Physical Sciences
Light & Sound
Students sort materials as transparent, translucent or opaque, feel vibrations with tuning forks, build a box guitar to explore pitch, and create shadows with a torch.
Foundation–2
90 min
up to 30 students
$490 + GST
What students will do
Students test a range of materials against a torch to classify them as transparent, translucent or opaque, then create shadow shapes and explore how changing the torch position changes the shadow. Rainbow peepholes and a magnifying glass reveal that white light contains colours and can be bent and magnified. Working in pairs, students touch a vibrating tuning fork to a ping-pong ball and water dish to see vibration made visible, then make a box guitar by stretching rubber bands across a box, adjusting tightness to change pitch. Students then use a single cup with a string threaded through a hole in its base as their own sound-maker, plucking and pulling the string to make different sounds, and a wave spring teacher demonstration closes the session.
Learning outcomes
- Classify materials as transparent, translucent or opaque by testing them against a torch
- Investigate how light travels in straight lines to form shadows, and how changing the light source's position and distance changes the shadow
- Observe that white light can be separated into colours using a rainbow peephole
- Investigate that sound is produced by vibrating materials and that vibrations can be seen, heard and felt using a tuning fork
- Explore how changing the tightness of a vibrating material affects the pitch and volume of the sound it produces
- Make and use a simple cup-and-string sound-maker and describe how pulling and plucking the string produces different sounds
Curriculum links
- VC2S2U12Core
Sound is produced by vibrating materials, and the pitch and volume of a sound can be changed. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S2I03Core
Guided investigations, including making observations using the senses and informal measurement, can be used to explore and answer questions. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S2I05Related
Observations and results can be compared with predictions and with the observations of others. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S6U08Enrichment
Light from a source travels in straight lines, forms shadows, and can be absorbed, transmitted, reflected or refracted. View on VCAA ↗
Often booked alongside
Chemical Sciences
Christmas SciTech
Students grow a crystal Christmas tree, mould a bouncy snowball, unmask mystery liquids with a colour-change indicator, make instant snow, launch Santa's sleigh and build a snowball catapult to take home.
Physical Sciences
Electricity
Students build working circuits, classify conductors and insulators, compare series and parallel configurations, and investigate how different energy sources, including hand-powered generators, produce electricity.
Physical Sciences
Force & Motion
Students measure forces with a spring balance, test friction across surfaces, feel inertia first-hand, launch reaction rockets, and explore magnetism and static electricity.
Bring Light & Sound to your school
Tell us your year levels and preferred dates. We'll confirm availability and bring everything with us.
Limited dates each term — one facilitator, one school per day.