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Learners explore three-dimensional geometric frames including cubes and tetrahedrons, as they create bubble wands with pipe cleaners and drinking straws.

In this activity, learners discover that nanoparticles of gold can appear red, orange or even blue. They learn that a material can act differently when it’s nanometer-sized.

In this activity, learners explore what happens when polarized white light passes through a sugar solution.

In this activity, learners use an old CD to construct a spectroscope, a device that separates light into its component colors.

Learners demonstrate how water can distort, refract and magnify light.

In this activity, learners explore phosphorescence and how certain materials can absorb and store energy from a light source.

This is a quick activity (on page 2 of the PDF under Butterfly Wings Activity) that illustrates how nanoscale structures, so small they're practically invisible, can produce visible/colorful effects.

Space telescopes can offer us better, clearer views of the universe (and of our own planet) than Earth-based telescopes can, but getting these large, delicate pieces of equipment into orbit is tricky.

In this activity, learners explore the invisible infrared radiation from an electric heater.

In this optics activity, learners explore color by examining color dots through colored water and the light of a flashlight.

Learners test their "light-smarts" by playing a game called "Light Quest!" The game board represents an atom and each player represents an electron that has been bumped into the atom's outer unstable

In this activity, learners explore the relative efficiency of different bulbs, specifically incandescent vs. fluorescent.

This is a quick activity (on page 2 of the PDF under Stained Glass Activity) about the "Tyndall effect," the scattering of visible light when it hits very small dispersed particles.

"Exploring the Universe: Filtered Light" demonstrates how scientists can use telescopes and other tools to capture and filter different energies of light to study the universe.

In this three-part activity, learners conduct simple experiments to see how light refracts and reflects, and how colors of light affect what we see.

In this activity (posted on March 12, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a spectroscope, a tool used to analyze light and color.

This activity (located on page 3 of the PDF under GPS: Light and Color Activity) is a full inquiry investigation into mixing colors with light.

In this activity, learners find out why some mineral sunblock rubs in clear. Learners compare nano and non-nano sunblocks and discover how particle size affects visibility.

In this activity, learners use tonic water to detect ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun and explore the concept of fluorescence.

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.