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Paper Cover Up
Source Institutions
In this activity on page 11 of the PDF, learners use candle wax to make "invisible" designs that are revealed with watercolor paints.
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Matraca
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners create a traditional Mexican noisemaker (a matraca) using cardboard, craft sticks, and a wooden dowel.
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CD Spectroscope
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use an old CD to construct a spectroscope, a device that separates light into its component colors.
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Bronx Cheer Bulb
Source Institutions
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
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Morphing Butterfly
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners explore how nanosized structures can create brilliant color.
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Pinhole Viewer
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners discuss and investigate how cameras, telescopes, and their own eyes use light in similar ways.
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Iridescent Art
Source Institutions
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.
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An Ice Lens
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners discover basic lens-making techniques by using a tennis ball to make a lens out of ice.
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Magic Wand
Source Institutions
In this activity about light and perception, learners create pictures in thin air.
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Transformation of E. coli Using Green Fluorescent Protein
Source Institutions
In this activity related to plant biotechnology, learners transform a strain of E. coli using green fluorescent protein from a bioluminescent jellies.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/square_100/public/resource_images/smile-000-000-003-143.jpg?itok=Tx4Pip5_)
Does Sunscreen Protect My DNA?
Source Institutions
In this laboratory experiment, learners explore how effectively different sunscreens protect yeast cells from damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
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Beam Me Up!
Source Institutions
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.
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Designer Ears: Make “better” ears!
Source Institutions
Find out what it would be like to have ears shaped differently from your own! Design and make different animal ears then try them out.
Sea State: Forecast Conditions at Sea
Source Institutions
In this oceanography and data collection activity, learners cast real time sea state conditions using buoys from NOAA's National Data Buoy Center.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/square_100/public/resource_images/smile-000-000-004-498.jpg?itok=XfwT9bP_)
Critical Angle
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners examine how a transparent material such as glass or water can actually reflect light better than any mirror.
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Stereoscope
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners construct a device that allows them to view 2-D images in 3-D.
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First Impressions
Source Institutions
Learners experiment with a commercial photo-sensitive paper (Sunprint® or NaturePrint® paper). They place opaque and clear objects on the paper and expose it to bright light, observing the results.
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Make a Light Fountain
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners make a "light fountain" from a clear plastic bottle, flashlight, and other simple materials.
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Eye Spy
Source Institutions
This fun activity uses simple materials such as milk cartons and mirrors to introduce the ideas of optics and visual perception.
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Make a Telescope
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners make a simple telescope using two lenses and a cardboard tube. Learners construct the telescope and then calculate its magnification.