November honor · Builder award

Hand Shadows

A flashlight, a blank wall, and your own two hands. By the end of the month the kids can make a rabbit twitch its ears, a wolf howl, and a swan swim across the wall, and they will put on a shadow show for the families at supper.

One flashlight. One wall. A whole zoo.

Why kids love it

  • Instant magic. Thirty seconds after the lights go down, something is alive on the wall.
  • No supplies to buy. Hands, a flashlight, a sheet. Every family can keep practising at home that night.
  • A show at the end. Each Adventurer performs two or three animals for the families; shy kids love that the audience watches the wall, not them.
  • A little science hiding inside. Why does the shadow get bigger when you move closer to the light? They figure it out.

What we will do

  1. Learn how shadows work. Light, object, wall: move any one and the shadow changes. We test it with a flashlight and a ball before we use hands.
  2. Master the classics. Rabbit, dog, wolf, bird in flight, swan, and the two-handed eagle. Leaders show each one slowly; kids copy with a partner checking the wall.
  3. Make them move. Ears twitch, beaks open, the dog barks. Movement is what turns a shape into a character.
  4. Tell a story. In pairs, the kids plan a one-minute story with at least three animals and practise it twice.
  5. Shadow show night. Lights down in the fellowship hall after supper. Families cheer. Award earned.

Parents: bring a flashlight if you have one. We have spares.

Builders earn this as an award; younger levels join in the fun and count it toward their own stars and chips where it fits. Official requirements are in the leader's guide; the links below are the North American Division award pages.