You don’t need magic. But you do need to understand some basic science.

You’ll need:

• A penny.
• A piece of paper.
• A clear water glass.
• A saucer.

Put the penny on the paper and cover it with a clear glass filled with water. Can your child see the penny? Where’s the best place to see it?

Now cover the glass with the saucer. Can your child find the penny without looking straight down through the water glass? What happened to make the penny disappear?

We can see objects because light rays reflect off them into our eyes. But every time light hits an object of a different density, it bends a little. So the light reflecting off the penny has to pass through air, water and glass. Each has a different density. By the time that light ray gets to your eyes, it looks like the penny is someplace it’s not.

Copyright © Parent Institute