Exhibit lets kids experience the art, science of shadows

At DuPage Children Museum's new Shadow Playground, kids will be able to make themselves big and their parents small, watch what happens when the sun travels over a town during the day, and experiment with creating colored shadows.

The playground opens Saturday, Jan. 16, at the museum, 301 N. Washington St., Naperville, replacing a former shadow exhibit with updated technology and new experiences, said Peter Crabbe, the museum's associate director of exhibits and design. In keeping with the museum's mission, the exhibit is an intersection of art and science, he said

"When the light goes across and you see these shadows changing in front of you, it's beautiful," he said.

Children will have more opportunities to manipulate light than in the former exhibit and learn about shadows in a fun way, said Marcia MacRae, interdisciplinary arts specialist.

"Shadows are mysterious. They can make you big. They can make you small," she said. "Young children think a shadow is a thing. A shadow is not a thing. It's the absence of a thing. It's the absence of light."

The L-shaped exhibit taking up about 300 feet of space on the museum's first floor includes a shadow theater where children can dance and move whimsical props; a table on which to create a shadow town; a colored shadow area, a corner to manipulate flashlights on curved and flat surfaces; and a table with slotted construction materials called Shade Scapes and two colored lights.

Children will discover how they affect the shadows they create, MacRae said.

"It's a lot of fun, but while they're getting that fun, they're discovering where I am in comparison to the light impacts the size of the shadow," she said.

Eventually the playground will include shadow puppets, MacRae said.

"Shadow puppets are very, very popular," she said.

Expected to attract children ages 2 and older, the exhibit will allow children of different ages to experience it in different ways, Crabbe said.

Parents can add to the experience by pointing out shadows in the real world, MacRae said.

"I anticipate parents saying, 'Oh, looking at the sun going over,'" she said.

Work on the exhibit began in October. Crabbe said because the museum is always reviewing its exhibits and listening to feedback on them, the work went relatively fast.

"We have a great foundation to build on when we start developing," he said.

If you goWhat: Shadow Playground at DuPage Children's MuseumWhen: Opens Saturday, Jan. 16 Where: 301 N. Washington St., NapervilleCost: Museum admission is $8.50 for ages 1 through 59, $7.50 for 60 and olderInfo: (630) 637-8000 or dupagechildrensmuseum.org