Exploring Light Snacks

Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested activities that bring explorations of natural phenomena into the classroom and home. ROYGBIV isn't just alphabet soup and shadows aren't necessarily black—learn about perception, history, and the intriguing intersections of light, pigment, and color. Join our online course Exploring Light.

Science activity demonstrating color afterimage phenomenon

Stare at one color—but see another.

Science activity that demonstrates perception of additive color mixtures

Colored Shadows

Science activity that investigates peripheral vision

Peripheral Vision

Discover the outer limits of your eyes.

$Science activity that demonstrates the index of refraction$

Disappearing Glass Rods

You can make glass objects disappear.

Science activity that demonstrates the brightness of two light sources

Oil Spot Photometer

Compare the brightness of two light sources with an oil spot on a white card.

Science activity that demonstrates magnification by a pinhole

Pinhole Magnifier

Who needs expensive optical equipment to see better?

Science activity that demonstrates human visual perception of images on a smartphone

Pixels, Pictures, and Phones

Take a (super) close look at your smartphone. You may be surprised by what you see.

Science activity that uses gelatin to demonstrate behavior of filters and lenses

Gelatin can do much more than just wiggle and jiggle.

Science activity that demonstrates an image formed by a lens

A lens creates an image that hangs in midair.

Science activity that demonstrates color mixing with printer ink

Truly Primary Pigments

Make your own mix-n-match markers to produce a rainbow of colors.

Science activity that demonstrates the primary and secondary colors of light

The Three Little Pigments

Know your C, M, Y, and K.

Science activity that demonstrates how light travels through a pinhole viewer

Poking Fun at Light Rays

Discover a straight path to enlightenment.

Science activity that demonstrates light and mathematical relationships through a pinhole viewer

Poking Fun at Math

Make pinhole predictions.

Science activity that demonstrates light and color mixing through a pinhole viewer

Poking Fun at Color Mixing

Enlarge your perspective on color.

Science activity that demonstrates a creative exploration of light through a pinhole viewer

Poking Fun at Art

Explore light and color from a hole new angle.

Science activity that demonstrates light interference in soap

Soap Film on a Can

Why do we see colors in soap bubbles?

Science activity investigating spectroscopy

CD Spectroscope

Turn an old CD into a spectroscope to analyze light.

Soap Film Interference Model

Science activity that demonstrates Einstein's photoelectric effect

Photoelectricity

Get electricity from light.