simple experiment rainbow

• Activities for Kids

6 Incredibly Easy Rainbow Science Experiments

If you can’t find one, make one of your own, right in your kitchen, porch, or stoop

No rainbow in the sky today? No problem. Just pick one (or all) of these easy kid-friendly science experiments with your rainbow-making know-how. From reflection (mirror) to refraction (water glass) to learning about density, we’ve found six science experiments to make or learn from the rainbow. If you want more ideas, check out our sidewalk science ideas or dry ice science experiments .

1. The Mirror Method

Lesson: Demonstrate the principles of reflection and refraction with this easy experiment . Light bending, aka refraction, takes place as light waves pass through the water. When you shine your flashlight (or position your glass so the sun comes in) you are bending the light waves, each one of the waves at slightly different angles resulting in the different colors of the rainbow. This is the same basic principle that occurs when water and sunlight create a rainbow in the sky. Reflection is the light bouncing off of the mirrored surface.

You will need:

A small mirror (like a compact mirror)

A glass of water (big enough to hold the mirror)

A flashlight (or sunlight) 

A piece of white paper or a white wall

1. Put the mirror in the glass of water.

2. Turn off the lights and draw the curtains. Make sure the room is totally dark.

3. Shine the flashlight on the mirror and check out the cool mini-rainbows that appear above the mirror. Put your hand behind the glass for extra fun. 

2. The Garden Hose Technique

Lesson: Refraction, as above. This time, instead of using a mirror to reflect the light, you are going to basically mimic the natural formation of a rainbow by causing the water to hit the light in a fine mist.

A spray bottle or a hose

1. Put the hose on mist or grab your mister and spray it into an area of your yard/house/garden that has natural sunlight hitting it.

2. Let the kids ooh and ahh over your rainbow-making skills, then let each of them take a turn.

3. Water Density Rainbow

Lesson: By adding more or less sugar to each water solution you are creating different density levels. When you add coloring to the glasses you will be able to see which solution is the heaviest. Add the colors in rainbow order to impress the kids. Visit Little Bins for Little Hands for the experiment that shows you how to make a rainbow. 

Food coloring

Five glasses or plastic cups (clear)

4. The Glass o’ Water Approach

Lesson: The most simple form of light bending, this lesson in the light waves is similar to #1 above.

A glass of water

A piece of paper

1. Put the glass of water in the sunlight.

2. Put the paper next to it.

3. Let the sunlight stream through the water and create a rainbow on the paper.

5. Advanced Glass o’ Water Approach:

A spray bottle

1. Put the glass of water on a table or windowsill where there is sunlight.

2. Put the piece of paper on the floor where the sunlight hits, in the line of the glass.

3. Spray the window with warm water where the sun is coming through, and so it lines up with the paper. 

4. Move the glass and paper around until you see a neat little rainbow on the paper.

6. The Bubble Method

It doesn't get any easier than making a rainbow by blowing bubbles. You can use regular dish soap and a bit of water and shake ingredients inside a bottle, or just blow bubbles and observe. Want to up the fun factor? Make your own bubble mixture out of ordinary kitchen ingredients.

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Rainbow in a Jar Science Experiment

Want to make your own rainbow? In this simple science experiment, kids can build their own rainbow in a jar while exploring density, mass, and volume.

Watch our demonstration video, gather your supplies, and print out our detailed instructions to get started. An easy to understand explanation of how it works is included below.

JUMP TO SECTION: Instructions | Video Tutorial | How it Works

Supplies Needed

• Tall Glass Jar
• Food Coloring: Red, Blue and Green
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Blue Dish Soap
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Rubbing Alcohol
• Jars for mixing and pouring
• Teaspoons for mixing

Rainbow in a Jar Science Lab Kit – Only $5

Use our easy Rainbow in a Jar Science Lab Kit to grab your students’ attention without the stress of planning!

It’s everything you need to  make science easy for teachers and fun for students  — using inexpensive materials you probably already have in your storage closet!

Rainbow in a Jar Science ExperimentInstructions

Step 1 – Add one drop of red food coloring and one drop of blue food coloring to 1/4 cup of honey and stir until combined. This creates a purple color liquid. Pour the purple liquid carefully into the tall jar.

Step 2 – Next add about 1/4 cup of blue dish soap to the tall jar.

Step 3 – Add a few drops of green food coloring to 1/4 cup of water and mix until combined. Then, carefully pour the green liquid into the tall jar. Tip: When pouring in the green liquid, tilt the jar so the liquid runs down the side of the jar slowly.

Step 4 – Wait a few moments and then slowly pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into the jar. Again, be very careful when pouring in the liquid. Make sure to tilt the jar and pour very slowly so the colors don’t mix.

Step 5 – Add a few drops of red food coloring to 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol and mix until combined. Then, carefully pour the red liquid into the tall jar. Tip: I can’t stress enough how important it is to tilt the jar and pour slow. Otherwise, the colors will mix together and you won’t get a distinct rainbow.

Do you know why you were able to make the liquids form the rainbow in a jar? Find out the answer in the how does this experiment work section below.

Video Tutorial

How Does the Science Experiment Work

Density is the reason that this experiment works! Density is a measure of how much mass (or “stuff”) there is in a given volume. Density is a ratio of mass to volume and can be found by dividing an object’s mass by its volume (D=m/v).

Based on this equation, if the mass of something increases but the volume stays constant, then the density increases. Also, if mass decreases but the volume stays constant, then the density decreases. Density is all about how tightly packed the matter making up the material is in a given volume. Lighter liquids (like olive oil and rubbing alcohol) are less dense than heavier liquids (like honey and dish soap) because they have less matter in a given volume. Because olive oil and rubbing alcohol are less dense, they will float on top of liquids like water, dish soap, and honey. Liquids with a lower density will always float on top of liquids with a higher density.

All liquids have their own unique density. Water has a density of 1 g/mL (g/cm3). Objects will float in water if their density is less than 1 g/mL. Objects will sink in water if their density is greater than 1 g/mL.

I hope you enjoyed the experiment. Here are some printable instructions:

Instructions

• Add one drop of red food coloring and one drop of blue food coloring to 1/4 cup of honey and stir until combined. This is create a purple color liquid. Pour the purple liquid carefully into the tall jar.
• Next add about 1/4 cup of blue dish soap to the tall jar.
• Then add a few drops of green food coloring to 1/4 cup of water and mix until combined. Then carefully pour the green liquid into the tall jar. Tip: When pouring in the green liquid, tilt the jar so the liquid runs down the side of the jar slowly.
• Wait a few moments and then slowly pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into the jar. Tip: Again, be very careful when pouring in the liquid. Make sure to tilt the jar and pour very slowly so the colors don’t mix.
• Add a few drops of red food coloring to 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol and mix until combined. Then carefully pour the red liquid into the tall jar. Tip: I can’t stress enough how important it is to tilt the jar and pour slow. Otherwise the colors will mix together and you won’t get a distinct rainbow.

Reader Interactions

October 15, 2017 at 3:22 pm

It was cool. Was it density

October 30, 2017 at 11:33 am

Hi it was Cooooolllllll….. It was because of the density

June 12, 2018 at 10:22 am

my kids enjoyed this presentation. They are doing it for a stem project

March 25, 2019 at 3:41 pm

How long did this project take to make and how long did it last until the colors started to mix? Also, what would be the guiding question of an experiment like this?

March 2, 2023 at 11:46 am

1.This experiment took around 20 minutes to put together. 2. It lasts for as long as you need if nobody touches it. 3. A leading question to this experiment could be ” Will all of the ingredients mix while i am pouring?”

