50 ideas to teach students about Light & Colour

Ben Newsome CF Author

Teach about light & colour with these student project ideas for your classroom.

Below are 50 lesson ideas that will help form a vibrant teaching sequence that kids will love!

Shadow Drawing Project
Encourage the students to utilise outdoor objects on a sunny day to cast shadows and trace them. This activity enables them to observe and discuss how the sun's position affects the shape and size of shadows.
Construct a Periscope
By using mirrors, cardboard, and adhesive tape, students can create their own periscope. This practical project teaches them about the reflection of light.
Homemade Kaleidoscope
Students can create a DIY kaleidoscope using a paper towel roll to understand the concept of reflection and symmetry.
Colour Wheel Art Project
Encourage students to create their own colour wheel using primary and secondary colours. This activity reinforces their understanding of colour mixing and colour theory.
Exploration of Ultraviolet Light
UV beads can be used for students to observe how these beads change colour under sunlight due to ultraviolet rays.
Exposure to Infrared Light
With a TV remote and a smartphone camera, students can see the infrared light that's invisible to the naked eye.
Construct a Camera Obscura
A camera obscura can be created using a box and a pinhole. The camera projects an image onto a screen inside, demonstrating how light travels in straight lines.
Investigate Transparent, Translucent, and Opaque Materials
Gather different materials and classify them as transparent, translucent, or opaque based on how they interact with light.
Prism Rainbow Creation
Use a prism to split white light into its constituent colours and create a rainbow effect.
Light Maze Construction
By using mirrors and small torches, students can create a light maze. This fun experiment demonstrates how light can be reflected.
Light Painting
Using glow sticks, a digital camera and a dark room, students can create 'light paintings'. This activity showcases how light moves.
Stained Glass Window Design
Allow the students to design their own 'stained glass windows' using cellophane.
Bioluminescence Exploration
Students can research and create a presentation on creatures that produce their own light, like fireflies and some deep-sea animals.
Plant Growth Under Different Colours of Light
Grow seedlings under coloured cellophane to observe how different wavelengths of light affect plant growth.
Sunset in a Glass
Fill a glass with water and a little milk, then shine a torch through it to recreate the colours of a sunset. This demonstrates the concept of light scattering.
Podcast on the Science of Rainbows
Encourage the students to create a podcast episode explaining how rainbows are formed.
Stop-motion Animation of a Sunrise
Use modelling clay or paper cut-outs to create a stop-motion animation showing how the apparent position of the sun changes during a sunrise.
Research on the Northern Lights
Students can investigate why and how the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) occur. They can present their findings through a poster or slideshow.
Optical Illusions with Light
Create optical illusions using light and shadow to explore how our eyes perceive light.
Colour Temperature in Photography
Teach students about the concept of colour temperature in photography and how different light sources can change the colours in a photo.
Research the Impact of Blue Light
Students can investigate the impact of blue light emitted by digital screens on human health and sleep patterns.
Design a Light Refraction Experiment
Students can set up an experiment with a pencil in a glass of water or a coin under the glass to demonstrate the refraction of light.
Build a Spectroscope
With a few simple materials like a CD and a cereal box, students can build a spectroscope to view the light spectrum.
Explore Colour Blindness
Research about colour blindness and discuss how it affects a person's perception of colour.
Experiment with Black Light
Use a black light to reveal hidden messages written with highlighters or laundry detergent. Discuss why these substances glow under a black light.
Create Light Patterns with a Spirograph
Students can use a spirograph and a light pen to create fascinating light patterns in a dark room.
Colour Mixing with Light
Use coloured cellophane or coloured light bulbs to explore how different colours of light mix.
Make a Flipbook Animation of a Light Bulb Turning On
Students can create a simple flipbook animation that shows a light bulb turning on and off.
Investigate Afterimages
Staring at a brightly coloured image and then looking at a white surface can produce afterimages. Discuss why this happens.
Art Project: Tints, Shades, and Tones
Using paint, students can experiment with adding white, black, or grey to a colour to create tints, shades, and tones.
Experiment with Coloured Shadows
Use coloured light sources to cast surprising shadow colours and explain the science behind it.
Phosphorescence and Fluorescence
Discuss the difference between phosphorescence and fluorescence using glow-in-the-dark toys and fluorescent markers.
Create a Light Box
Students can create a light box with different coloured transparencies to explore how colours mix.
Paper Chromatography
Use paper chromatography to separate the different pigments in a black marker, showing that what we perceive as one colour is often made up of many.
The Science of Fireworks
Research and create a presentation on how different elements produce different colours when burned in fireworks.
Animation on Mixing Colours
Use stop motion or digital animation tools to create a short animation showing how primary colours mix to create secondary colours.
Experiment with Diffraction
Use a CD or a diffraction grating to spread out light and investigate its different colours.
Podcast on the Visible Light Spectrum
Students can create a podcast episode explaining the visible light spectrum and why humans see the colours they do.
Research the Speed of Light
Students can research and present the speed of light, including how it was measured and why it is significant in physics.
Art Project - Warm and Cool Colours
Students can create an artwork that effectively uses warm and cool colours, learning about colour associations in the process.
Experiment with Polarised Light
Use polarising filters to explore the fascinating properties of polarised light.
Drawing Light Reflections
Students can practice drawing light reflections on different surfaces like glass, water, and metal.
The Science of Mirages
Research and explain the science behind mirages, a phenomenon caused by the refraction of light.
Explore X-rays
Students can research the discovery and uses of X-rays, a form of electromagnetic radiation.
Experiment with Neon Lights
Research the science behind neon lights and why they emit light when an electric current is applied.
Create an Animated Story
Students can create a short animated story that explains a concept related to light or colour.
Use bubbles to make rainbow diffraction patterns
Shine a light through a bubble to see the interference patterns of light.
Investigate thermochromic materials
Find materials that change colour due to heat.
Learn how fibre optics are used for the internet
How can light be transmitted through optic fibres around the world?
How is light used in astronomy?
Investigate how light is used to determine the heat, composition and movement of stars

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Happy teaching,

Ben Newsome CF FRSA

Categories: : Light

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