LI4.2: Analyze how light interacts with different objects and materials to…

Earth and Sky at Home Grades K–5

Make a rainbow on the kitchen floor, grow crystals on a windowsill and build a cloud in a jar. Three classic home experiments that actually work, with the real science explained for grown-ups.

• Where do rainbows come from? 45 min, plus 10 min outside on a sunny day

  Children split sunlight into colours with a glass of water, test whether the water is what makes the rainbow, and make their own rainbow with a hose mist. They finish able to explain that white light is a mix of colours that water bends apart.

• How do crystals grow? 40 min to set up, then 5 min a day for 5 to 7 days

  Children watch the grown-up make strong salt, Epsom salt and sugar solutions, set out dishes and a string, then check them every day for a week. They finish able to explain that crystals form when dissolved particles line up as the water leaves.

• How does a cloud form? 40 min

  Children watch the grown-up set up two jars of hot water with ice on top, add a wisp of smoke to one, and compare the clouds. They finish able to explain that clouds form when moist air cools and water collects on tiny specks.

Light and Shadows Grades K–2

Why does my shadow follow me, and why is it so long in the morning? Young scientists chase their shadows, track the Sun across the day and test which things let light through.

• Why does my shadow follow me? 30–40 min

  Children go outside on a sunny day and try everything to escape their shadow: running, jumping, spinning and hiding in the shade. They find out that a shadow is the dark shape where their body blocks the sunlight, so it has to go wherever they go.

• Why is my shadow long in the morning? About 40 min in total, split across one sunny day: 15 min in the morning, two 4 min visits outside, and 15 min at the end of the day

  Pairs stand a bottle on a chalk X and trace its shadow three times in one sunny day, measuring each shadow with a piece of yarn. Back inside, a flashlight held low and then high shows them why shadows are long when the Sun is low in the sky and short when it is high.

• What can light go through? 35–40 min

  Pairs shine a flashlight through everyday materials, from plastic wrap and wax paper to foil and cardboard, and sort them into 'lots of light', 'a little light' and 'no light'. Then they use what they found to choose the right material for a window, a lamp shade and a curtain for a sleepy bear.

Printable practice for LI4.2

• Earth and Sky at Home workbook included with the unit

  1 word wall, 1 English-support page, 1 practice page, 1 reading, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Light and Shadows workbook included with the unit

  3 practice pages, 3 readings, 2 English-support pages, 1 word wall, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Bouncing Light: Mirrors, Water and Colour workbook included with the unit

  2 English-support pages, 2 practice pages, 2 readings, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Grade 4 Light and Colour printable pack

  3 readings, 2 practice pages, 1 activity, 1 assessment, with answer keys. Free sample.

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