Rainbow experiments to try with your Mini Geeks
Derek and Irene the dinosaurs have been having fun creating rainbows with their friend Prof. Brian Fox.
Have a read of what they got up to up, and maybe have a go at some your self! (make sure you have an adult with you to help with the difficult bits)
Experiment 1: Rainbow Candy
Derek hypothesises "Is Rainbow Candy really made of rainbows?"
For this experiment you will need:
- A plate
- A bag of rainbow candy (such as Skittles)
- Hot water
Method:
1. Place your rainbow candy around the edge of your plate
2. Add hot water (an adult will need to do this) carefully into the centre of the plate until it just touches the candy
3. Watch as the rainbow appears!
Derek has concluded that the candy is indeed made of rainbows.
(What do you think has happened?)
Experiment 2: Make your own rainbow appear by magic!
Irene hypothesises that the colours will not make much of a rainbow
To make this experiment you will need:
- Kitchen roll
- 2 glasses
- felt tip pens (water soluble)
- cold water
Method:
1. Cut a strip of kitchen roll length ways
2. At either end of the kitchen roll colour in strips of colour using the felt tip pens about 2cm in height (have something underneath the kitchen towel to stop any stains)
3. Place each end of the kitchen towel into the glass
4. Add a small amount of water to each glass so they're just touching the edges
5. Watch as the water is absorbed by the kitchen towel and draws the colours with it
Irene was incorrect about her hypothesis, but that's ok, science is all about finding out what does and doesn't work!
Experiment 3: make your own rainbows with a mirror!
Derek doesn't think a mirror can make a rainbow, Irene thinks Derek is wrong.
You will need:
- a bowl of water
- a small mirror
- plain white sheet of paper/card
- A sunny day! (You can do this experiment with a torch if it's not sunny)
Method:
1. Carefully fill a bowl with water (you may want to use a glass bowl but please be careful!)
2. Place the mirror in the water and hold up the paper
3. Angel the mirror so it refracts the sunlight through the water and onto the paper
Irene was right! You can make a rainbow with a mirror
What do you notice about these experiments? What is the constant?
Why not have a go at these yourself, share (with permission of course) and tag Mini Geek Boutique so we can see your experiments too!