Our Year 1 scientists stepped into the shoes of real-world physicists for an unforgettable, hands-on Light and Sound incursion!

Of course they brought their absolute best thinking caps, bursting with curiosity and ready to test, observe, measure, and ask big questions about how light and sound energy moves in our world.

Throughout the session, students worked like true researchers - hypothesising what might happen next, making careful observations, and sharing their discoveries.

‍Light, Shadows & Hidden Colours

‍"Why do some objects let light shine right through while others block it completely?"

Students set out to solve this mystery by testing a wide range of everyday materials against bright torches. They classified each item into transparent, translucent, or opaque categories.

Next came shadow play! Students created custom shadow shapes and experimented with moving their torches closer and further away, discovering firsthand how changing the light source's position changes a shadow's size and sharpness. To cap off the optics section, students peered through special rainbow peepholes, discovering that white light—that it’s made up of a brilliant spectrum of rainbow colours!

‍Sound Waves & Vibrations Made Visible:‍

‍"Can you see sound?"Working collaboratively, our young scientists also set out to make the invisible visible. They struck tuning forks and gently touched them to ping-pong balls and water - watching in delight as ripples, splashes, and sudden bounces proved that sound is vibrational energy.

Well done to our Year 1 learners for their brilliant team spirit, deep thinking, and enthusiasm throughout the session! This was an awesome incursion, giving everyone 'hands on' understanding of how sound and light energy travel.

Ben and Naomi

Year 1 Teachers