Spectrum
Spectra occur spontaneously. Some are natural. Some are man made. The idea in a prepared environment is to give the child access to a spectrum at will. Glass prisms can provide spectacular results but direct sunlight is not always available. So it is useful to have a light stage at hand to catch any rainbow that might happen.
The child needs not only to spread a beam of light into a Spectrum of colors but also realize that there are colors on both ends of the Spectrum, these being infrared and ultraviolet, which we can't see. Although many insects and animals can. We can, however, use and experience these parts of the spectrum every day with readily available tools.
The child needs not only to spread a beam of light into a Spectrum of colors but also realize that there are colors on both ends of the Spectrum, these being infrared and ultraviolet, which we can't see. Although many insects and animals can. We can, however, use and experience these parts of the spectrum every day with readily available tools.
We all recognize this image. It is one of a number that should be standard on the walls of a primary classroom, another being the Periodic Table. The idea portrayed does not need to be immediately understood.
It needs to be seen daily, related to the environment and referenced in conversation.
It needs to be seen daily, related to the environment and referenced in conversation.
Another form of this image should be printed and attached to a plastic or wooden slat, to give the child a hand tool that can be used to compare entities in the environment to the spectrum.
Plants, for example
Botany is a fundamental subject in the Montessori and most other primary classrooms.
It is also a point of connection between physics and the living world.
A Child's Physics suggests that a classroom have at least one example of purple, yellow and red chlorophyll plants in addition to green. This not just about the color of the plant.
Within the subject of Light this is the spectrum itself showing in living creatures.
It is a vital chemical process ongoing in the leaves and it is selective of the frequencies it uses and reflects.
Plants, for example
Botany is a fundamental subject in the Montessori and most other primary classrooms.
It is also a point of connection between physics and the living world.
A Child's Physics suggests that a classroom have at least one example of purple, yellow and red chlorophyll plants in addition to green. This not just about the color of the plant.
Within the subject of Light this is the spectrum itself showing in living creatures.
It is a vital chemical process ongoing in the leaves and it is selective of the frequencies it uses and reflects.
The easiest, most accessible source of a spectrum under lighting conditions in a typical classroom
is a CD.
The second is a piece of diffraction grating.
A round vase can be used to explain how millions of raindrops generate a rainbow.
Soap bubbles work too.
Triangular prisms come in last and a bit cranky as they are brilliant in direct sunlight but difficult to use with an artificial light source suitable for a primary classroom. The problems inherent in full spectrum white light sources being the power requirements, the electrical cords, heat and the fact that the idea is to put the light source in the child's hand not in some fixture she isn't allowed to touch. Hence a variety of flashlights, with the understanding that different flashlights will produce different parts of the spectrum depending on the frequencies they emit. Different flashlights give different results. Flashlights can be combined with lenses and prisms to alter the effect.
One particularly useful tool is a trichroic prism, which separates white light into red, green and blue, the opposite of color mixing.
is a CD.
The second is a piece of diffraction grating.
A round vase can be used to explain how millions of raindrops generate a rainbow.
Soap bubbles work too.
Triangular prisms come in last and a bit cranky as they are brilliant in direct sunlight but difficult to use with an artificial light source suitable for a primary classroom. The problems inherent in full spectrum white light sources being the power requirements, the electrical cords, heat and the fact that the idea is to put the light source in the child's hand not in some fixture she isn't allowed to touch. Hence a variety of flashlights, with the understanding that different flashlights will produce different parts of the spectrum depending on the frequencies they emit. Different flashlights give different results. Flashlights can be combined with lenses and prisms to alter the effect.
One particularly useful tool is a trichroic prism, which separates white light into red, green and blue, the opposite of color mixing.
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Demonstrations of Infrared and Ultraviolet
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