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In this activity, learners will explore light with reflective surfaces. Learners will make predictions and share their observations as they experiment with directing a beam of light.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 4 - adult 10 to 30 minutes
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In this outdoor, nighttime activity, learners gather around a brightly lit, white surface and study the behavior of nocturnal animals attracted to the light, particularly night fliers.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 4 - 14 45 to 60 minutes
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In this activity, learners use tonic water to detect ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun and explore the concept of fluorescence.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 6 - adult 5 to 10 minutes
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This resource contains several mini-explorations using a slide projector as a light source to investigate light and the properties of images.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 8 - 14 30 to 45 minutes
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In this activity, learners trap a thin layer of air between two pieces of Plexiglas to produce rainbow-colored interference patterns.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 8 - 18 10 to 30 minutes
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In this trick, hold your hand over a burning candle without getting burned, by reflecting and transmitting the light of two candles. This activity is best suited as a demonstration.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 8 - 18 5 to 10 minutes
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In this activity, learners will make their own prism and use a glass of water to separate sunlight into different colors.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 8 - adult 5 to 10 minutes
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This activity provides instructions for building a mirrored tube--a smaller and simpler version of a submarine's periscope--that lets you see around corners and over walls.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 6 - 14 10 to 30 minutes
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This is an activity about waves. Using marbles, paper clips and rubber bands, learners explore how waves behave.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 4 - 14 10 to 30 minutes
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In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Light and Color Activity), learners will see the illusion of colors produced by a rotating black and white image known as Benham’s Disk.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 8 - 14 45 to 60 minutes
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In this quick optics activity, learners use a dim point of light (a disassembled Mini MagLite and dowel set-up) to cast a shadow of the blood supply in their retina onto the retina itself.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 8 - 14 Under 5 minutes
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Learners use simple materials to construct a model the Big Dipper. Learners hang the model from a doorway or ceiling and look up at it to see the constellation as seen from Earth.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 8 - 18 30 to 45 minutes
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In this activity, learners make their own pinhole viewer in order to measure the size of the sun.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 8 - adult 10 to 30 minutes
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In this activity, learners explore how mirrors reflect light and change the way we see things.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 11 - 14 45 to 60 minutes
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Construct a simple battery that's able to power a small light or motor out of foil, salt water, and charcoal. A helpful video, produced by the Exploratorium, guides you along on this activity.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 8 - 18 10 to 30 minutes
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In this activity, learners will create an optical illusion top. Learners will explore color mixing, physics and design through this activity.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 4 - 14 10 to 30 minutes
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An ordinary camera has a lens that makes an image on film. In a pinhole camera, a small hole replaces the lens.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 6 - 18 10 to 30 minutes
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In this activity (1st activity on the page), learners explore their sense of taste and the structure of the tongue by taste-testing various foods.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 8 - 18 10 to 30 minutes
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In this activity, learners carry out a scientific investigation of dust in their classroom. Learners produce an analysis on graph paper of the dust they collect over the course of a few days.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 11 - 18 1 to 7 days
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In this activity related to microbes, learners use water drops and hand lenses to begin the exploration of magnification. This activity also introduces learners to the microscope.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 8 - 14 45 to 60 minutes