Celebrate Summer With A Solar Puppet Show

On Friday, June 20, 2025, the sun will linger longer in the sky than any other day in the year. Bonfires, picnics, community gatherings, and festivals are some of the ways to celebrate, and there are also so many creative ways to celebrate at home!

In the past we’ve enjoyed making solar prints, or cyanotypes, to mark the longest day. This year, we’re trying something new. We’re making shadow puppets and chasing the sun around the Learning Yard to set up our first solar shadow puppet theater. The theme of our child-led theater this year: Bugs in the Sun, and we tried two versions: one on a wall and one behind a sheet. Both were magical and captivating. If you’d like to try this at home, here’s how:

What you’ll need:

Thick cardstock

Pencil

Scissors

Long wood skewers or sticks (about 12” long)

Masking tape

A wall that gets direct sunlight or a white bedsheet (twin size or cut smaller)

What to Do: 

This activity is fun for one person, and even more fun for groups of three or more.

1. Pick a theme or story to create a handful of characters. If you feel stumped for stories, pick a traditional tale or a favorite kids’ book. If you like making your own or improvising, follow your heart! 

2. Draw characters in outline form on cardstock, at a scale of at least 8 - 12” high. You’ll only see a silhouette in the show, so don’t get hung up on details. 

3. Cut out characters and tape them to the top of a skewer. 

4. Go outside and take turns making shadow acts on a sunny wall. Enjoy how nearby trees or objects can create a “set” to perform in. Notice how long you can perform on your stage before you have to find a new spot!  

5. Another really beautiful version of this uses a white sheet instead of a wall for the theater: Hold up or hang up a white piece of fabric, at least 3’ wide by 2’ tall. Have the puppeteers stand between the sheet and the sun, while the audience watches from the other side of the sheet. 

TIP: This is most fun to watch if the puppets move a couple of feet in front of the wall, rather than right up against it. To help little ones position themselves, try laying a colorful ribbon or towel on the ground as the “actor’s stage” a couple of steps back from the wall.