Activity Overview
Families can explore density in this colorful Catch the Rainbow Science Experiment. Kid scientists of all ages will marvel at the rainbow that is captured in the straw. One might expect that the colors of the water would all mix into one, however the varying densities of the colored water cause them to stay separate creating a beautiful rainbow. The more sugar is mixed into each water solution, the higher the density the water solution will be.
Materials Needed
- Water
- Clear Drinking Straw or turkey baster
- Sugar
- Food coloring
- Measuring spoon
How It Is Done
- Fill 6 glasses with water.
- Use food coloring to dye each glass of water each with a different color of the rainbow.
- Leave the red glass with only food coloring.
- Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the orange glass, 2 teaspoons to the yellow, 3 teaspoons and green, 4 teaspoons into the blue and 5 teaspoons into the purple.
- Stir each glass thoroughly.
- Dip the straw into the red water glass and cap the end of the straw with your thumb.
- Next, dip the straw into the orange sugar water glass and uncap the straw only when the straw is submerged in the water or else you will lose your liquid.
- Continue down the line and dip and uncap your thumb in each of the progressively more concentrated solutions.
