• Do you sometimes feel like Laszlo did about the dark?

• How did Laszlo overcome his fear?

• Who is the dark?

• Where does the dark live in your house?

• Can you catch a piece of dark?

• Where does light come from?

• What would you do if you had the only light in the world?

Discuss nocturnal animals, or plants that grow underground, or even how the earth rotates with one side in sunlight and one side in darkness.

 Have you heard of nocturnal animals?
These animals are active during the night and sleep during the day. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed senses of hearing, smell and specially adapted eyesight.
We have listed some examples of nocturnal animals below, but can you list anymore?

Animals that produce their own source of light
Other animals prefer the darkness, but create their own source of light. These animals include:

Countries that have long periods of darkness
Did you know that people living in regions surrounding the North Pole experience long stretches of darkness? This is because when the earth is tilted on its axis, very poor sunlight is allowed to reach the north and south poles. When tilted towards the sun, it experiences continuous day light for six months. Some people in the northernmost town in Alaska, won’t see the sun for 67 days in winter! However, in summer the sun doesn’t set creating another long stretch of daylight.

This can make it very difficult to sleep and people are often sadder and feel gloomier during the darker months.

Here is a short video that explains night and day. Using a globe and a torch, you can do this yourself!

Discuss nocturnal animals, or plants that grow underground, or even how the earth rotates with one side in sunlight and one side in darkness.

Did you know that people living in regions surrounding the North Pole experience long stretches of darkness? This is because when the earth is tilted on its axis, very poor sunlight is allowed to reach the north and south poles. When tilted towards the sun, it experiences continuous day light for six months. Some people in the northernmost town in Alaska, won’t see the sun for 67 days in winter! However, in summer the sun doesn’t set creating another long stretch of daylight.

This can make it very difficult to sleep and people are often sadder and feel gloomier during the darker months.

Here is a short video that explains night and day. Using a globe and a torch, you can do this yourself!

Visual Art Exercise
Draw a picture of a nocturnal animal that you know. What features do you think help them in the dark?

Drama Exercise
Imagine that you are a bear and have been in hibernation in a dark gloomy cave for many months. Pretend to wake up from your sleep and come out into the sunlight. Think about how warm it feels, how bright it is for your eyes and all the things you can hear.

Superhero of the Dark
Imagine a world without any light. What would it be like to live in? Human beings have lived and evolved in a world full of light. We have eyes that look forward, ears at the side of our heads, upright bodies for running with our arms free. If we lived in the dark, how might our bodies look different and what special abilities might we have evolved?

Your challenge is to create a ‘Superhero of the Dark’ – a human with special features and powers to live in the dark. Think about nocturnal animals who have big eyes to see, antennae to feel their way, big ears to hear and stealth to avoid being heard.

Either draw your creation on a piece of paper OR make it.

Choose a stick for the body, then dress it to make it look like your superhero. Attach a face, or create a head out of clay. Use natural things such as berries, cones, leaves and bark OR craft supplies such as pipe cleaners and cotton wool to create eyes, antennae, armour, and ears. Once finished invite the children to share their creations with the group, describing them and explaining at least two special features that help their Superhero of the Dark live in a world without light.