Curated OER
Light Experiment
For this light experiment worksheet, students find out which materials allow light through, block it out, or reflect it. Students complete the chart and answer 9 questions about their experiment.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring the Science of Light: Easy Activities
A collection of simple experiments for exploring the basic properties of light and color.
![Girl Scouts of the Usa: Lighten Up! Discovering the Science of Light [Pdf] Activity](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Girl Scouts of the Usa: Lighten Up! Discovering the Science of Light [Pdf] Activity")
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Girl Scouts of the Usa: Lighten Up! Discovering the Science of Light [Pdf]
A 36-page booklet of activities and experiments for exploring the properties of and nature of light. Includes a section on careers in optics. As this is a Girl Scouts booklet, it was created with girls in mind, but would be equally...
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring Science of Light: Intermediate Activities
A collection of intermediate experiments, for students aged ten and up, for exploring the magnification, reflection, and refraction of light.
Museum of Science
Museum of Science and Industry: Online Science: Three Colors of Light
An experiment where students combine solutions from red, green, and blue glow sticks to make different colors and to make white light.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Exploring the Science of Light
A collection of information on the science of light and optics. Features a wide variety of resources: key events in history, reference materials, multimedia links, optical illusion activities, glossary of optics terms, and information on...
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Make Money Appear Before Your Eyes
A simple experiment that clearly demonstrates how light bends when it passes through water. Accompanied by a good explanation of what's happening, and a link to an article on refraction.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Make a Green Gumball Black
An experiment to investigate what colors are seen when light is absorbed or reflected by colored gumballs. With links to scientific, academic articles that explain what is happening.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring the Science of Light: Classroom Activities
Experiments and activities for investigating the science of light, as well as in-depth explanations of some of the light principles.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Lens Activity
An investigation into how lenses behave. Students explore using convex and concave lenses in various ways and record their observations. They are then are directed to another site to try activities where they can manipulate virtual lenses.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
A simple experiment that clearly demonstrates angles of reflection when light hits a mirror. Accompanied by a good explanation of what's happening, and a link to an article on reflection.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Guiding Light Optical Fiber
This experiment demonstrates the concept of total internal reflection, using basic materials. Accompanied by a detailed explanation of what's happening, and links to articles on reflection and refraction.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Diffraction Between Wax Blocks
An activity to demonstrate how light behaves when encountering an obstacle, in this case, wax blocks placed in a ripple tank. Includes an explanation of the diffraction that occurs.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Interference in a Ripple Tank
An investigation, using a ripple tank, into how waves behave when they collide with each other. With an explanation of what is observed, and a link to an article on refraction.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Polarized Light (Pdf)
An investigation into how polarized light behaves, with instructions on how to make a polarizer using glass slides. With a link to an article explaining about polarized light. PDF (requires Adobe Reader).
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Mirrors & the Law of Reflection
A simple activity to investigate how light reflects off a flat surface, a convex one, and a concave one. With a link to an article on reflection.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Release the Rainbow
A simple activity to demonstrate how light separates into colors when it passes through water acting as a prism.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Black Is Black or Is It?
An experiment with a coffee filter and a marker to see what happens when water touches a black dot, or any other color. With links to several scientific, academic articles that explain what is happening.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Total Internal Reflection
An investigation into the total internal reflection of light, using a laser pointer. Accompanied by an explanation of what's happening, a discussion of Snell's Law, and links to additional information.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Shimmering Lenses
An experiment using Jell-O to create lenses, to see how light behaves with flat, concave, and convex lens surfaces. With an explanation of what is observed, and a link to an informative article on lenses.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Mirrors and Images
An experiment to investigate how many images appear as the angle between two hinged mirrors is increased. Accompanied by an explanation of what is happening, questions for students to consider, and a link to an article about reflection.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Lose a Glass in a Glass
This is an activity that should only be done outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, with adult supervision, as it involves paint thinner. It demonstrates the concept of the index of refraction for different materials, in this case that...
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Bending Light
An experiment using a water lens that demonstrates how the eye sees an image. Accompanied by an explanation of what's happening, and a link to an article on refraction.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Why Are Bubbles So Colorful?
An experiment to create colors using bubbles and then with glass slides. With links to scientific, academic articles that explain what causes the colors to appear.