I hope this helped:)

January 23, 2020 at 12:41 pm

its amazing my students loved it!

March 2, 2023 at 11:40 am

I did this exact project for the science fair this year and I won 2nd place. I made a full board about destiny and I made a question saying ” If I do not tip the jar or if i pour too fast, will the colors mix? The answer is yes! The colors did mix whenever I didn’t tip the jar and the rubbing alcohol sank down and mixed with the green and then since the extra liquid was in the green it mixed with the blue dish soap and began to be a big bubbly mess! 🙂

June 12, 2023 at 10:15 am

Can you put a top on the jar, shake the jar, mixing the liquids, will the liquids separate after sitting for hours or days?

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How To Make A Rainbow – Simple Science Experiments

Making a rainbow is a fun and educational science experiment that can be easily done at home or in the classroom.

It involves using a light source, such as sunlight or a flashlight, and a medium to separate the light into its component colors.

The result is a beautiful display of the colors of the rainbow, which can be used to teach about the nature of light and color.

This experiment is an engaging way to introduce children to the basics of optics and the physics of light.

How Are Rainbows Formed?

Sunlight or white light is a mixture of all the rainbow colors. The different rainbow colors are essentially mixed together to result in a white color.

You may wonder why when you mix all the different colors of paint together result in black instead of light. That is because light mixing is additive while pigment mixing is subtractive.

When light passes from one medium to another medium of a different density (e.g. from air to water ), the light bends. This is known as refraction of light ​1​  (More  light experiments ).

How much a light is refracted depends on the wavelength of the light. The shorter the wavelength, the more it bends. Because lights of different colors have different wavelengths , each color is refracted by different amounts.

Therefore, white light is split up after passing from air to water and the individual colors become visible. This dispersion of light allows us to see the spectrum of colors that form a rainbow ​2​ .

In nature, a rainbow is formed when sunlight is refracted on entering a droplet of water, reflected inside the back of the droplet and finally refracted again on leaving the droplet.

Seeing A Rainbow

To see a rainbow caused by sunlight, the sunlight needs to come from behind us because rainbows only appear in the part of the sky directly opposite the sun.

Red has the longest wavelength among the visible colors. So it tends to bend the least and the angle between the incident light and our line of sight for red is approximate 42 degrees. As a result, red appears on the top of the rainbow

Violet has the shortest wavelength. It tends to bend the most. To see violet, the angle between the incident light and our line of sight is roughly 40. So violet appears at the bottom of the rainbow.

Why Are Rainbows Arched?

Rainbows are not two dimensional . A rainbow is seen at an angle that is between 40-42 degrees from the incident sunlight . So all the water drops that produce each color in the rainbow lie on a three dimensional cone . Our eyes are at the tip of the cone.

That is why rainbows are arched. The circular shape below the ground is invisible.

Rainbow Experiment

Now are you ready to make some rainbows? Here are 3 easy ways to make your own rainbows at home. 

Warning: Adult supervision is vital in experiments involving sunlight. Do not look directly at the sun or at the reflection of sun in a mirror.

1. Rainbow Prism

One of the easiest and most visually stunning ways to see an artificial rainbow is by using a prism. Creating rainbows using a prism is really fun.

• strong sunlight
• glass prism
• white cardboard / paper (optional)
• adult supervision

Instructions

• Place a piece of white paper on the ground under the sunlight.
• Put the prism on or above the paper.

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2. Rainbow On The Wall

No prism? No problem. Using a small mirror and a glass, you can make a beautiful rainbow on the wall.

• a clear glass
• small mirror
• Fill the glass with water.

• Position the glass so that sunlight shines directly at the mirror. You may have to shift the mirror to find the right angle.
• Look for a reflection on the wall.  It would be easier to see if the room is dark.

3. Make A Rainbow Using Flashlight

You can still make a rainbow without natural light. Try this experiment using a whitelight flashlight.

• clear glass
• flashlight that emits strong focused white light . Flashlights that emit only yellowish light won’t work. Flashlights that don’t emit focused light also won’t work. Look for one with parabolic reflecting mirrors inside to focus the light, or one with a strong LED light.
• 2 pieces of white cardboard
• Cut a narrow rectangle in the middle of one piece of paper.

• Place the other piece of paper on the floor on the other side of the glass to catch the rainbow.

• Start from the glass and slowly move the flashlight farther and farther from the glass.

More Making a Rainbow Experiments

If you’re a rainbow enthusiast, want more rainbow experiments, or wonders what makes a rainbow, here are a few fun science projects for you.

• Rainbow Water
• Rainbow Walking Water
• Crystal Rainbow

Learn More About Rainbows

Have Fun With Rainbows

• 1. Jiang W, Chen RT, Lu X. Theory of light refraction at the surface of a photonic crystal. Phys Rev B . June 2005. doi: 10.1103/physrevb.71.245115
• 2. Whitaker RJ. Physics of the Rainbow. The Physics Teacher . May 1974:283-286. doi: 10.1119/1.2350374

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Simple Rainbow Science Experiment for Kids

• One Comment

Spring is here and you and your students will love this Simple Rainbow Science Experiment for Kids that is quick and fun to do! This would be a great experiment to try around St. Patrick’s Day or perhaps while studying a weather unit. Students may want to draw or color their rainbows in a science notebook as well. We love doing science experiments in my classroom and this easy rainbow experiment proves that they don’t have to be complicated or hard to prep for!

*Pair with our  St. Patrick’s Day Centers and Activities for Pre-K & Kindergarten !

Bring some hands-on science fun to your classroom with this easy, no-mess experiment! You can do this science experiment in the springtime or any time of the year!

Teach your early learners all about reflection, refraction, and dispersion of light!

To make your own rainbow, you will need:

• a glass of water
• a sunny window
• a sheet of white paper

How to Make a Rainbow

To begin, invite your child to place a glass of water near a sunny window. For best results, look for a direct beam of sunlight. When the sun is low in the sky (early or later in the day) works best.

Next, place a sheet of paper on the other side of the glass. You should notice a rainbow that is projected onto the sheet of paper!

RELATED RESOURCE: Easy Readers – Color Words Collection

Here’s how it works.

Sunlight is made up of various wavelengths, and each wavelength appears as a different color. The water is used to reflect and refract light. As the sunlight passes through the water, the sunlight is separated into a spectrum of colors forming a rainbow.

Questions to Consider:

• Can you think of another way to make your own rainbow?
• What happens if you change the shape or size of the glass of water?
• What happens if you place the paper further away from the glass?
• Add a few drops of food coloring to the water. Are you still able to make a rainbow?
• Replace the water with mineral oil . What happens?
• If there were no signs of rain, would you be able to see a rainbow outside? Why or why not?
• Draw and color your observations in a notebook .

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One Response

So simple but so amazing. Thank you!

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How to Make a Rainbow

November 4, 2015 By Emma Vanstone 2 Comments

Did you know the light around us ( white light ) is actually made up of all the colours of the rainbow?

What are the colours of the rainbow?

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet

Why do rainbows form?

Rainbows are seen in the sky opposite the sun and are caused by the refraction ( bending of light ) and dispersion ( splitting up ) of sunlight in drops of rain or mist. Sunlight hitting the rain or mist is dispersed into its constituent colours. This is because the light is reflected at varying angles, creating a rainbow as the different colours refract and bend by different amounts. Each colour of the rainbow has a different wavelength.

