How is a rainbow made?

How is a rainbow made?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS: How do you think a rainbow is made?

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## Extensions

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity and exploration which you just completed.

Featured Reviews

“Going outside with a water bottle to find our own rainbows then returning to class and watching your video. It made it so much more meaningful! Thank you for your wonderful enrichment activities also! Sierra Elementary, Mrs. Ciriza's 5th grade class.”
· · Teacher
“My kindergarten kids were amazed they could make their own rainbows.”
· Hanna · Teacher
“super easy and not a lot of prep. ”
· Meghan · Teacher
“The students learning HOW a rainbow was created.”
· Amber · Teacher
“The best part was seeing the excitement in the students when they had their "light bulb" moments. It was a very easy transition from viewing the mystery to practicing the concept through the activity. ”
· Nicole · Teacher
“Students word's and opinions. Rain and sun makes rainbow. The rainbow doesn't come out all the time. We like all your videos. Rainbows are the best. It was interesting. We like the colors of the rainbow. The rainbow is beautiful. The rainbow has colors. I like the prism with the sun; it makes rainbow and the droplets. A man made a rainbow. I like the rainbow because it has my favorite colors on it. ”
· Jenny · Teacher
“"When the sun comes through the cup it makes a rainbow." "When the sun came through the cup the rainbow was backwards."”
· Kay · Teacher
“My students had a blast with this little lesson! We had to wait for a day that was sunny enough, which really added to their enthusiasm about the spring-like change in weather.”
· Sophie · Teacher
“The best part was that when sun shines through water it makes a rainbow. We enjoyed "chasing" rainbows in our classroom. ”
· · Teacher
“the best part was the collective WOW from 26 very engaged and excited 5 prek/k students...and the many comments about how much fun we had today!”
· Carol · Teacher
“Learning how sunlight is bent and then seperates into different colors- rainbow.”
· Mary · Teacher
“Kids loved finding a rainbow! I used a prism as well for them to practice and they were super excited. ”
· Krisie · Teacher
“The kids absolutely loved this mystery! All of the groups were eventually able to "catch" a rainbow!”
· Kristin · Teacher
“Seeing the kindergarteners "light u"p when they were able to find their rainbows!”
· Kimberly · Teacher
“The kids were amazed when the rainbow formed on the floor!”
· Christina · Teacher
“Super fun easy, we used a water bottle instead of a transparent cup because the students could.not.wait. to start!”
· Stephanie · Teacher
“My first graders said it was the best project ever! They loved the part when the sun hit the cup and made a rainbow.They also liked the part when you showed the sprinkler making a rainbow. They thought it was cool when the rainbow disappeared and then reappeared. Thanks for a fun lesson!! Of course, we are still looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!! ”
· Terry · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this mini-lesson, students discover how water acts like a prism, splitting white sunlight into all the colors of the rainbow. In the activity, Chasing Rainbows, students create their own rainbows using cups of water, sunlight, and plain white paper.
Preview activity
Chasing Rainbows(Grades 2-3) printout 1 per student
Chasing Rainbows (Grades 4-5) printout 1 per student
Chasing Rainbows (Grades K-1) printout
For this level, we have also created a script for you to use when leading your class through the activity. 		1 per student
Blank Paper (8.5 x 11")
1 sheet per group
Clean-up Supplies (Eg. Paper Towels)
1 roll per class
Crayons
Each group needs the colors of a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple). Colored pencils also work.
Details
6 crayons per group
Pitcher
For filling cups with water.
Details
1 per class
Clear Plastic Cups (10 oz)
Avoid cups with frosted or ridged sides.
Details
1 cup per group
Index Cards (3x5)
1 card per student
Prep Instructions

You will need a sunny day and access to water for this activity.

We recommend students work in groups of four. Homeschool students can work on their own.

Watch This Video

This video shows how to set up a cup of water so that sunlight passing through the water separates into rainbow colors.

Find A Sunny Spot

Make sure that your chosen location will be sunny at the time of day that you plan to do the activity.

If you are working with a class, make sure each group will have space for their own glass. If you can’t find a place that will accommodate students working in groups, you can opt to do the activity as a demonstration and encourage students to try it at home.

Do A Trial Run

Before you try this with a class, do a trial run in your chosen location or in another sunny spot.

  • Set up a cup as shown in the video and look for the cup’s shadow. (If you see the shadow, you know the cup is in sunlight.)
  • Fill the cup with water and watch for wavy lines of light that have passed through the water.
  • Put a piece of white paper on the floor where you see those lines and wait for the water to settle.
  • If you don’t see colors, try tilting the cup away from the light, just a little.
  • Pay attention to shadows as well as light. You’ll get the best colors if the light passing through the cup falls in a shadow, not in the light.

Exploration

15 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Extend this lesson

Discussions

Discussion

  1. How is a rainbow made?

  2. What did this lesson make you curious about? What other questions do you have about rainbows?

Activity

Activity

You can create rainbow colors at home! Squirt a dime-size amount of dish soap into a bowl. Add water. Use a straw to blow some bubbles. Can you see colors in the bubbles? Look carefully! If you can’t find colors, move the bowl to a spot with different light. Like a rainbow, the colors that swirl in a soap bubble come from white light. The surface of the bubble splits the light into many colors!

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline:
Credits
 
Light Energy Tx Lesson 6: How is a rainbow made?

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