STEAM Saturday – Prism Play Chalk Art! (1/21/2023)

It might be cold outside, but you can bring the sun indoors and teach your child about light refraction with Prism Play Chalk Art!

What is a prism?  A prism is a piece of transparent material (usually glass or plastic) that bends (or refracts) light.  The different wavelengths of light move at different speeds as they travel through the prism, separating them into a spectrum of colors!

Here’s what you’ll need for this simple, fun, and colorful experiment:

  • A flashlight
  • Black construction paper
  • A prism (these can be found very inexpensively online)
  • Rainbow colored chalk

Set up black construction paper in a mostly dark room and place the prism on top.  Have your kiddo explore the way the patterns change as they hold the flashlight at different angles and trace the patterns on the paper with the different colors of chalk.  Your child will come away with some cool artwork and a new understanding of how light works!

See the full experiment from Left Brain Craft Brain HERE.

As always, get as creative as you want, and above all, have lots of fun learning together!

We’ll see you right back here next Saturday for another STEAM Saturday activity!  Scroll through the rest of our website to learn how Critchlow Adkins is Building Brighter Futures for the children and families we serve!

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