What is Refraction?

Refraction occurs when light bends as it passes through a transparent material, such as glass, prisms, or raindrops.

How to make a rainbow on a sunny day

Make a rainbow with a hosepipe.

If you have a spray bottle or hosepipe that can make a fine mist of water, you can make a rainbow on a sunny day.

Stand with your back to the sun and spray the hosepipe into the air. You might have to move it around to find the best angle for a rainbow.

Why can you see a rainbow through water?

Tiny drops of water act like a prism, splitting light into individual colours depending on their wavelength. Violet light is bent ( refracted ) the most and red the least.

The bending of light is called refraction , and the splitting of light into a rainbow of colours is called dispersion .

If you have a sunny day, you can also use a prism to make a rainbow.

Make a rainbow with a mirror

Try placing a mirror inside a glass and angling the glass so sunlight hits the mirror. You should be able to reflect a rainbow onto the wall.

Make a rainbow without the sun

Place a mirror inside a glass and shine a torch onto it until you can see a rainbow reflected onto the wall. You might have to adjust the angle of the glass to make it work.

If you can make a room very dark, you might also be able to see a rainbow by shining a torch through a prism.

Find Rainbows in Bubbles

When white light shines through the bubble film, it is reflected and dispersed, which splits the white light into its different wavelengths allowing you to see all the colours of the rainbow in the bubbles .

Rainbow Crafts for kids

Make rainbow paper like The Science Kiddo

We love this rainbow scavenger hunt from Hands On as We Grow .

Or how about a giant collage like The Imagination Tree?

Suitable for Key Stage 2 Science

If you enjoyed these activities don’t forget we have 100s more science experiments for you to try!

Last Updated on July 4, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

November 05, 2015 at 4:50 am

Great. I once did that experiment, where i put mirror in the glass. Love that.

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10 GROW A RAINBOW EXPERIMENTS FOR KIDS

By: Author Agnes Hsu

Posted on Last updated: March 18, 2021

Categories Create , Latest

Who doesn’t love rainbows ? Let your kids explore colors and learn all kinds of cool things through these rainbow science experiments. Examine how colors mix, grow vibrant crystals, or let them have some gooey fun with rainbow neon slime! Put on the safety goggles and let the rainbow learning begin.

What are your favorite rainbow activities to do with the kids?

Rainbow Neon Slime (via hello, Wonderfu) Make a big batch of colorful slime and mix the colors up to create this awesome sensory activity that stretches and oozes.

Rainbow Color Wheel (via Chasing Cheerios) Learn how color absorption works by setting up this easy rainbow color wheel.

Giant Rainbow Crystal (via hello, Wonderful) Make a giant rainbow crystal and learn the chemical reaction to growing the crystals.

Erupting Rainbow Experiment (via She Knows) With just some kitchen ingredients, you can make a colorful volcano in minutes that will mesmerize your kids.

Rainbow Flower Experiment (via hello, Wonderful) An easy color absorption experiment that results in stunning effects every time!

Rainbow Spin Mixing (via Babble Dabble Do) Create brilliantly colored artwork and learn all about centrifugal force in this fun rainbow spinning project.

Rainbow Baking Soda Experiment (via Fun At Home With Kids) Get the insider tip on how to make this classic baking soda and vinegar experiment extra foamy and fun.

Make Rainbow Rock Candy (via Growing a Jeweled Rose) What kid will refuse making candy?! This sweet rainbow experiment is guaranteed to be a winner.

Fizzy Rainbow Science (via Fun a Day) This fizzy and foamy colorful experiment is also a fun sensory activity for little ones to dip their hands into.

Rainbow Crystals (via hello, Wonderful) Learn how to make these gorgeous rainbow crystals with just two ingredients!

Check out more vibrant rainbow projects here !

Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.

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Grow a Rainbow Experiment

Want to grow your own rainbow? Try this simple science experiment! You only need paper towel, water and washable markers. Kids will love to see their rainbow “grow” in this easy activity!

RELATED: Surprise Rainbow Activities 

You will love seeing the rainbow come together in this simple science experiment! You can even do different patterns and colors too.

Grow a Rainbow Experiment for Kids

Here is what you will need for this activity:  

• Paper Towel
• Washable Markers
• 2 Small Glasses

Watch the Full Video Tutorial Here

What is the science behind this experiment.

This science experiment is a great example of chromatography. Chromatography is a way of separating out a mixture of chemicals. If you ever got a paper with ink wet you would have seen the ink move across the page in streaks.

Capillary action makes the marker dye move up the paper towel.  The water moves upward through the paper towel, lifting the washable dye molecules with it. Because the washable markers are water based, they disperse in water.

Set up a few different scenarios and hypotheses. For example, if you were to try this experiment without any dye, you would still see the water rising upwards towards the center of the paper towel.

If you were try this experiment with permanent markers it would not work. This is because the markers are not water based (they are alcohol based) so the dye in the marker does not travel with the water. You can also show that permanent markers will disperse with rubbing alcohol but not with water.

• You need absorbent paper towel or napkin – we used the brand Bounty
• You must use washable markers – make sure to check it’s washable as not all Crayola brands are washable
• Do not place the end of the paper towel too deep into the water or the dye will dissolve into the water instead of traveling up the paper towel
• The shorter the paper towel – the better it works as there is less for the marker dye to have to travel across
• Add lots of marker to the ends.  You need lots of dye for it to travel upwards.

Growing Rainbow Experiment Instructions

1. Fold over a piece of paper towel (so you have 2 pieces on top of each other). Trim the length to be 7.5 inches (any longer and the rainbow may not connect fully).

TIP : The shorter your piece of paper towel, the better it will connect. Also make sure you are using an absorbent paper towel. We used Bounty.

2. Draw rectangles of the rainbow colors on each end.

You want to make sure to fill these colors in well so there is enough dye to travel across the paper towel.

TIP: Add lots of marker to the ends, you want a good amount of dye to travel up the paper towel.

3. Place 2 cups with water filled 3/4 full. You only want the bottom of the paper towel in so leave some space from the top of the cup.

Then place the paper towel into the cups, with one end in each cup.

TIP: Do not place the ends too deep in the water or the dye may dissolve into the water instead of moving up the paper towel.

4. The washable marker dye with slowly make it’s way up with the water to meet the other side in the center of the paper towel.

5. Leave the paper towel for 10-15 minutes and it will eventually connect the colors together.

We love how simple this science experiment is! Expand on the learning by testing with permanent markers or just water to see what happens in those scenarios.

More Rainbow Activities

Your kids will also love to try these surprise rainbow activities !

See this fun rainbow slime. Kids will love building a rainbow out of slime!

Make some rainbow playdough! This playdough recipe is super soft and lasts for months!

For another fun rainbow activity, this rainbow rice is our favorite sensory bin!

Related Ideas:

Cloud Dough

The BEST Playdough Recipe

50+ Christmas Crafts for Kids

Salt Dough Recipe

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8 comments on “grow a rainbow experiment”.

Me and my neighbors did the rainbow paper towel one and had lots of fun!

Hi can you pre color the paper towel? And do the experiment another day? We want to do it for a party and have it pre colored so all the kids have to do is dip it in water. 

Yes that should still work!

I love it. Thanks. I’m doing this as a virtual library lesson for a 25 minute class. If anyone is pressed for time like me it actually works faster with an unfolded cheap paper towel <5 minutes.

BEST experiment crafts I have seen in a long while. I hunt down ideas for my grandchildren when they come to visit and these are all on point and they will love them Thanks. I will use all of them (except the rice) . GREAT ideas.

