rainbow oil experiment

• Uncategorized
• Space science
• States of matter
• Mixtures and solutions
• Light and optics
• Forces and motion
• Electricity
• The animal kingdom
• Habitates and ecosystems
• valentine's day
• St. Patrics day
• Back to school
• 4th of July
• Experiments
• Weather and climate
• Earth's Structure
• Crafts and DIY
• Class managements

Get the Latest Straight to Your Inbox:

5 Perfect Colorful Rainbow Science Experiments for Kids

The natural world is full of color, and what better way to engage young, minds than through vivid and colorful rainbow science experiments? These activities not only brighten up the learning experience but also root scientific concepts in the minds of children. 

Everyone loves rainbows!

These experiments are ideal for celebrating the vibrant colors of spring or the festive rainbow of St. Patrick’s Day.

Walking Water Experiment: A Capillary Action Adventure

Observe water’s gravity-defying journey with the ‘Walking Water’ experiment. It  demonstrates capillary action. You only need water, food coloring, and paper towels. Colored water “walks” from one cup to another across paper towels. It creates a mesmerizing effect. This activity reveals how water moves through plants against gravity. It’s an excellent way to introduce young learners to physics and plant biology principles.

<<Read the full Walking Water experiment here>>

Rainbow Candy Science: Sweet Circles of Color

The Rainbow Candy experiment turns a favorite treat into a color dispersion and solubility lesson. Place colorful candy in a circle on a plate. Pour warm water over them. The colors start dissolving and migrating toward the center. It creates a whirl of colors. This experiment illustrates water’s effects on sugar and colorants. The resulting diffusion creates a beautiful rainbow pattern.

<<Read the full Rainbow Candy experiment here>>

Explosions Underwater : Density and Solubility on Display

Craft rainbows in a jar with Explosions Underwater or Rainbow Rain. This experiment demonstrates density and solubility concepts visually. Use oil, water, food coloring, and a clear jar. Children watch as colored droplets travel through the oil. The droplets mix with the water, creating a ‘rain shower’ effect. Set up this experiment to teach scientific principles. It also provides a delightful sensory experience.

<<Read the full Explosions Underwater experiment here>>

Milk Magic: Surface Tension Transformed

Add a drop of food coloring to a bowl of milk – interesting. But add a drop of soap – and magic begins. Colors swirl and move in an explosion of patterns. The ‘Milk Magic’ experiment shows soap’s effects on milk’s fat and protein molecules. It results in a dramatic change in surface tension. It creates a dynamic art show explaining chemistry fundamentals excitingly.

<<Read the full Colors in Milk experiment here>>

Homemade Rainbows: Refraction in Action

Create spectrums from sunlight with a homemade rainbow. Use a glass of water and paper. Allow sunlight to pass through the glass. It projects a spectrum onto the paper. This illustrates light refraction. This simple yet powerful experiment demonstrates the same principle forming rainbows. It brings atmospheric science into the classroom or home.

Through these colorful experiments, we have the ability to transform the typical science lesson into a canvas of discovery. By incorporating these activities into the learning curriculum, we can ensure that scientific principles are not only taught but are also experienced in a way that is engaging, memorable, and visually striking. 

View my latest posts:

Back to School Checklist for Science Teachers: Setting Up for Success

Engaging Science Learning through Games

Water cycle booklet

Albedo in Action: Balloon Pop Test

Like & follow:, stay in touch: [email protected].

Lets stay in touch!

“Subscribe now and never miss out on our exciting science experiments and educational insights!”

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!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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 .

Get the best learning activities for 3-5 year olds at your fingertips

See inside the book!

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!

• Recent Posts

• November Preschool Themes You’re Going to Love! - October 12, 2024
• Valentine’s Day Letter Formation Mats - February 4, 2024
• January Preschool Themes You’re Going to Love! - January 1, 2024

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Topbar Social Icons

Simple Science: Rainbow Oil and Water

@FIRSTGRADEBUDDIES

• Performing Arts
• Creative Play

Liquid Rainbow Experiment

This experiment is cheap and fast! Each layer takes a max of 2 minutes to do. It’s filled with educational fun. Have a blast little Einsteins!

Ingredients:

½ Cup Rubbing Alcohol (Dollar Store)

½ Cup Blue Dawn Dish Soap (Dollar Store)

½ Cup Large Mason Jar or Vase (Dollar Store)

½ Cup Corn Syrup (Walmart)

Food Coloring (Walmart)

½ Cup Olive Oil/Vegetable Oil/ Canola Oil (Dollar Store)

½ Cup of Water

Directions:

(2 Minutes to make each layer)

(Total Time 10 min)

Purple Layer - Mix ½ Cup corn syrup with 1 drop of blue dye and 2 drops of red dye.

Blue Layer - Pour ½ Cup blue dish soap slowly down the side of your jar into the purple layer. Tip: They should separate as long as you pour slowly down the side of the jar. Same goes for each layer.

Green Layer - Mix together 2-3 drops of green dye with ½ Cup of water and pour slowly (on the side of the jar) on top of the blue layer.

Yellow Layer - Pour the ½ Cup of olive oil down the side of the jar for the yellow layer.

Red Layer - Mix ½ Cup of rubbing alcohol with 1-3 drops of red dye. Pour this slowly on the side of the jar.

Then you’re done! You should get a rainbow layered vase of different density liquids!

What’s the science behind it?

With each layer you are using a different liquid. Each liquid has a different density (weighing a different amount). So when layered the right way, they will stay separated for days! But if the order isn't added the same way as directed, the experiment won't work. The heavier density liquids are the ones at the bottom and so on.

Jenna is a staff writer and production assistant at Creative Child Magazine. She is currently attending University of Nevada - Las Vegas.

You might also like.