Online Resources: Labs, Lessons, Websites, Materials, and More

SPIE is a not-for-profit society for aspiring and established engineers, specifically in the science of light.

We've assembled this list of websites containing lesson plans, activities, demonstrations, and other free materials to provide resources for educators, parents, and students. Use them to bring light into your classroom!

SCIENCE OF LIGHT RESOURCES

Labs & Lessons

• Computational Imaging Lab - Fun optics demos and activities from UC Berkeley

• Deceiving Art: A Guide to Stereograms - How they work and instructions to create your own - includes grade specific lesson plans

• Diffraction Glasses: What's in a Color? - Lesson plan for diffraction grating glasses

• Dumpster Optics - Inquiry-based activities illustrating basic optics concepts using inexpensive, commonly found material

• Integrating Sphere Demo - Build a cheap, integrating sphere for color light demonstrations

• Light and Laser Experiments - Free lesson plans, activities, labs, and experiments focused on Light, Lasers, Optics, Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation

• Make Your Own 3D Glasses - Simple Wiki-How instructions for making a pair of 3D glasses

• NASA Educational Materials - Light and Color activities for grades K-12

• TeAchnology - Waves, sound, and optics lesson plans

Online Resources

• A Kid's Guide to Light - A listing of activities and resources for young people interested in learning about light and adults interested in helping them

• Bibliography of Classical Optics - Approximately 1,500 titles, compiled by Douglas Goodman, Polaroid Corp (1980-1993), PDF format 230K

• B-Photonics - Exciting Photonics Stem Projects 

• Exploring Optics - A hands-on curriculum that teaches about light waves and their associated technical applications

• Light Science for Kids - Shine light on scientific facts to see how everything revolves around light

• Optics 4 Kids - A website for students, teachers, and parents devoted to everything optics

• Photon terrace - A fun website from Hamamatsu to learn about light

• Photonics - Technical applications of light - Infographics explaining photonics

• Photonics Project - Resources, Calculations, and More

• Prismatic Magic - Laser programs to bring to your school

• Science, Optics &, You - Free standards-based, interdisciplinary curriculum package for elementary students and teachers to explore light, color, and optics

• Science Made Simple - Beyond the Rainbow, the Invisible World - Traveling shows in the UK bringing inspirational science to your school

• The Exploratorium Science Snacks - Snacks about Light

Videos

• Khan Academy: Concave Lenses - Explanation and examples on YouTube

• Khan Academy: Convex Lenses - Explanation and examples on YouTube

• Khan Academy: Refraction and Snell's Law - Explanation and examples on YouTube

• Khan Academy: Refraction in Water - Explanation and examples on YouTube

• Khan Academy: Snell's Law Examples 1 - Explanation and examples on YouTube

• Khan Academy: Total Internal Reflection - Explanation and examples on YouTube

• #thefuturedependsonoptics - Edmund Optics fun outreach videos on TikTok

• Light Blox Instructional Video - Free videos hosted on YouTube
  
  

ASTRONOMY RESOURCES

• The Hubble Site - Spectacular pictures of stars, galaxies, nebulae and more

• Jet Propulsion Lab - NASA JPL site with videos, games, and projects about outer space, the solar system, and space exploration

• Visions of the Future Posters - Nine artists, designers, and illustrators partnered with JPL to design 14 posters all available to download

• Look Up to the Stars - Traveling Astronomy
  
  

HOLOGRAPHY RESOURCES

• Britannica Kids - Good diagram and simple explanation of a hologram

• How to Make a Hologram - Wiki instructions to make a 3-D hologram. It’s easier than you think

ENGINEERING RESOURCES

• Boy Scouts - Engineering merit badge

• Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education - Research in engineering learning and teaching

• Discover Engineering - Information about Engineers Week, self-guided tutorials content, and activities for volunteers and educators

• Engineers Go for It! - American Society for Engineering Education website devoted to K-12 STEM and engineering education

• Engineering is Elementary (EiE) - Aims to foster engineering and technological literacy among children

• LinkEngineering - National Academy of Engineering site for implementing pre K-12 engineering education

• NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering - Find out the grand challenges for the century ahead determined by a committee of the National Academy of Engineering

• TeachEngineering.com - Browse standards based K-12 curriculum modules

• Want to be a Bioengineer? - Game introduces students to real-life examples of how bioengineers are improving people's lives 

• A Guide to Robotics Technology - Description and history of robotics

• What Is Engineering? - Fun video intended to attract high school students to the engineering profession
  
  

GENERAL SCIENCE RESOURCES

• Design Squad - PBS KIDS website

• The Exploratorium - Website of San Francisco's 21st century learning laboratory at Pier 15

• GT Labs - Comics that tell true stories about scientists

• Integrated Teaching and Learning Program & Laboratory - University of Colorado at Boulder

• Little Shop of Physics! - Colorado State University's hands-on science outreach program

• Kids' Science Challenge - An annual competition for 3rd to 6th graders to submit experiments and problems for REAL scientists and engineers to solve

• NASA Spacelink - Teach materials

• National Science Teachers Association - Website with books and resources for all levels, conference and professional development, and information about the Next Generation Science Standards

• USA Science and Engineering Festival - Expos and activities on science and engineering

• Physics Quest - A middle school competition that consists of four physical experiments centered on a mystery

• Protons for Breakfast - A 6-week course for people interested in science and its impact on our lives

• Sally Ride Science - From astrobiology to zoology, Sally Ride Science is all science, all the time

• Try Science - Your gateway to experience the excitement of contemporary science and technology though on- and off-line interactivity with science and technology centers worldwide

• When Things Get Small - Emmy Award winning video takes a comical look at nanoscience
  
  

CAREER RESOURCES

• Engineering Careers - Engineering is a versatile career. Check out the many ways engineers make a difference in our lives

• Photonics Careers - Advice from leaders in the optics and photonics community

• Photonics Engineering - A behind-the-scenes look at photonics engineers' day-to-day work
  
  

RESOURCES FOR GIRLS

• CanTEEN Career Exploration - For girls 11-17 and their parents, teachers, and mentors

• Engineer Girl - National Academy of Engineering website designed to bring national attention to the exciting opportunities engineering offers to girls and women

• Girl Scouts - GirlsGoTech project

• Science Club for Girls - STEM programs for girls from underrepresented communities

• Women @ NASA - Resource developed to encourage young women to pursue careers in math, science, and technology