Thanks so much Lee!

What is the purpose of folding the paper towel in half (step 1)?

We found that the colors moved across the paper better when there are 2 layers.

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Preschool Inspirations

Preschool Activities and Learning

Super Fun Rainbow Science Activities Just For Kids

March 8, 2018 by Editor Leave a Comment

Rainbows are one of my favorite parts of Spring. It usually means that the sun is shining and I’m always happy with that. Even though it usually means it is raining as well, but I’ll take the sunshine when I can get it! Incorporating rainbows in science activities is not only fun but super easy. These Rainbow Science activities are perfect for the classroom or at home. Most of them don’t require much prep but all of them will have kids smiling in science giddiness!

Rainbow Science Activities

Finally a rainbow discovery bottle that the colors don’t run together! I’ve been trying and experimenting for a while now and finally figured it out! It’s not quite liquid and not solid either. It’s a perfect combination of awesomeness! Want to make one of your own? The full tutorial is here .

We’ve all done baking soda and vinegar experiments, right? This  Baking Soda & Vinegar Reaction  though is the most colorful I have seen and I can just imagine how excited kids will be to see the rainbow foam explosions!

Oil and water make science experiments super easy and fun. This  Rainbow Jar  is extra fun, not only because of the colors, but it is mesmerizing how the colors stack up on top of each other!

These candies are fun to eat but even more fun to play with. This  Skittle Rainbow  is beyond the best candy experiment I have seen. I could watch this for hours!

Chromatography is a fun way to incorporate science and art together. These  Rainbow Filters  are fun to create but then also fun to create with!

Did you know that dish soap can do magical things? This  Magic Rainbow Milk  is purely magical. The colors move seemingly on their own, but are they moving on their own?

When science and sensory connect, it is always a great activity. This  Scented Rainbow Science  is perfect for sensory seekers! Plus, adding the scent is probably the easiest part!

This  Exploding Rainbow  is exciting to create and even more exciting to watch. Kids will enjoy these hands-on mini ‘explosion’. Even if we know it is only a simple reaction, kids will love to pretend their rainbows are exploding!

There is something incredibly fun about swirling your hand around in a big bowl of soap foam! This  Rainbow Foam Bubbles  activity is not only a fun sensory activity but also helps teach about color mixing as well.

Rainbows are pretty but  Giant Crystal Rainbows  are even more beautiful. Kids will enjoy watching the crystals grow on their rainbow! It may take a day but the magic of the crystallizing process will not be lost!

This  Fizzy Rainbow Slush  takes baking soda and vinegar to a whole new level. Plus if it is hot outside, you can place this slush in the fridge for a while and the kids can play in cold slush!

This  Rainbow Sugar Water Density  shows that adding sugar to colored water can help the colors separate instead of mixing together, which is excellent for younger children. This is also a fantastic way to introduce or teach about density for older children!

Pumpkin Seeds are not only for fall. These  Pumpkin Seed Discovery Bottles  are rainbow all the way and is a go-to activity for any time of the year!

Do your kids love playing with ice? And melting ice with hot water? This  Rainbow Ice Tower  is filled with colorful items frozen into a tower and the excitement is getting them out! I can see kids being occupied for quite a while with this one!

Science these days is not complete without slime and this  Rainbow Slime  is a MUST. It is absolutely beautiful how the colors connect but don’t mold together. This recipe is anything but icky!

Just like with the skittles experiment above, this  M&M Rainbows  is mesmerizing! It is incredible how candy can taste AND look so beautiful!

I love how this  Erupting Rainbow  comes out of little test tubes. Kids will feel like real scientists even though this experiment is incredibly simple!

This twisted rainbow is sparkly in all the right ways. Kids will enjoy creating this  Salt Crystal Rainbow  and displaying it all Spring long!

Sometimes science is simple and other times it is purely magical. The art that this  Rainbow Paper  experiment can make is fantastic! This would be beautiful to put on the front of cards or notes!

This  Walking Rainbow  experiment has me screaming HOW in my head. I want to explore this experiment because it just looks unreal. Science is so fascinating and this is one of those worldly mysteries that would be fun to solve!

This  Ice & Salt Rainbow  actually creates craters. As pretty as it is, it can do crazy things when combined together. This would be a fun science activity to add to a small world play with dinosaurs or superheroes!

This  Rainbow Colored Ants  activity is purely fascinating. This would be a fun lesson to teach for either a bug unit or even Spring. Super interesting!

Rainbows are beautiful in the sky and can create magic in the real world. These Rainbow Science activities are a close second to being magical in the real world. Whether you are teaching a spring unit, teaching about the weather or just wanting some fun colorful activities – these science activities are sure to please!

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Walking Water Rainbow Science Experiment

Let’s make a walking water rainbow! There’s no better way for little scientists to learn about capillary action and color mixing than by making water walk (yes – walk!) in this colorful rainbow science experiment. This science experiment is a favorite of ours because it’s so easy to set up and the results are almost immediate.

Check out the simple step-by-step below and then gra b 30 more jaw-dropping (but easy prep!) science experiments kids will love from our shop!

Getting Ready

To prep, I gathered our supplies:

• 6 wide-mouth glasses or jars
• Paper towels (use the kind where you can select a size)
• Food dye or liquid water colors (red, yellow, and blue)

I grabbed the six small glasses first .  We’ve had success using wide-mouth drinking cups and canning jars, too.  Even though they all worked, just remember that bigger glasses will need more food coloring.

I ripped off six sheets of paper towel and folded each sheet in thirds, lengthwise.

We were using pretty small glasses, so I cut a few inches off the folded paper towel so it would fit in the glasses.

It’s a good idea to test your paper towel strip to make sure they fit properly in your glasses.  They should be able to go from the bottom of one jar to the next without sticking up in the air too much. The paper towel on the left shows the just-right height.  It’s important to set up this rainbow science experiment for success!

Making a Rainbow

This colorful rainbow science experiment is so simple and quick, it’s perfect for even the youngest little scientists.  My 3 year old, Q, couldn’t wait to get started.

First, I had him line up the glasses and fill the first one with a good squirt of red watercolor , the third with yellow, and the fifth glass with blue.  We left the other glasses empty.

Next, I helped Q add water to the glasses with color until the colored water almost reached the top.

We moved the glasses into a circle and added the paper towels .  Starting with the red, we added one end of the paper towel and then put the other end in the empty glass next to it.

We continued around until the last paper towel was placed into the red glass.

We saw the color wick up the paper towel right away.  This rainbow science experiment doesn’t take long to get going!

After another several minutes, the colored water had almost travelled the whole length of each paper towel.

Five minutes later, the water had traveled all the way up and then down the paper towel and was dripping into the empty glass.

The yellow and red water dripped into the empty cup to make orange!  It made for a good lesson on color mixing.

After another five minutes, we could see the water level had dropped in the red, yellow, and blue glasses and rose in the once empty glasses as the water continued to travel from the more full glasses to the less full glasses.

We grabbed a snack and watched our beautiful rainbow science experiment during the next 20 minutes. The water continued to walk from the primary colored glasses to fill the secondary-colored glasses until all the jars were filled equally.

Not Working?

If you aren’t seeing much movement within a few minutes, it may be that you need to add more water to your colored water glasses.  It really needs to be almost at the top for the water to walk quickly.  So try topping off those glasses and seeing if that gets things moving.

