Mad Scientist – Color Creation Experiment – Mixing Color Fun
Color mixing can be a science. What a fun way to explore colors and what happens when you mix colors! Children feel like they have made the color and it gives them a sense of success. Great for a preschool or daycare water center or science play. If only I could have found them a couple of white lab coats.
Time for some fun color science dramatic play time!
All you need are small bottles that look like test tubes, food coloring, water, a cup, and a pan.
We picked these little tubes up in a small science set but you can use spice bottles, baby food jars, or even empty yogurt cups.
STEP 1:
Put a small amount of water in your “test tubes”. Let the kids drop a couple of drops of food coloring in each tube. Try to encourage them to use different colors each time to see what happens.
STEP 2:
Put a small cup in the middle of a cake pan or other container.
STEP 3:
Allow them to pour the colors in one at a time. Ask questions before they add the next color.
Questions:
What do you think will happen?
What color do you think it will make?
STEP 4:
Allow them to pour the colors into the larger pan each time as a secondary color experiment.
Ask more questions!
What color would make this turn green?
What will happen if we add ALL the colors together?
STEP 5:
Keep going. Allow them to lead in the color choices.
STEP 6:
Another good thing that just happens over time is the cup will start to float.
Questions:
What made the cup start to float?
Why do you think it didn’t float in the beginning?
How much liquid will it take to keep the cup from floating?
STEP 7:
Clean up. Even MAD scientist have to clean up their messes.