Light & ShadowsGrade 1 Science for Kids

How light travels, what it shines through and how shadows are made.

Light & Shadows lets first graders shine a flashlight on glass, paper and wood, make shadows grow and shrink, and find out when their shadow is the shortest. Simple, interactive physics for young scientists.

  • Grade 1 · Ages 6–7
  • 3 lessons
  • 3 experiments
  • 12 practice questions
  • About 25 min
Start Learning Free Open the Course
  • Light Shines Through
  • Flashlight Test
  • Making Shadows
  • Shadow Size
  • Shadows Outside
  • Shadow Clock

Science lab course · Grade 1

Light & Shadows · Learning goals

What Your Child Will Learn

Shine a flashlight on glass, paper and wood, make shadows grow and shrink, and find out when your shadow is the shortest.

  • Light shines through clear things like glass. Solid things block it.
  • The closer the light is to the toy, the bigger the shadow.
  • Shadows are shortest at noon, when the sun is high, and long in the morning and evening.

Why it matters

Why This Matters for Kids

  • How light works

    Kids learn that some materials let light through and others block it, making shadows.

  • Cause and effect

    Moving a light closer or farther changes the shadow, a clear lesson in cause and effect.

  • Sun and time

    Shadows change during the day, connecting light to the sun's movement in the sky.

Inside Light & Shadows

How the Course Works

Each level has a short read-aloud lesson, an interactive experiment and a mini quiz.

  1. Step 1 · Lesson

    Light Shines Through

    Light comes from the sun, lamps and flashlights.

  2. Step 2 · Experiment

    Flashlight Test

    Let's shine a flashlight at different things. Which ones let the light through?

  3. Step 3 · Lesson

    Making Shadows

    A shadow is a dark shape made when something blocks light.

  4. Step 4 · Experiment

    Shadow Size

    Let's put a toy dinosaur in front of a flashlight. What happens to its shadow when we move the light?

  5. Step 5 · Lesson

    Shadows Outside

    The sun makes shadows outside.

  6. Step 6 · Experiment

    Shadow Clock

    Let's measure a tree's shadow at different times of the day.

Lesson preview

A Peek Inside the Lesson

This is the real lesson text your child hears, read aloud by a friendly voice.

Light Shines Through

Light comes from the sun, lamps and flashlights.

Light travels in straight lines.

Light goes through some things, like glass. Other things block it.

Making Shadows

A shadow is a dark shape made when something blocks light.

Your shadow has the same shape as you!

Move closer to the light and your shadow gets bigger.

Shadows Outside

The sun makes shadows outside.

In the morning the sun is low, so shadows are long.

At noon the sun is high above, so shadows are short.

In the evening the shadows grow long again.

For parents

Try It at Home

Learning sticks best when kids use it in real life. Here are simple ideas from this course.

Parent Tip

Make shadow puppets with a flashlight on a wall. Move the flashlight closer and farther and ask what happens to the shadow.

Flashlight Test

  1. In a dark room, shine a flashlight on a wall.
  2. Hold up a cup, a book and a plastic bag.
  3. Which ones make a dark shadow?

Light shines through clear things like glass. Solid things block it.

Shadow Size

  1. Put a toy in front of a wall.
  2. Shine a flashlight at it from close, then far.
  3. Draw around the shadow with a pencil each time.

The closer the light is to the toy, the bigger the shadow.

Shadow Clock

  1. Stand in the same spot outside in the morning.
  2. Ask a grown-up to trace your shadow with chalk.
  3. Trace it again at lunch and after school.

Shadows are shortest at noon, when the sun is high, and long in the morning and evening.

Practice

Grade 1 Science Practice Questions

Real questions from Light & Shadows. Try them with your child, then tap to see the answer.

  1. Question 1

    Which lets light through?

    • A.A brick
    • B.Glass
    • C.A book
    Show answer

    Glass

  2. Question 2

    What is a shadow?

    • A.A kind of light
    • B.A rain cloud
    • C.A dark shape where light is blocked
    Show answer

    A dark shape where light is blocked

  3. Question 3

    When are shadows the shortest?

    • A.At noon
    • B.In the morning
    • C.At sunset
    Show answer

    At noon

The full course has 12 questions with instant feedback, stars and rewards. Create a free account to play them all.

Light & Shadows · Questions from parents

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this course for?

Light & Shadows is a grade 1 science course for kids ages 6–7. That is Year 2 science in the UK and Year 1 in Australia. It also works well for review in the next grade, or as a challenge for a confident younger learner.

What will my child learn?

Shine a flashlight on glass, paper and wood, make shadows grow and shrink, and find out when your shadow is the shortest. Along the way they practice: Light shines through clear things like glass. Solid things block it; The closer the light is to the toy, the bigger the shadow; Shadows are shortest at noon, when the sun is high, and long in the morning and evening.

How long does the course take?

About 25 minutes in total, split into 3 short levels. Most kids finish it over two or three sessions. Progress is saved, so they can stop any time and pick up where they left off.

Is this course free?

Light & Shadows is part of SkillBloom Premium, which unlocks every course in every subject. Each subject also has free courses, so your child can try SkillBloom before you decide.

Does my child need to read well to use it?

No. Every lesson has a friendly read-aloud voice, questions are read aloud too, and the pictures help kids follow along. Confident readers can turn the voice off.

Can we use it for homeschool?

Yes. SkillBloom is built for homeschooling families. Kids work through lessons, games and quizzes on their own, and the parent dashboard shows what they finished and which skills need more practice. It works on phones, tablets and laptops.

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