If you see the water moving up the paper towel but it seems like it’s taking forever , it may be the type of paper towel you are using.  You want a paper towel that will really hold a lot of water.  We have used Bounty Select-a-Size and Target’s Up and Up Brand Select-a-Size with success.

It really is worth the extra effort of trying different cups and paper towels to get this activity to work.  And once you have had success, don’t throw out those beautifully-colored paper towels or the colored water!  We gently squeezed out our paper towels and let them dry in a heap on a baking sheet.  We ended up with gorgeous tie-dyed looking paper towels to use for crafts and we used the leftover water as watercolors for painting with later.

The Science Behind It

This rainbow science experiment is as magic as the science behind it.  The colored water travels up the paper towel by a process called capillary action . Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow upward, against gravity, in narrow spaces.  This is the same thing that helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves in the tree tops.

Paper towels, and all paper products, are made from fibers found in plants called cellulose .  In this demonstration, the water flowed upwards through the tiny gaps between the cellulose fibers.  The gaps in the towel acted like capillary tubes, pulling the water upwards.

The water is able to defy gravity as it travels upward due to the attractive forces between the water and the cellulose fibers.

The water molecules tend to cling to the cellulose fibers in the paper towel.  This is called adhesion .

The water molecules are also attracted to each other and stick close together, a process called cohesion .  So, as the water slowly moves up the tiny gaps in the paper towel fibers, the cohesive forces help to draw more water upwards.

At some point, the adhesive forces between the water and cellulose and the cohesive forces between the water molecules will be overcome by the gravitational forces on the weight of the water in the paper towel.  

When that happens, the water will not travel up the paper towel anymore. That is why it helps to shorten the length that colored water has to travel by making sure your paper towel isn’t too tall and making sure you fill your colored liquid to the top of the glass.

Rainbow Science Activity Extensions

Turn this demonstration into a true experiment by varying the water level (volume) you start with and seeing how long it takes the water to reach the empty glass.

Or start with the same volume of colored water and change the brand, type (single vs double ply, quilted vs not) or length of paper towel to see how long it takes for the water to “walk” to the empty glass.

You could even use the same volume of water, same length and brand of paper towel but vary the height of the filled glass , by raising them up on books, to see how that affects the speed of the water as it “walks” to the empty glass.

Have you had enough fun with the paper towels?  Try using other paper products to see how the type of paper effects the results.  Try toilet paper, printer paper, newspaper or a page from a glossy magazine.  What do you predict will happen?

Grab a Record Sheet

Help kids keep track of their results by grabbing our free record sheet! Then grab 30 more jaw-dropping (but easy prep!) science experiments kids will love from our shop!

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How To Make A Rainbow With A Prism

Rainbow Activities for Kids

How to make a rainbow, free printable rainbow activities guide and stem cards.

Fun Ways to Make Rainbows

You will need:.

• Colored Pencils
• Prism or Crystal
• Water and Cup
• White Paper

1. CD AND FLASHLIGHT

2. RAINBOW PRISM

3. RAINBOW STEAM (SCIENCE + ART)

4. CRYSTAL AND CD RAINBOW

5. FLASHLIGHT, CUP OF WATER AND PAPER

6. EXPLORE LIGHT SCIENCE

More Fun Light Activities

Science resources to get you started.

• Scientific Method For Kids
• What Is A Scientist
• Science Terms
• Best Science and Engineering Practices
• Jr. Scientist Challenge Calendar (Free)
• Science Books for Kids
• Must Have Science Tools
• Easy Kids Science Experiments

Printable Science Projects For Kids

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

Thankyou for such easy ideas to explore rainbows

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~ projects to try now ~.

Science Fun

Walking Rainbow Color Science Experiment

In this fun and easy science experiment, we’re going to explore and investigate colors by creating a walking rainbow. This classic experiment is awesome, bright colored, and packed with amazing science!

• Several colors of food coloring
• 3 clear plastic cups or glasses of the same size
• Paper towels

Instructions:

• Select the colors you would like to incorporate into the Walking Rainbow Water experiment.
• Fill up a plastic cup or glass with a few drops of food coloring. Fill the rest of the cup about halfway full with room temperature water.
• Now replicate this step but use a new unique color. You need to have an extra empty glass of the exact same size for the water to walk into.
• Cut a paper towel in half and after that fold it into quarters lengthwise.
• Put one end of the paper towel into the colored water and another end into the empty jar. Now use the other halved and folded piece of paper towel by placing one end in the other cup of colored water and its opposite end into the empty cup.
• Wait for the science to take place! You should soon see both colored waters climbing the paper towels and joining in the empty cup.

EXPLORE AWESOME SCIENCE EXPERIMENT VIDEOS!

How it Works:

Because of capillary action, the water flows or “walks” up and over the paper towels right into the empty cup. The empty cup fills up with water until the water levels of every one of the cups are equal. The original colors will mix creating a new color. 

Make This A Science Project:

Try different colors. Try expanding the experiment with more cups or jars of colored water and additional empty vessels to see how far you can make the water walk. Try different types of paper. Try substituting water with vinegar. Try and adding salt to the water. Try very cold water. 

EXPLORE TONS OF FUN AND EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS!

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Awesome Rainbow Science Experiments for Kids

Rainbows are so much fun! They are even more fun to experiment with! That’s why I’ve gathered up some must-try awesome rainbow science experiments for kids!

Whether its mixing colors, making colors, or just using colors to demonstrate an idea, rainbows make science a whole lot more colorful!

10 Awesome Rainbow Science Experiments for Kids

Rainbow Reactions are a great way to explore chemical changes and test hypothesis!

Test and learn about density with this  Rainbow in a Jar .

These   rainbow eruptions are perfect for any age!

This might be one of the simplest demonstrations of how to make a rainbow , but still so awesome!

I have always been fascinated by this experiment using rainbows to feed ants . You have to check it out!

Have you seen these rainbow crystals ? So cool I had to include the video for it!

Want to experiment with color mixing, try setting up a simple color laboratory !

Let your kids experiment with chromatography with this simple rainbow filter !

Have you ever made crystals? What about an entire crystal rainbow ?

Get your toddler involved with this simple rainbow and milk experiment !

For more rainbow fun, be sure to check out these awesome Rainbow Learning Activity and Snacks over at Melissa & Doug!

Do you have a favorite rainbow experiment? I would love to hear all about it!  You can share them on   Facebook ,  Twitter ,  Google+ ,  Pinterest ,  Instagram  or  subscribe by email  in the sidebar.

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These are amazing

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Can I just use lemon juice for the rainbow eruptions rather than lemon juice and citric acid?

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Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment for Kids

This walking water science experiment is so much fun and super easy to do! My kids absolutely loved it! It even comes with free printable recording sheets for kids as young as preschool! Check out the video to see how easy this walking water experiment really is. This rainbow activity is perfect for spring science!

Walking Water Science Experiment

Ok, this might just be our favorite science experiment! The whole family (adults included) were completely mesmerized with process. We all couldn’t believe how quickly the water traveled up the paper towel and neat it was to watch the colors mix together.

We have wanted to try it out for a long time now and I am kicking myself for waiting so long. I don’t know why, but I thought it might be difficult to do or take a long time. I was way wrong. It was very easy and we started seeing results right away!

Related: Simple Spring Science and STEAM Activities

The walking water science experiment is great at any time of the year, but it is especially perfect for spring. I love doing rainbow activities in the spring, so this was a great addition to our rainbow theme activities.

If you are looking for simple science to do with the kids and something that will really WOW them, this is definitely one to try.

You only need a few simple supplies that you probably already have around the house.

