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

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

In this activity, learners observe what happens when they give a light source like a neon glow lamp a "Bronx Cheer." The lights appear to wiggle back and forth and flicker when learners blow air throu

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

In this optics activity, learners make a "light fountain" from a clear plastic bottle, flashlight, and other simple materials.

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

In this activity (posted on March 14, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a camera projector to explore lenses and refraction.

In this activity, learners create night lights using a plastic cup, programmable PICO Cricket, tri-color LED, and sensor.

In this activity, learners actually feel the difference in energy required to light two different types of light bulbs: incandescent light and LEDs.

In this activity, learners construct a device that allows them to look over ledges or around corners.

In this activity, learners explore the many uses of periscopes and how this simple device was designed and is used in many applications.

In this activity, learners test the Law of Reflection based on experimental evidence. Learners produce raw data and explanations based on their data: pencil tracings of incident and reflection rays.

In this activity, learners construct wands that play different notes depending on information from light sensors programmed via a PICO Cricket.

Have you ever heard of a camera without a lens? In this activity, learners create a pinhole camera out of simple materials. They'll see the world in a whole new way: upside down and backwards!

In this optics activity, learners use glass and water to demonstrate total internal reflection (TIR).

In this activity (page 2 of PDF), learners play with a lens and a piece of paper to focus an image on the paper. Learners look at different things, and see how the lenses affect the image.

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.

In this two-part activity, learners explore the properties of liquid crystals, which are responsible for why mood rings change color.