Let's throw light on matter : a physics show for primary school

We have developed a physics show for primary schools in which three physicists perform many fascinating experiments in the context and with the structure of a real play. The show deals with matter and its states, with light and its behaviors when it interacts with matter. Themes as state transitions, reflection, refraction, diffusion, colors of light, and also infrared vision and polarization of light, are tackled in an informal learning contest. The show has been realized in collaboration with a theatre company specialized for children, and in its first two years of life it has reached about 18 000 students in Italy. We present here the results of a study on the effects of the show on children. They seem to indicate that the show leaves a lasting mark in kids, and is probably effective in changing the perception of physics, as welll as the knowledge of the work of a physicist.