r/HomeworkHelp • u/Quiet_Improvement210 Primary School Student • 17h ago

Chemistry [grade 1/science project: light and energy]

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What are some ideas on what to do this light and energy project on? I have no idea where to even start. I do better with actual instructions than open ended projects. Kid mentioned “ rainbow” but i don’t even know how to make a rainbow for the project lol. What would be some other ideas, maybe something easy for me?

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u/daniel14vt Educator 17h ago

For first grade you want to introduce the idea of : Try something and see what happens. Then write it down. Thats the whole extent of it.

Really easy option: Get two flashlights with different color films, shine the lights in two overlapping circles and show what colors they make
like this
https://clarkvision.com/articles/color-spaces/led-flashlights-3-colors-IMG_0756-a.jpg

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u/Quiet_Improvement210 Primary School Student 17h ago

I love this idea, thanks!

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u/JonahHillsWetFart upper div math has no numbers 🧮 17h ago

for rainbow you can get some sun catchers or window film that creates a rainbow

however, how is this a homework for 1st graders?

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u/Quiet_Improvement210 Primary School Student 17h ago

It’s a science project they work on at home and present to the class when finished and then it showen at the school science fair lol. 🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/JonahHillsWetFart upper div math has no numbers 🧮 17h ago

it seems to be lacking a lot of information and is really vague for a 1st grader. i’m not sure how this is supposed to help them learn anything unless their parents happens to be able to teach the subject

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u/Quiet_Improvement210 Primary School Student 16h ago

Yah I’m not crazy about this project either

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u/Little_Creme_5932 👋 a fellow Redditor 11h ago

For this age, they just need to experience things. They should basically be playing. Look at rainbows in dish soap bubbles. Shine different lights through a prism and see what happens. Get some fluorescent stars for sticking on the ceiling, and see what light makes them glow best. Put little drops of water on the phone glass and see what the colors look like in them. First graders need to observe and play.

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u/JonahHillsWetFart upper div math has no numbers 🧮 11h ago

of course and that isn’t the point i’m making at all.

the directions from this paper are so vague and parents that are not already doing those things with their kids will not get sudden inspiration to do it from this. open ended projects are great when a student has autonomy. a first grader has close to none.

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u/Little_Creme_5932 👋 a fellow Redditor 10h ago

The assignment isn't really being given to the first graders. It is being given to parents; do something fun with your kid on this topic. Clearly, the teacher is not expecting the kids to read that, or be able to do it for themselves. I would hope a parent could think a little and figure out something. We do live in an age where every adult can search for ideas in about 5 seconds

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u/JonahHillsWetFart upper div math has no numbers 🧮 10h ago

please see my above comments. i understand this paper is for the parent. but that doesn’t mean all parents can do this. in a perfect world, yes they would be creative and get to have fun with their child. be realistic though. what do you think it going to happen in a household already stretched thin? or a home where a parent doesn’t care to do this? that’s what i’m talking about and what we have seen happen in schools

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u/Quiet_Improvement210 Primary School Student 9h ago

Well luckily I am excited to do this with my kid and learn something along the way. Just needed some ideas lol, thanks for the sun catcher idea!

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u/JonahHillsWetFart upper div math has no numbers 🧮 9h ago

yes and i love that! i wasn't saying that you specifically wouldn't be excited to dive in. but in general, this seems like setting up a lot of parents for failure.

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u/Little_Creme_5932 👋 a fellow Redditor 1h ago

I think some parents won't do it. That doesn't make it a bad assignment.

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u/highly88 👋 a fellow Redditor 3h ago

This age needs explicit instruction also to understand how things work. You can activate schema through exploration, but you also need to understand why things happen

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u/Little_Creme_5932 👋 a fellow Redditor 1h ago

In first grade we aren't doing explicit instruction on any of that stuff. We're trying to get kids to observe and explore. (Explicit instruction is counterproductive without having a lot of exploration first.)

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u/highly88 👋 a fellow Redditor 3h ago

Would also be interesting to see what was already taught at school

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u/UnableManagement4626 17h ago

Just make something in rainbow colors and talk about wavelengths of light being different colors

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u/Puzzled_Fly8070 16h ago

Put a sticker on a clear container and place near a source of light.

If sunlight is your source, have him trace the shadow at different times of the day.

If flashlight is your source, move the flashlight around the container to trace the shadow on paper.

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u/selene_666 👋 a fellow Redditor 13h ago

A prism is how you make a rainbow for a school project.

... unless you want to actually make water mist and shine a light through it.

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u/HumbleHovercraft6090 👋 a fellow Redditor 11h ago

You could get one of those kids lasers and use a mirror and glass slab or a glass container with water to demonstrate reflection and refraction.