In today's "Ideas for Art" lesson, we'll make a rainbow using water, paper towels, and a few simple items you already have at home or in the classroom. This colourful experiment will teach children about how colours mix, and it's also a little science lesson in capillary action.
What You'll Need:
6 x clear cups or jars
Red, yellow, and blue FAS Painting Dyes (or food colouring).
Paper towels
Water
Apron or cover sheet (to keep clothes clean!)
Steps:
Set up the cups: Arrange the six cups in a circle. Fill every other cup with water, leaving three cups empty.
Add colours: In the three cups with water, add a few drops of food colouring—one cup red, one cup yellow, and one cup blue.
Fold paper towels: Fold the paper towels into strips about 2 cm wide. The towels should be long enough to reach from one cup to the next.
Place the paper towels: Put one end of each paper towel strip in a coloured water cup and the other end in the empty cup beside it.
Watch the magic: The water will slowly "walk" up the paper towel into the empty cups, mixing colours along the way. In the empty cups, the colours will blend to create green, orange, and purple!
Observe: This experiment will take time, so let the children know it's something to watch throughout the day.
Kids will love seeing the colours mix and learning how water travels up the paper towel. This fun experiment introduces them to the science of absorption and capillary action—just like how plants drink water through their roots!
Share and Enjoy
Tony
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