Mom and museum goer, Megan B. from @moonchildadventures, sent us this great activity to do with kids at home. Check out Megan’s Facebook page for tons of other fun ideas.

Here’s What You Need:

• Empty toilet paper rolls
• Clear plastic wrap
• Rubber bands
• Stickers
• Small flashlight or iphone flashlight

Tip: If you don’t have stickers, you can cut out a shape in a small square of cardboard.

Here’s What You Do:

1. Place plastic wrap over one end of the toilet paper roll and  rubber band in place
2. Place a sticker in the middle of the plastic wrap
3. Turn off the lights!
4. Shine a flashlight at the open end of the roll and point the projector towards a wall or ceiling
5. Now, create a shadow show!

Note: If you’re using cardboard with cutout shapes instead of stickers, hold or glue the cardboard to the end of roll. No plastic wrap needed.

Parent Tips

• Questions are often more helpful than answers. When a child asks, “How do I do this?” try responding, “How do you think it works?” or “What do you want to try first?”
• Add plot twists into a child’s play. Like “What would happen if___?” The lights went out? A gorilla showed up? Everyone had wings? You get the idea.
• Try focusing more on the way a child is playing — the process and the doing — and less on the outcome. The magic of play happens during the journey.

The 7 Cs

• Coordination
• Communication
• Creative Thinking