were done we set up our own little puppet theater using our Step 2 Treehouse Climber. I taped a large piece of paper over one “window” and then attached a light to the other side. You could easily use a box by cutting a hole in the bottom, lining the hole with thin paper (or wax paper even), then turn it on its side and you’re ready to play!
I took many photos but I lost 3/4 in a camera accident 🙁 and the rest that were on my phone were pretty blurry because the puppets were busy playing “tag” or going for “walks” and “piggy rides” but at least I got the few good ones above!
Frog Pond Small World on Light Table at And Next Comes L
Reggio Light Play at Racheous
Looking for more crafts and activities? Check out our index for 100+ plus kids activities! Find activities by theme, materials, skills, age and much more!
Katie Joiner says
How sweet her face is! I love the use of cardboard to make the puppets strong enough. We just moved, so we have plenty of boxes!!
Dyan Robson says
These shadow puppets are fantastic! I need to make some for the boys to play with in front of the overhead projector.
Jill R. says
What a cute and fun way to put on a shadow puppet play 🙂 I like the step by step instruction too. Thank you for sharing and for linking up this week to the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop.
The Monko says
What a fab idea, you could take a video of the childs play so they could watch it back afterwards.
Where Imagination Grows says
That's a great idea! They took turns doing the shows but they would LOVE to be able to watch them later or do one together!
Crystal Mcclean says
These are fantastic! Perfect for dark winter days. Thanks for joining the Mom's Library party, I'll be featuring you this week at Crystal's Tiny Treasures.
Where Imagination Grows says
I love all the ideas shared on Mom's Library! Thanks so much for the feature!
john harrop says
Thanks for sharing, I really liked the idea of turning your treehouse climber into a screen! I think using straws would be cheaper (and safer) than using kebab skewers, they can still be a bit sharp, even with the end cut off.