General Topics: Optics, Physics, Visual Perception
Grade Level: 2-3

In this activity we explored the process of building a lens camera. This exercise was used to teach how lenses work, from a camera to our own eyes. The students were given the materials to assemble and asked to explain various observations they made with their lens cameras.

Students were able to decorate their lens camera any way they liked at the end!

The students were given all pieces of the camera to work on. The first challenge was to assemble the walls and base of the camera. The arrangement of the pieces to form a square is the beginnings of being able to visualize and design in 3D space!

The next piece was completing the front which holds the magnifying lens. Two rubber bands crossing each other were used to hold the magnifying lens so that it may be removed to be used for any science explorations outside of this specific project! This was then attached to the rest of the camera.

The final piece was placing the tissue paper onto the sliding component. This would act as the screen to have the light (and thus images) projected on. This component can slide closer and further away from the magnifying lens in order to focus the image. Afterwards the students were able to learn about how light density, combined with distance of the sliding component, affected the ability to view images!

This class we learned:

• How lenses work
• How our eyes work
• How light comes into lenses
• What light is and how it allows us to see

Things to keep in mind for future activities: 

• Some students had trouble tying the rubber bands together, we should have longer rubber band pieces in the future
• Adding an extension which corrects the orientation of the image being projected so students understand how cameras and other lenses correct for this would be a great additional lesson