Shadows
Light travels in straight lines. When your hand blocks it, a dark patch appears behind your hand. That's a shadow!
Level 1 · Basic Leeuwenhoek · Ages 3–5
Colourful Kingdom
Can you make yellow light without any yellow?
Sunlight looks white, but it is hiding a rainbow. In Colourful Kingdom, children make their own colour torch and mix red, green and blue light on the wall to find brand-new colours.
What children make
- A paper torch housing with a slot on top
- A mini torch
- Red, green and blue see-through filters
What you discover
- Light helps us see, and some things make their own light, like the sun and a torch.
- A shadow forms when something blocks the light. Move it closer to the torch and the shadow grows.
- White light is made of many colours mixed together.
- Red, green and blue light can mix to make new colours.
How it works
The science inside
Mixing light
Red and green light together look yellow. Red and blue make magenta, a bright pink-purple. Green and blue make cyan, a sky blue. Shine all three together and you get white, or nearly white.
Light is different from paint
Mixing paint makes colours darker. Mixing light makes them brighter. That's why all three lights together look white, not brown.
Interactive exhibit
Try it: mix the light
Mix the light
In class, children shine real torches on the wall. Colours there look paler, and that's normal. Dim the room for the best results.
S.A.M.'s safety tip
Shine the torch on the wall, never at anyone's eyes.
Watch before you build
Workshop Safety Rules with S.A.M.
Safety first · 0:31
Workshop Safety Rules with S.A.M.
Before we build, S.A.M. shows how to stay safe in the STEM workshop, from goggles and gloves to tidying up.
- Ask before using sharp or hot tools
- Never run with tools
- Waste goes in red, reusable pieces go in blue
Enquiries
Want to build this too?
Come and see what your child could build. Classes run in Rochedale, on Brisbane's southside. Send us a message and we'll help you find the right level.
