Here are a number of activities that you can try to develop children's understanding of light, how it travels, and how it can be reflected:
Travelling Smilies
- This activity works best in a really dark room.
- Draw a simple image on an interactive whiteboard screen... in the past, I have used a small smiley face.
- Put the mirror in front of the projected image and bounce it to another point in the room.
- Tilt the mirror at different angles and watch the face 'travel' around the room.
- Ask a child to try this and challenge them to reflect the face onto different parts of the classroom.
- Then, ask a child to hold another mirror. Angle the first mirror so that the face reflects onto the second mirror.
- How many times, using lots of different mirrors, can you bounce / reflect the face around the classroom?
What's on top of the table?
- Ask a child to sit carefully underneath a table at the front of the room.
- Place an object on top of the table and ask them to identify what it is... without moving.
- Ask them how this task could be made easier.
- Give them a mirror and ask them to identify the object now.
- Can they explain how they can see the object, even though they are under the table and the object is on top?
Post-It Challenge
- Ask the children to get into pairs.
- Tell child A to draw a simple picture on a Post-It note and stick it onto the back of their partner (B).
- Give the pair of children some mirrors and ask child B to use the mirrors to work out what picture has been drawn.
Do you have any other good ideas involving mirrors? Leave a comment and we'll add them to this page.
Comments
Kayleigh
10th March 2016
Thank you so much. Sick of people thinking worksheets are the best way to explain things to children. I love the practical activities here that children will actually think about and learn from!
sunil bisht
4th February 2017
really it is a nice activity which can be done with children....