God's Promise: Studying the Rainbow

Light! Everyone wants it! There are skylights, sun roofs, "Natural lighting" that attempts to replicate the sunlight. People go tanning to imitate the sun's effects. Those who suffer from depression are often advised to get more fresh air and sunshine. Architects strategically place doors and windows to bring that "outside look in." Home decorators focus on window treatments and special lighting. Ah, yes, we all love light.

Kids run carefree, soaking up the sun.

"So, what is it?"
I asked the kids today.

Nature Man says, "the sun." True enough. So let's expand, shall we? What are some others sources of light? "Candles, flashlight, stars, nightlight."

First they used a flashlight inside a dark room, and then outside in the sun. Of course, outside you can't even tell that it's on, which illustrates why we cannot see the stars when the sun is shining. They're still there, all around us, but the sun is too bright for us to see them.

(stop and think about that for a second. Doesn't it just make your jaw drop when you think about what we are, who we are, where we are? Just this little speck called Earth, with millions of stars all around us, and we have only a faint glimmer of the universe's vastness... and yet He cares for us.)

Then moving on to color waves. A rainbow is a beautiful example of how light waves are bent.

Let's Make a Rainbow!

Place a pan of water in a sunny spot. Lean the mirror into the water at an angle that catches the reflection of the sun below the level of the water. Hold up a piece of white paper to catch the reflected light.

Rainbows galore!
Our book has a nice little poem/ rhyme to remember the order of the colors in the rainbow. Here's the first line (which is really all you need...)
Rainbows Over You, God's Blessed Vow.
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet



To read about why God made rainbows, check Bible Gateway's entry.
For some beautiful photos and more reading about what "causes" rainbows, check Wikipedia's entry and HowStuffWork's entry. Yes, we touched on photons, particles, waves, and Einstein, but kept it pretty "light" this go around. Pun intended. ;-)

Another busy day in store tomorrow, and my materials are not yet prepared!
I'll need boiled eggs for the next science section!
Fred hates the smell of them, so I'd better take care of that while he's asleep!

Plus I want to start painting tonight.
(shhhh-- I haven't told him yet!)

Night, night!!