Learning Across the ELC

Learning in Banksia Blue

Language of Light and Shadows

This term, the Banksia Blue children revisited their prior knowledge by reflecting on the inquiry learning from Term 3, ‘Language of Light’. Since the children have continued to explore and show a keen interest in learning more about light, we decided to extend this inquiry in Term 4 with a new focus — ‘Language of Light and Shadows’. We read the wordless picture book ‘Flashlight,’ by Lizi Boyd to further investigate our ideas about light and shadows. 

As the weather improved, the children often noticed the shadows created by sunlight while playing in the Banksia Garden. These observations provided meaningful opportunities to explore how shadows are formed when light is blocked by an object and to understand the important role light plays in creating shadows in our environment. 

To deepen the children’s learning, we introduced an LED light strip in the construction area. The children also used their torches to investigate how light travels and interacts with different materials such as transparent and opaque paper, observing how light passes through some materials while being blocked by others.

Henry H: “The light is moving here” (transparent paper)  

Benjamin: “ It’s squiggling all over the place. Now it’s flashing.”

Henry T: “It looks like a forest.”

Hugh: “It’s glowing in the dark.”

Margot: “It looks like a wriggly worm.”

Gia: “It’s a pink one, the light.”

Harshini De Alwis

ELC Teacher