Flashlight Book and Art Activity

There is little more fun than venturing into the dark with a flashlight when you are young — what might you see, who might you meet, and will you keep exploring or run back to the safety of your bed?

Flashlights are also fun for reading late at night when you are supposed to be sleeping and for finding treasures under the couch.  But the true magic of a flashlight is to simply explore something new or unknown.

In the book Flashlight! by Lizi Boyd, a child ventures outside his tent while camping to explore the night.

 

After reading and discussing the book together, we were so inspired that we decided to create our own flashlight scenes!

Materials:

✔️black construction paper
✔️white construction paper
✔️white colored pencils
✔️colored pencils
✔️scissors
✔️glue

Preparation:

Gather the materials listed above and print the included stencil.

How to make a flashlight scene:

1. Have students decide on a location for their artwork. They might choose their bedroom, their backyard, or even their classroom!
2. Once they have decided on their location, students draw a picture of themselves in that location using a white colored pencil.
3. Students then choose a light source for their scene. Students might choose a flashlight, while others choose a candle or headlamp. Nowadays, a student might even choose the light on a cellphone! They then create that light source from paper and add it to their picture.
4. Students then glued the light (stencil) onto the black paper coming out of their light source and added details with colored pencils.
5. Finally, students use a white colored pencil to complete the scene

The scenes varied so much, and every single one was a true reflection of the child who made it. I just loved seeing their creativity shine — literally!