I love getting out into classrooms and working with kids of all ages in order to get them excited about light. This page highlights some of my favorite demonstrations by category with a list of great sites to check out at the end.
The activity categories are:
- After-school science – Low cost optics w/ household materials
- Young kids
- Advanced Demonstration
- Websites to check out
Do you live in Michigan and want to see some of these demonstrations first hand? Check out the Michigan Light Project, a group which will be doing optics-based outreach at festivals and schools this year.
Do you want to learn more about optics as a career?
- Optics and Photonics Education Directory – Directory of universities with optics programs
After-School Science – Low cost optics with household materials
Bending Light
Age: 6+
Learning Objectives: Learn how to make a lens and how our eye manipulates the light that enters it.
Link: http://www.optics4kids.org/home/content/classroom-activities/medium/bending-light/
Additional Websites
- Optics 4 Kids – http://www.optics4kids.org/
- Dumpster Optics: Teaching optics without a kit – http://www.lasertechonline.org/Dumpster_Optics.html
- Light 2015 – http://www.light2015.org/Home/HandsOnInvolvement/100-light-outreach-activities.html
- NISENET – http://nisenet.org/search/product_category/programs-and-activities-10
- San Francisco Exploratorium “Snacks” – http://exploratorium.edu/snacks/iconlight.html
- San Francisco Exploratorium Explorations – http://exploratorium.edu/explore/light-seeing
- Optical Society of America
- The International Society for Optics and Photonics – SPIE
- Bring optics to the classroom with SPIE! -> here
Elizabeth F. C. Dreyer 