Setting Up the Rainbow Science Experiment

Supplies Needed:

• Printable walking water recording sheets (button to download at the bottom of the post)
• Small plastic cups or glasses
• Paper towels (*read my tips below for picking the right ones)
• Food coloring in primary colors

* The pick-a-size paper towels are best because then you just use half sheets for each cup. If you only have full sheets, then cut them in half. I’ve also heard that more absorbent paper towels work better too. I buy the cheap store brand ones, and our water moved pretty quickly from cup to cup, so I am not sure how important that is. It may have went quicker with something more absorbent though.

1. Print out the recording sheets and make copies, if needed.

2. Place 7 cups in a row and pour water in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th cup. My cups were about 3/4 full. I have since heard that fuller is better.

3. Add 5 drops of red food coloring to the 1st cup and the 7th cup.

4. Add 5 drops of yellow food coloring to the 3rd cup.

5. Add 5 drops of blue food coloring to the 5th cup.

Doing the Walking Water Experiment

You want to try to use the same amount of food coloring in each cup. When I did this with my kids they did drop an extra one or two in since they can’t control it well, but I just added a drop or two more to the others to even it out.

6. Take a half sheet of paper towel and fold it in half lengthwise and in half again lengthwise.

7. Trim off some of the length so that there isn’t too much excess paper towel that will stick up in the air between each cup. This will make the water walk more quickly.

8. Place one half of a rolled paper towel in the 1st cup and place the other half in the cup next to it. Then another paper towel from 2nd cup and into the 3rd cup. This continues until you have placed the last paper towel that drapes over from the 6th cup to the 7th cup.

9. Stare at the cups and watch what starts happening. You should quickly be able to see the colored water begin to crawl up the paper towel.

10. Don’t forget to do the first part of the recording sheet. Students will predict what they think will happen.

This walking water experiment is AWESOME!

Keep checking back every couple of minutes. Soon you will be able to see that the water has crawled all the way up the paper towel and is beginning to walk back down into the empty cup next to it.

Since the cup on either side of an empty cup has colored water in it, the two colors begin to mix in the empty cup. So cool!

Keep coming back throughout the two hours or soon and observe what is happening.

Question to Ask

What do you think will happen to the water?

What is happening now?

Why do you think the colors are changing?

Why might the water be able to move up against gravity like that?

How this Science Experiment Works

The water moves up the paper towels through a process called capillary action. The paper towel is made from fibers and the water is able to travel through the gaps in the fibers. The gaps in the paper towel act like capillary tubes and pull the water upward. This is what helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves at the top of the plant or tree.

The water is able to move upward against gravity because of the attractive forces between the water and the fibers in the paper towel.

I even removed one of the red cups and made a color wheel so I could introduce the kids to that as well.

I hope your kids have a great time with this super cool walking water science experiment!

Other Cool Science Experiments for Kids

This rainbow  Walking Water Science Experiment  is one of our most popular science activities!

Try this super simple  Oobleck recipe  that only requires two household ingredients!

This  rainbow skittles experiment  is sure to WOW the kids!

You can also make a rainbow of flowers with this super cool  color changing flowers experiment !

This pepper and soap experiment is very simple to do, but always engages the kids!

Did you know you can put paper under water and it will stay dry? Give it a try with this keep paper dry under water experiment . The kids love this cool trick!

Explore Newton’s color wheel while making colors disappear with this totally awesome science activity!

Explore chromatogography with this super fun STEAM activity that combines science and art!

This  rain cloud jar science experiment  give children a chance to explore clouds and rain in a hands-on and engaging way

The kids will get a kick out of this super cool  dancing raisins science experiment !

Check out these other science experiments and activities for kids.

This lava lamp science experiment is always a hit with the kids!

If you haven’t tried this magic milk science activity , you have to! It is so awesome and super easy to do.

This leak proof bag science experiment will make your kids jaw drop! It’s hard to believe, but it works.

Science at Home for Kids

Easy and fun science experiments using household items! Follow us on Instagram @scienceathomekids for more cool science!

Rainbow Rain

This rainbow experiment is so cool, and I hope it will blow your minds as much as it did mine. Watching the bursts of color fall through the water is so mesmerizing, and I would watch it all day if I could. I hope you enjoy this experiment!

What you need:

• Food coloring

• Pour the oil into a bowl and add your favorite colors of food coloring.

• Using the spoon, stir together all the droplets of food coloring. Make sure to do the next step quickly so the droplets do not start combining to form one big, black blob of food coloring.

• Fill the jar with water.

• Pour the oil and food coloring into the jar. Wait a couple seconds, and then watch your rainbow rain fall throughout the jar!

What caused this rainbow rain?

Water and oil cannot mix because water is polar while oil is not. Food coloring is water based, which means it is made with water. When you pour the food coloring into the oil, it cannot mix with the oil. When you pour the food coloring and oil into the water, the food coloring separates from the oil and mixes with the water.

Really enjoyed this article, can you make it so I get an alert email when you write a new article?

Wonderful post, very informative! I wonder why I haven’t noticed this website before. You should continue your writing. I’m sure, you’ve a great readers’ base already!

Good post! I always love trying out your posts with my children. We always have a blast!

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AWESOME Rainbow Experiments With Kids

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Making rainbows with kids is SO much fun!  I want to show you some awesome rainbow experiments you can do with kids. Rainbow science is amazing and kids love it.

This post is part of the Weekly Virtual Book Club for Kids. This week’s book is  A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman. It is a darling book about a little boy trying to find a rainbow outside and the imaginary adventures he has with the rainbow!  My kids and I loved this book! These rainbow experiments that we did go perfectly with the book. ( See also my Rainbow Science With Absorption post!)

The first rainbow experiment is SO easy and can be done with just an old CD.  I am sure you have some of those lying around… On a sunny day get the sun to reflect right onto the CD and it will reflect a rainbow onto your wall or wherever you shine it. You could hold it and let your kids draw the rainbow too! (If you are patient…)

The next one is another super simple experiment with rainbows. It’s similar to the CD, but with a glass of water. The sun shines through the water and casts a rainbow below the glass. You can also do this with prisms. We love ours!

The next two require some supplies you likely do not have on hand, but they are fun enough to look into if you are wanting something new and different.

Remember those rainbow flare glasses that you had as a kid?  We got some of the special plastic they use and made our own. It is called Diffraction Grating (double axis) . You can find it on science supply websites or on Amazon. It’s not the most cost efficient, but you can find the little glasses in bulk for quite cheap.  The picture below is the full sheet.

I made a pair of glasses with it for my kids, though. It could also be really cool in a homemade kaleidoscope.

This last one uses polarizing film sheets. This stuff is SO cool. I have another project I will be doing with it soon, too!

To do this last rainbow experiment you will need Polarizing film sheets , clear shiny tape, and a sheet protector (glossy, not matte).  Tape several pieces of tape onto the sheet protector, overlapping several times. Attach one piece of polarizing sheet over the tape. Hold it up to the window and place the second polarizing sheet on the opposite side of the sheet protector. Turn it and watch the rainbow of colors change. It’s quite amazing!

See it in action!  Isn’t it amazing?!

How Does Rainbow Polarized Light Experiment Work?

Light waves move app and down and side to side. The polarized film sheets only let light through that is moving in one direction, so when you turn it you see different colors and waves of light shining through.

