Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to mix primary colors to create secondary colors and understand how they combine to form a rainbow.
Materials and Prep
- 3 clear jars or glasses
- Water
- Red, blue, and yellow food coloring
- A spoon for mixing
- A white sheet of paper for observing the rainbow
No prior knowledge is required for this lesson, just a curious mind!
Activities
- Activity 1: Mixing Primary Colors
Fill one jar with water. Add a few drops of red food coloring and stir until the water turns red. Repeat with blue and yellow food coloring in the other two jars. Observe the colors. - Activity 2: Creating Secondary Colors
Now, mix the red and blue water together in a new jar. What color do you get? Repeat with other combinations of primary colors to create secondary colors. - Activity 3: Making a Rainbow
Line up the jars in the order of the rainbow colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). Pour a little bit of each color into a new jar. Hold it up to the light and observe the rainbow effect!
Talking Points
- "Primary colors are like the building blocks of all other colors. Mixing red and blue makes purple, blue and yellow makes green, and red and yellow makes orange."
- "When we mix all the colors together in the right order, we can create a beautiful rainbow, just like the one we see in the sky after a rain!"
- "Experiment with different amounts of each color to see how it affects the final result. Have fun mixing and creating new colors!"