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How can you make one shade of gray look like two? By putting it against two different color backgrounds! This activity allows learners to perform this sleight of hand very easily.

This resource contains several mini-explorations using a slide projector as a light source to investigate light and the properties of images.

In this activity about light and perception, learners create and observe moire patterns.

In this activity, learners use transparent tape and polarizing material to create and project beautifully colored patterns reminiscent of abstract or geometric stained glass windows--no glass required

In this activity, learners use a compact disc to make a spectrometer, an instrument used to measure properties of light.

In this activity, learners explore how polarizing sunglasses can help diminish road glare.

An ordinary camera has a lens that makes an image on film. In a pinhole camera, a small hole replaces the lens.

This activity (aka "snack") provides instructions for discovering your blind spot. It is an exploration of light and visual perception using simple materials you may have around the house.

In this STEAM activity, learners create a "pixel tube" to explore reflections of light and color mixing.

This is an online exhibit about color perception. Learners set a random background color and then try to mix red, blue, and green light to match.

In this activity, learners use simple materials to simulate the effect of X-rays in a safe way. Learners place a piece of window screen over a box and a cardboard pattern on top of the screen.

In this activity, learners make their own heat waves in an aquarium.

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.

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.

In this activity, learners trap a thin layer of air between two pieces of Plexiglas to produce rainbow-colored interference patterns.

In this activity, learners make a photographic image—without a camera!

In this activity, learners explore chemiluminescence and fluorescence. Learners examine 3 different solutions in regular light, in the dark with added bleach solution, and under a black light.

In this optics/mathematics activity, learners use two hinged mirrors to create a kaleidoscope that shows multiple images of an object.

Light painting is a creative activity that involves creating striking images and illusions using a camera, a light source, and a little practice.

In this optics activity, learners discover that not all shadows are black. Learners explore human color perception by using colored lights to make additive color mixtures.