See my other rainbow posts:

• Rainbow Science  Absorption
• Jumbo Rainbow Collage 
• Rainbow Woven Lanterns
• Q-Tip Rainbow Painting
• Rainbow Weaving
• Rainbow Stained Glass Window
• Roll a Rainbow- Math Game
• Rainbow Icosahedron Balls

Want even more rainbow ideas? See what the other Virtual Book Club hosts have shared:

• Rainbow Alphabet Activity – Growing Book by Book
• Rainbow Name Craft for Kids – Toddler Approved
• 5 Math Games using Painted Rainbow Counters – The Educators’ Spin On It
• How to make rainbow spaghetti – Sensory play for kids -Messy Little Monster
• Find the Unicorn Rainbow Sensory Bin – Inspiration Laboratories
• Taste Safe Rainbow Sensory Play – Adventures and Play
• Preschool Color Activities – Roll and Cover Rainbow
• Construction Paper Rainbow Craft – The Moments at Home
• Mixing Colors to Make a Rainbow – Mama Smiles
• CVC Word Family Rainbow Puzzles – Sea of Knowledge
• Rainbow Words – Rainy Day Mum
• Rainbow Preschool Music Craft & Song – Preschool Powol Packets
• Rainbow Fine Motor Activity – Clare’s Little Tots
• Visual Motor Letter Rainbow – The OT Toolbox

Former school teacher turned homeschool mom of 4 kids. Loves creating awesome hands-on creative learning ideas to make learning engaging and memorable for all kids!

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Rainbow Rain Science Experiment

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Today’s lesson is all about having fun with Earth Science!

The Rainbow Rain experiment is a fun, colorful Earth Science experiment that shows the water cycle and how rain is formed. Many, if not all supplies needed for this experiment can be found at home, making it an easy and fun way to teach your child Earth Science.

The next time you see rain in the forecast, be sure to refer back to this experiment and watch the clouds fill up with water!

How to make the Rainbow Rain experiment

Supplies you will need.

For the Rainbow Rain experiment, you’ll need:

• Wide, clear container (vase, jar, wider mouth cup)
• Foam shaving cream

Before you start

If you’re allowing your child to handle water, it’s best to put a towel under your experiment.

Instructions

Here is how to do the Rainbow Rain experiment:

Step 1: Add water to your larger container

We filled our container about 3/4 of the way full to leave enough space for the shaving cream in the next step.

You’ll want to add enough water that you are able to clearly see as the colors start to fall through the shaving cream and into the water.

Step 2: Add the shaving cream on top of the water in large container

Give your shaving cream a good shake and start adding it on top of the water in your large container.

Try not to create an overly thick layer of shaving cream. The thicker the layer, the longer it will take to see the results (and you may have to end up adding more rainbow water). A good 1-1.5″ thick layer of shaving cream should do the trick.

Since I prefer it to be uniform on top for when we add our colors, I took a spoon and gently evened out the top of the shaving cream with it. You don’t have to do this; it was just my type A personality kicking in!

Step 3: Create your rainbow colors

This part is fun and a good lesson inside a lesson to talk about colors with your child.

Using 7 of these small mason jars, we used a picture of a rainbow to talk through all of the colors of the rainbow. My toddler got to add water to each mason jar and I added the food coloring.

We talked through the colors that came with our food color kit (red, blue, yellow, and green) and how to make the other colors of the rainbow with what we had! We do this sometimes with her MagnaTiles (combining colors), but she’s never seen it in action like this.

Here are the color combinations using a standard box of food colors:

• Red : comes in a food color box
• Orange : 1 red drop + 1 yellow drop
• Yellow : comes in a food color box
• Green : comes in a food color box
• Blue : comes in a food color box
• Indigo : 2 blue drops + 1 red drop
• Violet : 1 blue drop + 1 red drop

Step 4: Add rainbow colors to the shaving cream

For this step, we had one pipette for every color to ensure we did not mix any colors together.

If you do not have pipettes, you can carefully pour the colors onto your shaving cream for the same effect.

My preschooler was able to add the colors to the rainbow with a little bit of assistance from me. She squeezed the bulb while I held the pipette and helped direct the flow.

Step 5: Watch it rain rainbows!

Depending on how thick your shaving cream is and how much rainbow color water you added, you’ll start to see rainbow rain falling in just a few minutes.

If you enjoyed this experiment, check out how to make a cloud in a jar , or even make your own ocean wave !

The science behind the Rainbow Rain experiment

The Rainbow Rain experiment is a great experiment to learn about meteorology and the water cycle!

For the parent

In this experiment, we are essentially creating a version of the water cycle to make rain.

The water in the wide container represents the atmosphere that we live and breathe in. The shaving cream represents a cloud we can see in the sky.

Here’s a good explanation of what is happening from NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement:

Water molecules are heated by the sun and turn into water vapor that rises into the air through a process called evaporation. Next, the water vapor cools and forms clouds, through condensation. Over time, the clouds become heavy because those cooled water particles have turned into water droplets. When the clouds become extremely heavy with water droplets, the water falls back to earth through precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail, etc). The process continues in a cyclical manner. https://gpm.nasa.gov/resources/faq/how-does-water-cycle-work

Using our rainbow water colors, we are skipping ahead in the water cycle to create the water droplets in the cloud prior to precipitation.

Once our shaving cream cloud becomes too saturated with our rainbow water, we start to see rainbow rain!

For the child

The Rainbow Rain experiment is all about seeing how the rain forms inside of clouds .

When the sun heats up the ground and bodies of water, it causes the water to evaporate, or create tiny particles of water that rise into the sky. These tiny particles of water make their way up to where you see clouds.

Once the water travels up to where clouds form, those tiny particles of water condense into the clouds we can see .

As the clouds fill up with more and more tiny particles of water, they become so heavy that the cloud cannot hold the water anymore.

When that happens, it starts to rain!

FAQ about the Rainbow Rain Experiment

How much shaving cream should i add to my container.

One thing to keep in mind when adding the shaving cream to your container is that, the thicker the layer of shaving cream, the longer it will take to see the results.

We added about 1-1.5″ of shaving cream to our container.

How can I get my toddler involved in the Rainbow Rain experiment?

There are lots of ways! Here are a few that we did:

Let your toddler add the water and mix the colors for each rainbow color

Little ones LOVE pouring into containers!

I used a small containerthat had a spout on it that she could hold with one hand and let her pour into each small mason jar.

Let your toddler use a pipette to add the rainbow colors to the cloud

Pipettes are optional, but almost essential if you want your little one to get involved with adding the colors to your cloud.

I let her squeeze the bulb and gather the colored water into the pipette. Once she was ready to add the color to the cloud, I gently guided the pipette as she squeezed the water out.

To see the experiment from start to finish, check out our video for the Rainbow Rain experiment:

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Rainbow Rain – Rain Cloud in a Jar

Sometimes you need a simple activity, that teaches some fundamental science principles, while also being absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. This is that activity! Rainbow Rain also known as Shaving Cream Rain Cloud or Rain Clouds in a Jar, is a simple demonstration that will add some gorgeous colour and WOW factor to your weather science lessons.

Shaving Cream Rain Clouds Simple Science Experiment

What you will discover in this article!

Disclaimer: This article may contain commission or affiliate links. As an Amazon Influencer I earn from qualifying purchases. Not seeing our videos? Turn off any adblockers to ensure our video feed can be seen. Or visit our YouTube channel to see if the video has been uploaded there. We are slowly uploading our archives. Thanks!

In this activity we are learning about the weather and why it rains. Fundamental concepts but with a gorgeous, colourful, rainbow twist.

