Share it! Science : color

Mirrors and reflections are super engaging from preschoolers through adulthood! That is probably why we find some great mirror exhibits in science and children's museums! For some fun with reflections at home or school, try this low-tech and easy-prep mirror activity.

This is a great STEAM activity for around St. Patrick's Day. It requires a bit of creativity, drawing and understanding of the science of light and reflection.

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A St. Patrick's STEAM Challenge

Can you make a four-leaf clover with just a green dot on a piece of paper and two small mirrors?

To try this out you'll need:

drawing paper or index cards
2 small plastic mirrors
colorful markers or crayons
modeling clay or small cans to hold up mirrors (optional)

First, draw a green circle on an index card. By holding your two mirrors at an angle, can you turn the circle into two circles? How about four? Can you make the reflection look like a four leaf clover?

For small hands, it makes it easier to hold the mirrors in place either by creating a stand for each out of a ball of clay, or attaching them to something so that they stand up. We taped ours to two small cans to make it easy to move and adjust.

Keep adjusting the angle and placement of the mirrors. What is the greatest number of leaves that you can make on the clover? A fun extension for older students is to measure the different angles of the mirrors with a protractor and compare that to the number of leaves it creates on the clover. Is there a pattern?

Try this with other shapes and drawings. How about a rainbow, or symmetrical shapes or letters? The possibilities are endless.

So what is the science? Light is being reflected or "bounced" from the surface of the mirror to your eyes. In this case, you are observing the light being emitted by the green dot. The placement of the mirrors results in the light bouncing back and forth off of the smooth surfaces of the mirrors. With each "bounce" another image is visible.

Want to teach a lesson on reflection? I highly recommend the "Mirror, Mirror" lesson featured in More Picture Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry, K-4 . This lesson uses the great picture book I See Myself by Vicki Cobb

Looking for more great STEAM projects? Check out STEAM Kids!

http://steamkidsbooks.com/product/steam-kids-ebook/?ref=26&campaign=clover

It's National Chemistry Week! The 2015 theme for National Chemistry Week (NCW) is "Chemistry Colors Our World". There are so many great science activities that relate to this theme. How does one pare it down to something manageable during NCW? We've attempted to do that for you right here. You'll find tons of color activities, general chemistry links and recommended chemistry apps below. Read on chemists young and old!

Looking for some kid-friendly information and activities to get you started? Refer to the American Chemical Society's publication for NCW: Celebrating Chemistry.

What is color anyway? This is really more of a physics question, but it is a good place to begin before delving into color chemistry! This is a great explanatory video from Physics Girl. [This video was the 2014 winner of the Flame Challenge, a competition for scientists to answer questions understandably for kids. (btw: My sciences classes at Pine Cobble School voted for you Physics Girl!)]

So where do we see color in chemistry? Lots of places! Pigments, food coloring, pH indicators, fireworks, etc. You can find color chemistry right here on Share it! Science News. Check out these posts:

Leaf Pigments. ©SBF 2015

Pigments

Saturday Science Experiment: The Hidden Colors in a Leaf
Saturday Science Experiment: Science with Christmas Leftovers (use Poinsettia pigments to make pH paper!)

Rainbows

Saturday Science Experiment: 5 Ways to Make a Real Rainbow (physics)
Got Milk? (Tie-die Milk activity)

Or maybe one of these color chemistry activities sounds like fun:
Add color to Steve Spangler's kid-friendly version of Elephant's Toothpaste

Try Science Bob's Rapid Color Changing Chemistry Experiment with materials you can readily purchase at the grocery store.

Or visit the Growing with Science blog's Chemistry Week page for several other fun chemistry lessons and activities!

Don't forget to practice and encourage safety! Here is some kid's safety equipment for kitchen science experiments. (affiliate links)

[Please note: take the appropriate safety precautions when working in an actual laboratory setting!]

Looking for more chemistry resources? Check out the links and apps below! Happy National Chemistry Week!

Chemistry Links: