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Have you ever heard of a camera without a lens? In this activity, learners create a pinhole camera out of simple materials. They'll see the world in a whole new way: upside down and backwards!

In this optics activity, learners examine how a transparent material such as glass or water can actually reflect light better than any mirror.

This is a quick activity (on page 2 of the PDF under Butterfly Wings Activity) that illustrates how nanoscale structures, so small they're practically invisible, can produce visible/colorful effects.

In this activity (posted on March 20, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a stroboscope, a device that exploits the persistence of vision to make moving objects appear slow or stationary.

This is an activity (located on page 3 of the PDF under Butterfly Wings Activity) about how visible light is affected by tiny nanoscale structures, producing iridescence on butterfly wings, soap bubbl

In this activity, learners set up an experiment to investigate the effects of hot air on the path of a laser beam.

In this outdoor activity, learners explore UV rays from the Sun and ways to protect against these potentially harmful rays.

In this activity, learners use a laser pointer to project a microscopic image of a liquid sample suspended from the tip of a syringe.

In this activity, learners construct a device that allows them to look over ledges or around corners.

In this activity, learners use clear nail polish to create a beautiful iridescent pattern on black paper. Learners discover that a thin film creates iridescent, rainbow colors.

In this activity (posted on March 14, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a camera projector to explore lenses and refraction.

In this activity (page 2 of PDF), learners play with a lens and a piece of paper to focus an image on the paper. Learners look at different things, and see how the lenses affect the image.

In this activity on page 13 of the PDF, use a special plastic card that has been painted with a chemical that changes color when it is in UV light.

In this geography investigation, learners use a nighttime satellite image to observe areas of light across the United States and to identify patterns and spatial distributions of human settlements.

In this activity, learners turn empty 2-liter bottles into a see-through compost container.

This fun activity uses simple materials such as milk cartons and mirrors to introduce the ideas of optics and visual perception.

This activity requires a Pico Cricket (tiny computer). Learners work on designing and building a sound sensor out of household materials, like plastic wrap and cardboard.

In this activity related to microbes, learners use water drops and hand lenses to begin the exploration of magnification. This activity also introduces learners to the microscope.

In this activity, learners construct a device that allows them to view 2-D images in 3-D.

In this activity (posted on April 18, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a zoetrope, a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures, using a 16" bik