Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Lenses and Geometrical Optics
Article explaining what lenses are and how they work. At the end of the article, there are links to several hands-on activities for investigating lenses.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring the Science of Light: Easy Activities
A collection of simple experiments for exploring the basic properties of light and color.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring the Science of Light: Optical Illusions
Explains what optical illusions are and offers many examples to try.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring Science of Light: Intermediate Activities
A collection of intermediate experiments, for students aged ten and up, for exploring the magnification, reflection, and refraction of light.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring the Science of Light: What Is Optics?
A collection of tutorials and interactive resources, from basic to advanced, that explain concepts related to the science of light.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Exploring the Science of Light
A collection of information on the science of light and optics. Features a wide variety of resources: key events in history, reference materials, multimedia links, optical illusion activities, glossary of optics terms, and information on...
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: What Causes Rainbows?
An experiment to demonstrate how to make a rainbow and why they form.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Make Money Appear Before Your Eyes
A simple experiment that clearly demonstrates how light bends when it passes through water. Accompanied by a good explanation of what's happening, and a link to an article on refraction.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Make a Green Gumball Black
An experiment to investigate what colors are seen when light is absorbed or reflected by colored gumballs. With links to scientific, academic articles that explain what is happening.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring the Science of Light: Classroom Activities
Experiments and activities for investigating the science of light, as well as in-depth explanations of some of the light principles.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring the Science of Light: General Terms
A glossary explaining the definitions of terms used in discussing the science of light.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Make a Telescope
An activity for making a telescope using a cardboard tube and two lenses. Accompanied by an explanation of how the telescope works, and a link to an article about lenses.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Lens Activity
An investigation into how lenses behave. Students explore using convex and concave lenses in various ways and record their observations. They are then are directed to another site to try activities where they can manipulate virtual lenses.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Perspectives: Powers of 10
A drawing and measuring activity to give students an appreciation of magnitude in powers of ten, and of microscopes. Students draw themselves and an object life-size, and then examine smaller and smaller pieces of their picture.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
A simple experiment that clearly demonstrates angles of reflection when light hits a mirror. Accompanied by a good explanation of what's happening, and a link to an article on reflection.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Guiding Light Optical Fiber
This experiment demonstrates the concept of total internal reflection, using basic materials. Accompanied by a detailed explanation of what's happening, and links to articles on reflection and refraction.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Diffraction Between Wax Blocks
An activity to demonstrate how light behaves when encountering an obstacle, in this case, wax blocks placed in a ripple tank. Includes an explanation of the diffraction that occurs.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Interference in a Ripple Tank
An investigation, using a ripple tank, into how waves behave when they collide with each other. With an explanation of what is observed, and a link to an article on refraction.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Polarized Light (Pdf)
An investigation into how polarized light behaves, with instructions on how to make a polarizer using glass slides. With a link to an article explaining about polarized light. PDF (requires Adobe Reader).
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Mirrors & the Law of Reflection
A simple activity to investigate how light reflects off a flat surface, a convex one, and a concave one. With a link to an article on reflection.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Spinning Your (Color) Wheels
Instructions on how to make a color wheel that spins to produce white. With links to scientific, academic articles that explain what is happening.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Release the Rainbow
A simple activity to demonstrate how light separates into colors when it passes through water acting as a prism.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Black Is Black or Is It?
An experiment with a coffee filter and a marker to see what happens when water touches a black dot, or any other color. With links to several scientific, academic articles that explain what is happening.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Total Internal Reflection
An investigation into the total internal reflection of light, using a laser pointer. Accompanied by an explanation of what's happening, a discussion of Snell's Law, and links to additional information.