Lighting up Y3!

This term in Science, Year 3 have been learning all about light and how it helps us see the world around us. They discovered that light comes from a source, such as the Sun, torches, lamps, candles, and Christmas lights. They also learned that darkness is the absence of light.

The children explored how light travels in straight lines, which is why shadows form when an object blocks the light. They investigated which materials are opaque, transparent, and translucent, and how each one affects the brightness or clarity of light passing through it.

Through hands-on experiments, the class tested how shadows change size depending on how close or far an object is from the light source. They found out that the closer the object is to the light, the larger the shadow becomes, and the further away it is, the smaller the shadow gets.

To bring all their learning together, the children designed and made their own Christmas-themed shadow boxes. They used cardboard boxes to build a dark space, then created festive silhouettes—such as reindeer, Christmas trees, stars and snowflakes—out of opaque materials. By shining a light behind their designs, they produced magical Christmas shadows that showed off everything they had learned about how light and shadows work.

This final project allowed the children to apply their scientific understanding in a creative way, celebrating both their learning and the festive season. How great do these look?!

Y3 Light boxes