Rainbow activities are always fun as they make boring activities vibrant and exciting. So with this activity we could have stuck with a simple blue rain, but we wanted more excitement!

Plus this activity leads to a lot of different investigations and critical thinking if you let kids explore their curiosity, ask questions, and create their own variations of this activity to see what happens.

This is some of the most powerful learning for kids, because it fosters a love of learning.

Rainbow Shaving Cloud Supplies

For this activity you need:

A wide mouth jar, cup, vase or container. You can also do this in a series of cups, one for each colour. The only requirement is that the containers are clear so you can see what is happening.

Food Colouring – Water based in the squeezeable droppers is easiest, but you can adapt to any type. See our variation of this activity below for one twist!

Shaving Cream

Start by filling your container about about 3/4 full with water.

Add shaving cream at the top to create the cloud.

Now add the food colouring by dropping it onto your cloud.

Watch for your rainbow rain to start falling as your clouds fill with liquid.

Shaving Cream Rain Cloud Science

Clouds are formed from water vapour that forms into droplets in the sky. These droplets gather together, until they become so heavy that they fall down to the Earth as rain (or snow if it’s cold).

The rain falls due to gravity and is part of the water cycle .

In this experiment our rain is the the food colouring which is a water based. As we add it to our shaving cream cloud, the cloud swells with liquid just like a cloud until it becomes so heavy it falls into our water below.

There is a second scientific phenomenon we can witness as our colourful rain mixes with our water, it is called diffusion. You can learn more about diffusion here .

Cloud in a Jar Extensions

Like any great experiment, we want our kids to ask questions, to wonder, and to come up with new theories and experiments they can do to test their theories. This is part of the Scientific Method .

With our experiment we discussed different options like how water temperature might affect our results . But the thing that peaked our curiosity was the fact that water concentration in the clouds is what causes rain, so what if we increased the amount of water by diluting our food colouring?

Dig deeper! Make a Cloud in a Jar with water vapours, just like real clouds in these easy experiments .

Rainbow Rain Experiment 2

For this rain cloud variation we needed some additional glasses to mix up our food colouring with water. We also needed a way to add the colourful mixtures to our clouds. We decided on a syringe, but a pipette or even a spoon would have worked.

Then we conducted our experiment the same way we did but this time with our diluted food colouring mixes.

The results were similar but we did notice that the shaving cream cloud got much heavier and darker before releasing our colours.

Such a cool result!

This simple experiment is so much fun and a great way to foster curiosity and fun with science. If you enjoyed this experiment you might want to try one of these simple science experiments for kids.

Happy Experimenting!

5 Days of Smart STEM Ideas for Kids

Get started in STEM with easy, engaging activities.

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Maggie Beer set out to revamp the food served in aged care homes and the results are in

Ask Thelma what she loves best about the aged care residence she calls home, and she'll say it's the made-to-order toasties.

"You order a toastie and they give you a toasted ham and cheese. It's the best thing they've done," says the 89-year-old.

The new addition to the menu is one of several changes introduced as part of a recent social experiment at a Meath Care residence in Perth, Western Australia.

89-year-old Marion, a fellow resident and friend with 16 grandchildren, agrees.

"We love them," she says.

Marion and Thelma are seen in ABC iview's Maggie Beer's Big Mission, as the food icon and her team of experts work to improve the quality and food experiences of people living in aged care.

Over four months, the meals and dining experience at the Meath Care home were transformed — dining rooms received a makeover, menus were reinvigorated, and a kitchen garden was planted.

"People in aged care homes today are a resilient generation who have lived through world wars and the [Great] Depression," Maggie recently wrote for the ABC.

"I believe they deserve to enjoy fresh food full of flavour and goodness."

From toasties to breakfast buffets

Mark Fung has worked as a carer for Meath Care for nine years.

While it's emotionally draining work, especially when a resident passes away, Mark describes it as a job that is great for his mental health.

"I don't know what it does, but I just enjoy it so much."

According to Mark, Maggie's work has made the dishes on the menu more colourful and fragrant. 

But he sees the introduction of a breakfast buffet as having the biggest impact.

"It's really nice looking and that's important for people's appetite as they generally don't have an appetite when they get to this age, so that really encourages people to eat," he says.

"Having a choice is important. It empowers people …"

Merle, a fellow resident, shares this sentiment.

"When you have your choice taken away from you when you move into an institution like this, it's a bit galling," she says.

For Marion, the benefits of being able to serve yourself are two-fold.

"You can get exactly what you want, as much or as little as you want, and then there's less wastage," she says.

For Maggie, Merle and Marion's experience was a compelling reason for introducing the buffet breakfast and she hopes they "remember the joy of choice".

Another popular change, according to Mark, has been the redesign of the dining rooms – splitting the space into two, to create a peaceful dining experience.

"It's less frenetic," he says.

Marion, meanwhile, enjoys the addition of tablecloths and napkins on every table.

"I love the colours and we've changed the tablecloths – blue and burgundy," she says. 

Revamped food experience

Executive chef Sasanka Peiris, who goes by Sas, left his home in Sri Lanka for Australia almost 17 years ago and has worked in aged care kitchens ever since.

"At the end of the day, when I see the residents happy, it's a great pleasure," he says.

"I'm always happy to tell the world where I work and what I do because I have so much pride in being an aged care chef. We create beautiful meals."

The addition of an extra kitchen hand, to help with the cooking, has had the biggest impact for Sas, who throughout the series was seen struggling to keep on top of training staff, running a kitchen and admin across two sites.

"I've also got a lot more administration help. For ten years, when I would go on holidays, I would still have to do the ordering.

"It's good to have someone come and help me do that."

The essential role played by skilled kitchen staff is not lost on Maggie. 

"Supporting the kitchen and dining teams to learn new techniques and skills in what is perhaps the most important, worthwhile, and complex hospitality role in Australia," she says.

"Especially because it is also the only one for which there is no accredited training anywhere in Australia."

Sas says spending time with someone as knowledgeable as Maggie has been valuable.

"I'm only 38, Maggie is almost 80 years old – I can learn from her. And I believe you can learn every single day," he says.

Did Maggie Beer's experiment work?

The 2019 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety revealed some confronting truths about Australia's aged care system.

The final report, released in 2021, found substandard food to be common, with the quality of aged care menus coming down to what the facility pays per resident, which in some cases is as little as $7 per person.

In a submission to the royal commission, Maggie Beer described how during her work with her foundation, she found meals in aged care homes were often prepared with little regard to presentation, aroma or nutrition.

"You cannot make good food with bad ingredients," she said.

The royal commission also highlighted studies that revealed as many as 68 per cent of people receiving residential aged care were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

These findings were reflected in baseline health data collected from Meath Care by the School of Health Sciences at the University of Tasmania, at the beginning of Maggie's experiment.

Led by Associate Professor Jane Cartwright, the results revealed that 78 per cent of residents evaluated at the home were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, with high rates of depression and cognitive impairment also identified.

These figures partly reflect the vulnerability of these residents, many in the final stages of life and living with complex health conditions.

Following Maggie's experiment, Professor Cartwright and her team found that 57 per cent of residents evaluated gained or maintained weight.

Changes to the menu and a more inviting dining space positively impacted mood, appetite, social and occupational engagement in meals, and increased mealtime satisfaction.

The final report stated that, over time, these changes will have what the researchers call "health-promoting effects" for residents and the home.

As Marion says of the new changes: "You never leave the table hungry."

Stream Maggie Beer's Big Mission anytime on ABC iview.

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