Elementary Science Activities for Light & Color

Light produced from the sun is considered white light.

Absorbed, reflected or transmitted, light from the sun or flashlights produces colors. Whether it is light from the sun or light from a bulb, transmitted light will always reflect the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet -- one color for each part of the color spectrum. All activities students will conduct will combine both light and color because color is dependent on light.

Light Source Brainstorming Activity

Before you start a light and color lesson, provide your students with a brainstorming activity about light and color. Using a poster board and markers, ask your students to create a source sheet of all the known light sources, including stars, flashlights, the sun, the moon and fire. When they have finished writing down their light sources, discuss how light from each of theses sources will produce a color from the color spectrum.

Vocabulary Story

An ideal activity for after the lesson on light and color, the vocabulary story allows students to create a story using the vocabulary words from science. Using the terms reflection, prism, ray, transparent, translucent and opaque, have students create their own creative story using the terms. Allow the students creative freedom but tell students the story must make sense and be appropriate for the terms. Consider setting a minimum number of paragraphs, allowing a student to fully develop an essay out of the vocabulary words.

Straight-Line Demonstration

Supply students with poster board, scissors, black markers and a 1/4-inch screw. Instruct your students to cut the poster board into one 8-by-10-inch piece. When the poster board is cut, take a 1/4-inch screw and poke a hole into the board. Using black markers, have each student color the entire poster board. After all students have finished their poster board, turn off all the lights and cover any windows in the room to make it as dark as possible. Place a prism behind one side of the poster board hole and the flashlight on the other side of the hole. Turn the flashlight on to show how light travels in a straight line and produces a color spectrum.

Shoe-Box Activity

Have your students gather old shoe boxes. Instruct them to cut a peephole into one side of the shoe box. Using scissors, have them cut a small square hole into the lid of the box capable of opening and closing . When the lid has been cut, cover it with colored cellophane. Have students draw seven stars inside the shoe box. Using markers and crayons, have students color each star with colors from a spectrum--red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Have your students look inside the box through the peephole while the lid is closed and open. Instruct them each to make a note of the differences, using their vocabulary terms to explain what they saw.

References

• Kindergarten Lessons: Science Activities for Kids

Resources

• Franklin Institue: Color