How'd That Happen?

The kids and I did a cool science experiment today. (It was finally a nice day - we had to spend some time outside!) We went out at about noon and drizzled purple paint around one of our shadows. Then we went back and stood in the exact same spot two hours later. This time we drizzled pink paint around the shadow. But at 2:00 the shadow was in a different place! How come?

As the Earth rotates, the sun moves across the sky. Since the sun shines down on us from different places in the sky, our shadows change throughout the day. This experiment is really fun to do on the driveway in the summer with chalk. Trace someone's shadow early in the morning, at noon, and then again in the evening - you'll see an amazing difference.