Search Results
Showing results 1 to 19 of 19
Amazing Albedo
Source Institutions
In this experiment, learners work in teams to investigate how the color of a surface influences its ability to reflect light and therefore heat.
Pinhole Viewer
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners discuss and investigate how cameras, telescopes, and their own eyes use light in similar ways.
Shadow Dance
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners experiment with shadows and light sources to understand the relationship between the angle illumination and the shadow's length.
Glue Stick Sunset
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners explore why the sky is blue. Learners model the scattering of light by the atmosphere, which creates the blue sky and red sunset, using a flashlight and clear glue sticks.
What is Light?
Source Institutions
In this four-part activity, learners will discover the exciting world of light--the most important form of energy in our world--and be able to identify and describe different types of light.
Paint by the Numbers
Source Institutions
In this pencil and paper activity, learners work in pairs and simulate how astronomical spacecraft and computers create images of objects in space.
Spectroscope
Source Institutions
In this activity (posted on March 12, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a spectroscope, a tool used to analyze light and color.
What does Color have to do with Cooling?
Source Institutions
In this demonstration/experiment, learners discover that different colors and materials (metals, fabrics, paints) radiate different amounts of energy and therefore, cool at different rates.
Why is the Sky Blue?
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use a flashlight, a glass of water, and some milk to examine why the sky is blue and sunsets are red.
How does the Atmosphere keep the Earth Warmer?
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners simulate the energy transfer between the earth and space by using the light from a desk lamp desk lamp with an incandescent bulb and a stack of glass plates.
Finding the Size of the Sun and Moon
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build a simple pinhole viewer. They use this apparatus to project images from a variety of light sources, including a candle, the Sun, and the Moon.
Telescopes as Time Machines
Source Institutions
This fun, nighttime hands-on astronomy activity lets learners explore how long it takes for light from different objects in the universe to reach Earth.
Terrestrial Hi-Lo Hunt
Source Institutions
In this outdoor activity, learners search for the warmest and coolest, windiest and calmest, wettest and driest, and brightest and darkest spots in an area.
Sensory Hi-Lo Hunt
Source Institutions
In this outdoor activity, learners use only their senses to to find the extremes of several environmental variables or physical factors: wind, temperature, light, slope and moisture.
Why is the Sky Blue?
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners create a "mini sky" in a glass of water in a dark room.
Bubble Suspension
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners observe as soap bubbles float on a cushion of carbon dioxide gas. Learners blow bubbles into an aquarium filled with a slab of dry ice.
Wintergreen
Source Institutions
In this outdoor, winter activity, learners find living green plants under the snow and determine the light and temperature conditions around the plants.
Blue Sky
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners explore why the sky is blue and the sunset is red, using a simple setup comprising a transparent plastic box, water, and powdered milk.
Why is the Sky Purple?
Source Institutions
This simple hands-on activity demonstrates why the sky appears blue on a sunny day and red during sunrise and sunset.