How to Make a Walking Rainbow

Purpose: To create a captivating and interdisciplinary learning experience for children, merging elements of arts, nature, and science. This activity not only teaches about capillary action and color mixing but also fosters creativity, environmental awareness, and exploration.

Materials required:

• 7 small, clear cups or glasses
• Water
• Food coloring (red, yellow, blue)
• Paper towels

Instructions:

1. Prepare the cups:

   1. Line up the seven cups in a row.

   2. Fill the first, third, fifth, and seventh cups with water. Leave the second, fourth, and sixth cups empty.

2. Add food coloring:

   1. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the first and seventh cups.

   2. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to the third cup.

   3. Add a few drops of blue food coloring to the fifth cup.

3. Make paper towel strips. Cut the paper towels into strips. You'll need six strips, each about 2.5 cm wide.

4. Place the paper towels:

   1. Fold each strip into a bridge shape.

   2. Place one end of the strip in the first cup and the other end in the second (empty) cup.

   3. Continue this pattern, placing the next strip with one end in the second cup and the other end in the third cup, and so on until you have a bridge of paper towels connecting all seven cups.

5. Observe the magic. Watch as the colored water starts to travel up the paper towels and into the empty cups. Over time, the colors will mix and create a rainbow effect.

6. Learn and Discuss. Talk about how the water moves through the paper towels by capillary action. Discuss how mixing the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) creates secondary colors (orange, green, purple).