Magic Beads Lesson

Magic Beads at a glance

Background

Explore the fascinating world of ultraviolet (UV) light with our special white plastic beads. These beads are no ordinary beads—they contain a unique pigment that changes color when exposed to UV light! Under UV light, the beads can transform into vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow, blue, or purple. When the UV light is removed, the beads gradually revert to their original white color. The color change is reversible and can happen thousands of times!

UV light is all around us, though we can't always see it. The sun emits both visible light (the colors we see) and UV light (which we can't see). Different types of UV light have different wavelengths. Our beads react to UV light within wavelengths.

In this lesson, you’ll use these color-changing beads as UV light detectors. You can test where UV light is present and how different materials block or allow UV light to pass through. This hands-on activity will engage students in learning about light and its effects in an interactive and visual way!

Lesson Objective

Students will explore the presence and effects of ultraviolet (UV) light by observing color-changing beads that react to UV radiation. They will investigate how different materials and conditions affect the beads' color change, demonstrating the ability to detect UV light and understand its properties.

Experiment Description

In this experiment, students will expose special UV-sensitive beads to various light sources and environments, observing how the beads change color. They will test different materials, such as sunglasses and sunscreen, to see how well they block UV light from reaching the beads.

Materials List

UV-sensitive beads
Opaque brown plastic bag
Clear plastic bag
Sunscreen with different SPFs
Various containers (e.g., metal, glass, plastic)
Sunglasses
Different light sources (e.g., fluorescent, LED, black light)

Safety Precautions

Remind students to avoid prolonged direct exposure to sunlight without proper protection, such as sunscreen or sunglasses, to prevent skin and eye damage from UV rays.

The Experiment

Place five beads in the opaque brown plastic bag included in this package. Leave the other five beads in the clear bag and expose both bags to the sunlight. What happens?

Try placing the beads in other containers you find at home or school, including metal, paper, plastic, glass, clear, opaque, and colored. Place some beads in direct sunlight and others in the shade. Where is the UV light the strongest?

Coat the beads with different SPF sunscreens (keep two beads without) then expose them to sunlight. How do they compare?

Cover some beads with a pair of sunglasses. Try different sunglasses. What happens?

Expose the beads to different kinds of light sources: fluorescent, incandescent, colored, LED, black light, etc. Do the beads respond to any of these artificial lights?