Those were the words of our excited young scientists in the K-2 classroom. I have decided to combine science and art in our Active Learning period this week due to the following reasons: (1) It is a nice way to wrap up our Rainbow Unit and (2) we have discussed the story of Noah's Ark in class today and the kids were wondering how rainbows come to be. (**A big thank-you to Leelah's grandparents for the storybooks. They are wonderful additions to our classroom and school libraries**) NOTE: I will be posting pictures from this week's many, many, manyyyy activities during the weekend. | The K-2 students have helped each other make a rainbow right inside their classroom! |
What is a Rainbow?
How did we make a rainbow in our classroom?
I've introduced today's lesson by asking the kids where rainbows are usually found. The unanimous answer was "in the sky." Next, I've asked the kids whether they think that it was possible for a rainbow to appear right here in our classroom. Not one of them thought that it was possible. Until... It happened. The directions are very simple and you can do this experiment at home with your child. 1. Fill a glass with water and set it on a flat surface. 2. Tape a piece of white paper against the wall. Make sure that it is across from the glass of water. 3. Turn off the lights so that the room is very dark. 4. Turn on the flashlight and shine it at the glass. The light from the flashlight must be white light not yellow light in order for the experiment to work. You will see a rainbow appear on the white paper. EXTRA RESOURCES: This short video episode of "The Magic School Bus" provides a fun explanation of rainbows in 22 minutes. | |
What did we learn today?
The children have come to realise that a rainbow is not actually made up of "real colours" that can be touched but of "coloured light" (coloured reflections and bending of light). For a rainbow to appear, there must be light and water. The glass of water is a simulation of the water droplets in the sky after the rain, while the flashlight acts as artificial sunlight. You need both light and water for a rainbow to appear. |