Dark and Light: Day and Night
Story Script
To view the accompanying interactive story visit:
www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/darkandlight.aspx
Whilst viewing the online story, every time the [NEXT] sign flashes (butterfly,
owl or bat will also fly to the sign), click to continue.
[ENTER]
Once upon a time, there was a curious little boy named Jack. One evening
Jack was out playing football with his friends. He had been having so much
fun playing that he had no idea what time it was.
[NEXT]
Suddenly, Jack noticed that it was starting to get dark, so he quickly said
goodbye to his friends and started running home.
As Jack hurried along, it became darker, and darker and darker.
[NEXT]
“Ohhh, I don’t like this!” he groaned. Jack hated the dark! Racing along the
street, he rushed up the steps to his house. As he burst through the front
door, he almost knocked over his big sister, Alice.
[NEXT]
“Hey! Slow down!” cried Alice, “What’s going on?”
“N-n-nothing.” panted Jack, out of breath, “I, um, just have some homework to
do.”
“Yeah, right!” grinned Alice, “I don’t believe that for a second! What’s really
wrong?”
“Well,” replied Jack, a little embarrassed, “I stayed out too late… and… and it
started to get dark…”
“Are you still afraid of the dark?” teased Alice.
“Only a little bit.” said Jack.
Alice put her arm around her little brother and said “Well, why don’t we use
the dark to play a game? Then you’ll see it’s not all that bad.”
[NEXT]
Alice took Jack into the dark living room, she told him to sit on the carpet and
close his eyes nice and tight. She asked him to keep them closed until she
counted to three and then he could open his eyes.
www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/darkandlight.aspx
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OPTIONAL SHADOW PUPPET ACTIVITY
Instruct children to do the same and close their eyes. While their eyes
are closed, switch on the lamp, and use your hands to cast shadow
puppets onto the wall in front of them.
Shall we go back to the story and find out what Jack saw when he opened his
eyes?
[NEXT]
When Jack opened his eyes, he saw a huge rabbit dancing on the wall. It was
a funny thing to see, but he knew it couldn’t be a real rabbit! Jack noticed his
sister had turned on a lamp and every time she moved her hand, the rabbit
moved too!
Jack saw that as Alice moved her hands in front of the light, shapes appeared
on the wall. She explained that the dark areas appeared where her hands
were blocking the light. Alice told Jack that the dark areas were called
shadows, and if you use your hands to create different shapes they are called
shadow puppets! Alice made some other shapes, and Jack guessed what
they all were. He even made a few shadow puppets himself!
Jack was so excited about shadow puppets that he couldn’t wait to show his
friends.
[NEXT]
“I’m going to show everyone in the playground tomorrow!” he said excitedly.
“Don’t be silly, Jack!” exclaimed Alice, “Remember this is a game that’s best
played in a dark space!”
Jack suddenly remembered “Oh yeah, it’s not dark when we’re in the
playground.”
“And why is that?” asked Alice.
Jack wondered why it wasn’t dark when he was in the playground. He thought
for a moment, and then said “It’s not dark because it’s daytime. During the day
it’s light!”
OPTIONAL DAY AND NIGHT ACTIVITY
Is Jack right? Is it light during the day? And what is it that lights up the
sky during the daytime? Well, let’s try and experiment to see if you’re
right!
So let’s go back to the story and see whether Jack knows as much as you all
do.
[NEXT]
www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/darkandlight.aspx
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“That’s right,” said Alice. “And what is it that give us light during the day?”
“The Sun!” said Jack.
Alice replied, “Yes. The Sun is a big burning ball of fire that shines brightly in
the sky and it gives us heat and light on Earth. So when our part of the Earth
faces the sun it gives us lots of light and that’s when it’s daytime. But is it
always daytime?”
“No.” said Jack. “Sometimes it’s night time; like it is just now.”
“Exactly!” chimed Alice, “The Earth is always turning; sometimes our part of
the Earth faces away from the Sun and we don’t see its light.”
“And that’s when it’s dark and it’s night time!” exclaimed Jack.
“You’ve got it!” said Alice, “And because the Earth keeps turning around, day
will always be followed by night.”
“I get it!” Jack cried, “When it’s dark again tomorrow night, I can show my
friends some shadow puppets.”
Alice smiled “That’s right, you just have to wait one more day until the Earth
turns around until we’re facing away from the Sun again.”
“I’m so excited!” Jack exclaimed.
Alice laughed and said “And to think you were afraid of the dark! Now you
know that when it’s dark, it will be light again very soon.”
“What are you two giggling about?” said a voice coming from the hall. Jack
and Alice jumped and turned around to see their Mum, “And what on earth are
you doing, sitting in the dark?” she said as she switched on the light.
Jack blurted “Alice was showing me how to make shadow puppets on the
wall, using the light, and it was really cool and I can tell you why dark and light
give day and night and I can show you…”
“Whoa, slow down” cried Mum, “ It’s too late to be getting excited. It’s way
past your bedtime! You can show me in the morning.”
Jack smiled at Alice and said “Well, actually Mum, you’ll have to wait until
tomorrow night, when it gets dark again.”
[NEXT]
As Jack climbed the stairs in the dark, he was glad that he was no longer
scared. And he knew, that even if he was a little afraid, that it would be okay
as it would be light again very, very, soon.
The End
www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/darkandlight.aspx
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