Spark & Anvil Privacy

For grown-ups

No special kit — ShadowTots skips the phone’s flashlight on the web, so use any light you already have.

Set up a shadow theatre

  • Dim the room and use ONE light: a sunny window, a lamp, or a flashlight.
  • Never look straight into the light or shine it in anyone’s eyes.
  • A blank wall or a sheet is the best "shadow screen".
  • Let your child move the toy and the light — the discovering is the point.

What your child is discovering

  • Stretch — distance changes size — closer to the light makes a bigger shadow
  • Block — solid things stop the light, so they make a dark shadow
  • Glimmer — see-through things let some light through, so their shadow is faint
  • Flip — move the light, not the toy, and the shadow moves the other way

This is real physical science (NGSS 1-PS4-3). The doing on the wall is the learning — the app only suggests and confirms.