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Rotating Light
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In this activity, learners explore what happens when polarized white light passes through a sugar solution.
The Ripple Tank
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In this optics activity, learners create a ripple tank from household materials to study waves. Learners build the tank and then explore by making various types of waves.

Diffraction
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In this optics activity, demonstrate diffraction using a candle or a small bright flashlight bulb and a slide made with two pencils.

Spill Spread
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In this simulation, learners explore how ocean currents spread all kinds of pollution—including oil spills, sewage, pesticides and factory waste—far beyond where the pollution originates.

Seas in Motion
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In this outdoor, beach activity, learners use tennis balls, water balloons and other simple devices to investigate the movement of waves and currents off a sandy beach.

Make Money Appear Before Your Eyes
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In this optics activity, learners use water to make a coin "appear" and "disappear." Use this activity to demonstrate how light refracts and introduce light as waves.

Catch a Wave: How Waves are Formed
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In this three-part activity, learners explore how waves are formed and why some waves are bigger than others. First, learners observe waves of water in a pan generated by an electric fan.

Radar Mapping: What's in the Box?
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In this activity, learners mimic remote sensing. Learners use a stick to measure the distance to a "planet surface" they cannot see, and create their own map of the landscape.

Light and Sound
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In this four-part activity, learners explore light and sound through a variety of hands-on investigations.

On the Fringe (formerly Bridge Light)
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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.

The Wave
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In this multi-step experiment (page 4 of pdf), learners study tide pools, and then drop a "wave" (a 4-pound bag of beans or birdseed) on a shell to mimic the force of crashing surf on tide pool animal

Chirping Bird
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In this activity, learners build a cuica or chirping bird using straw, string, and a bottle cap. Use this activity to explore the interplay of motion and sound.

Blue Sky
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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.