Have a rainbow discovery day, so your kids can enjoy one of the most delightful wonders of the world. Here are some crazy-fun activities to get your child excited about the colours, the science and the mystery of beautiful rainbows. That’s real-life rainbow magic right there!
1. Spray bottle rainbow
On a sunny day, when you want to get the kids out the house and into the fresh air, clean out an old spray bottle that can create a mist, and fill with water. Tell your kids to go outside and spray towards the sun until they notice a surprise! A small rainbow will form in the mist created, and the kids learn about how rainbows are made, as well as the fun of creating one at home!
2. Hidden rainbow
Tell your kids to use crayons to colour a rainbow filling a whole paper in the right order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). Then to cover that same paper over the crayon with black water-based paint. Let dry, then with a toothpick or BBQ skewer, the kids can scratch out any design or drawing they desire, leaving behind a beautiful effect and a magical surprise!
3. Rainbow cookies
Follow this recipe for some cute rainbow cookies the kids will love making
OR
For an easier option, simply add your different food colouring to separated balls of your basic shortbread cookie batch for some brightly coloured cookies. This can be done with icing too for extra fun!
4. Rainbow Game
Tell the kids to quickly gather items the colours of the rainbow. This can be clothes or magazine cut-outs or anything they can get their hands on. The race is on!
For a sweet treat afterwards, open a bag of Skittles or M&Ms and have the kids separate the colours, then eat!
5. Rainbow Crystals
This task is a little more complicated but worth the work, and the kids will love the pretty crystals.
What you will need:
- 9 tbsp Borax (found in hardware stores)
- 3 cups of water
- Jars or vases
- Popsicle sticks
- Pipe cleaners in rainbow colours
Steps:
- Boil the water.
- Measure the Borax into a bowl.
- Turn off the heat.
- Measure and pour boiling water into the bowl with the Borax powder. Stir the solution.
- It will be very cloudy looking.
- Carefully pour into jars.
- Tell the kids to make any rainbow they want with the pipe cleaners.
- Attach pipe cleaners to popsicle stick so that they are submerged in the solution and the popsicle stick rests on top of the vase or jar.
- Place in a safe place where it won’t be disturbed.
- Leave overnight and in the morning retrieve and dry the crystals for a lasting effect.
By Jacklyn Hyder
Image at top: Rookieparenting.com
More craft ideas from tots to teens:
