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In this optics activity, learners discover basic lens-making techniques by using a tennis ball to make a lens out of ice.

In this activity on page 2 of the PDF, learners discover how color changes can help scientists distinguish between acids and bases.

In this activity about light and refraction, learners make a lens and magnifying glass by filling a bowl with water.

In this interdisciplinary activity, learners create a Space Weather Action Center (SWAC) to monitor solar storms and develop real SWAC news reports.

Align four color transparencies, each one a single color (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black), and see a beautiful full color image.

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.

In this optics activity, learners experiment with polarizers (small dark rectangles) to examine light intensity.

In this activity, learners use pop-beads to understand the characteristics and properties of polymer chains.

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

In this optics activity, learners explore how light bends and affects what we see.

In this activity about light, learners explore how water can refract light and change the way they see things.

“Exploring Earth: Investigating Clouds” is a hands-on activity in which visitors create a cloud in a bottle and explore it with laser light.

In this activity, learners explore why they can see colors in bubbles and why they change.

In this optics activity, learners work in pairs to explore how mirrors work. Learners use tape to mark the angles needed to see each other's reflection in a wall mirror.

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.

In this activity (pages 17-31), learners are introduced to techniques that are used to determine the structures of solid materials.

In this activity, learners build inexpensive kaleidoscopes using transparency paper and foil (instead of mirrors).

This is a quick activity/demonstration that introduces learners to the concept of index of refraction. Learners place stirring rods in a jar of water and notice they can see them clearly.

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