Reflection and refraction of light is a very important phenomenon when it comes to your kids’ homeschooling science curriculum. What we see around us is nothing more than a pattern of light rays coming together to form an image at the back of our eye. Today I am going to teach you how to manipulate light rays using lenses and mirrors in order to see tiny and distant objects. So get ready to have fun!
You see an object when light that reflects off that object or passes through that object reaches your eyes. For example, you see an orange because light reflected from the orange passes through the lens of your eyes and forms an image on your retina. You can read text on a computer screen because the light emitted from the screen falls on your retina.
Now your naked eyes cannot see objects that are far away, like a bird in a distant tree or a tiny ant in the grass a few feet away. You would only see a tiny thing, because the image formed on the screen of your eye, the retina, would be very tiny. So you need microscopes to magnify tiny objects like amoebas, and telescopes to see faraway objects like planets. A homeschool science curriculum that teaches about microscopes and telescopes should include simple activities that simulate how telescopes and microscopes work. I will discuss such activities below.
Now a simple telescope has two parts, the objective and the eyepiece. The objective lens is much larger and helps to collect as much light as possible. The eyepiece that is close to your eye helps the image spread across your retina, allowing you to see the bird as if it were closer.
A microscope works in a similar way. One difference is that the objective lens is very small, having to collect light reflected from or passing through a small specimen, such as an ant or onion skin. The eyepiece is comparatively larger and magnifies the image.
Another difference is that the objective lens of a telescope is fixed and the eyepiece is movable. On the other hand, the objective lens of a microscope is movable and the eyepiece is fixed.
I always use two magnifying glasses to simulate the operation of telescopes and microscopes in the homeschool science curriculum that I teach.
Do this now!
Telescope
Hold two magnifying glasses in front of you, one behind the other. Now move both lenses of the loupes in front of you and try to focus on a distant object, such as a bird in a tree. You will be able to see the bird as if it were closer to you; it’s just going to be backwards. This is how a simple telescope works.
Microscope
Find some reading material that is in fine print or a small dead ant. Now hold two magnifying glasses in both hands, one on top of the other, over the object, let’s say the ant. Adjust the distance between the lenses of the two magnifying glasses and the ant until the tiny ant is in focus. You will see that it seems much bigger. Microscopes work in a similar way.
We can make some cool and colorful patterns by making light rays reflect off mirrors. That is exactly what I am going to teach you in the next activity.
Kool Kaleidoscope
Take three identical rectangular mirror strips that are long enough to form a triangular tube when joined lengthwise. Hot glue or tape them down, especially on the sharp edges (get an adult’s help). Alternatively, you can use cardboard strips with Mylar film attached. Now look through the tube with one eye and move. Enjoy the visual effect!
For your “Free Parent’s Guide to Teaching Science at Home,” full of great science experiments and activities, visit the link below.