Lighthouses are a symbol of our ingenuity and resourcefulness, as well as of the forces of nature that we cannot control.
You can become a part of this fascinating lighthouse world, delving into the geography, inventions, science of lights and lighthouse designs, legends and lore, accounts of shipwrecks, and the heroic personal stories of the lighthouse keepers.
So, all of you adventurous Kaleidoscope Kids, grab hold of your curiosity and prepare to imagine and improvise, as we investigate the wonders of lighthouses - those awesome beacons standing guard over North America's most dangerous waters.
Make it real!
See how sound and light travel; bend, reflect, diffuse, and concentrate light; light an (indoor) cliff; create a rocky reef, a rough current, and a mini ice floe; name a lighthouse; write a captain's log entry and a lighthouse poem; paint a lighthouse scene; and interview a keeper.
Then imagine living in a lighthouse as a keeper's kid; chronicle a storm (with sound effects!); observe lighthouse color patterns and flashing light codes; climb lighthouse stairs (whew!); and search for lighthouses in strange places today! Plus, build a working lighthouse lamp!
What shall we build?
Explore lighthouse design applied to different conditions: find center of gravity, evaluate a cone shape versus a cylinder, compare sand and soil, and select a sturdy base style. Then create your own mini-lights: towers, screw piles, and caissons. Build a model of the historic Cape Hatteras Light.
Let them shine!
Re-create and experience all kinds of lights and lenses: the spider lamp, the Fresnel lens, lights of different brightness, occulting and eclipsed beams, fixed and flashing lights, and a blinking beacon.
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