Be Seen Be Safe
Be Seen Be Safe Organiser’s Card About the activity This activity is designed to get children thinking about reflection and light. Gem has a new bike! Children are asked to help Cosmic and Gem to find out if they can wear something that will help them be seen in the dark. Through this activity you will support children to: • Test different materials to see how reflective they are • Test to see if other variables make a difference to reflectivity • Record their results and share them with the group. Kit list You can use whatever is available at home. • A selection of different materials e.g. different coloured T-shirts or fabrics, reflector armbands, foil, shiny paper, black paper, dark/light coloured objects • Torches • A place that you can partially blackout What to do 1. Introduce the activity using the story of Cosmic and Gem. Ask the children what they think will help them to be seen in the dark. Give out activity cards and equipment to the children. 3. Explain that they will be using the equipment provided to test the best way to be seen in the dark. 5. Support children to conduct their tests and make their own records of their results. 6. Ask the children to present their findings to the rest of the group, they can be as creative in their presentation as they want. 4. Encourage children to discuss their ideas and how to carry out their investigations. Prompt questions: • What materials will they test? • How will they test to see if they are reflective? • How will they make sure their test is fair? • How will they record their results?
Things to think about Some things produce light, e.g. a lamp, the Sun. We call these light sources. Other things can reflect light, but they don’t produce light of their own, e.g. a mirror, aluminium foil, a white T-shirt. We call these reflectors. Some colours reflect more light than others. White is easier to see than red; red is easier to see than black. Reflectors will be seen if there is a source of light. Even on a ‘dark’ night there is usually light around, especially in towns. A good reflector may be visible on a dark night because of this. Cat’s eyes and reflective strips will also reflect the lights of cars. So Cosmic and Gem will need to wear something light coloured or shiny to be safe in the dark. They also need to get lights on their bikes. Keywords • Reflection • Source • Light • Safety Watch out! ! Make sure that children are not wandering around in the dark with sharp objects. Make sure that the area is cleared of obstacles and dangerous substances British Science Association Registered Charity No. 212479 and SC039236
