Children need lots of things to do this summer, and it can’t be all about fun video games! Get your child on the floor so he or she can make a shadow that can be used to decorating his or her room. After one of your children makes the really cool shadow person, all the friends and neighbor’s kids will want one, so get ready to show everyone how! The shadows are really easy to make, and after they’re finished you can hang them on walls to serve as really unique decor. It’s a great way to get kids involved in fun art activities and crafts.
There are dozens of different poses the child can imitate. After he or she has decided on the final pose have another person – a parent or a friend – draw around the child with a piece of chalk. Now the child can move off the fabric. Cut around the shape and you’ve created a fun shadow person. The black cloth can be attached to a bedroom wall, or other place, to make unusual and fun decor.
Instead of using cloth to make the shadows you can use paper. The problem with the paper version is that it’s difficult to find huge, black paper pieces. For that matter, it can be challenging to find huge white paper. If you do you can create the shadow people and color them black. That, however, is time-consuming and not as impressive as the black cloth shadows.
Choosing the cloth for the shadow project is important. Although you can use many different types of cloth for the project certain fabrics work best; others aren’t as ideal. Slick, flimsy cloth, like satin or silk aren’t the best selections.
Thick fabrics work better but not ones that have unusual looks to the surface like velvet or shiny material. Fabrics don’t have to be ultra-thick but should be thick enough so that any wallpaper or paint won’t show through after the shadows are hung.
Whoever is lying on the cloth can keep objects to create more bold shadows. They can turn on their sides and hold a ball to create one look. Make something totally different by having the child bend his knees then, a few inches below, place a skateboard on its side. Cut the shadow and the skateboard out separately then hang them that way on the wall. There are so many different looks you can create for your unique shadow people.
A piece of black fabric makes it easy to create the shadow of a child. Lay the cloth on the floor and make sure there is not wrinkled. Have the child lay on the cloth making sure not to bunch it up while lying down. Now have the child strike a pose.
Any pose will do so get creative. The child should lift up arms, or legs, to create a look that will appear to be an upright child. For example, the child can turn on his side and strike a pose that appears to be a child running. The kid can simply raise his arms to give the look of a child jumping in the air.