Did you know you can make a rainbow without rain? You just need a few things you probably have at home. Let’s discover how light works! ✨
What You’ll Need
🪞 A small mirror
💧 A glass of water (clear, no bumps)
📄 A white piece of paper
☀️ Sunshine through a window (or a strong flashlight)
How to Do It
1. Fill the glass with water about halfway.
2. Place the mirror inside the glass, leaning at an angle.
3. Position the glass near sunlight — let the sun shine on the mirror.
4. Hold the white paper above the mirror.
5. Slowly move the paper until… WOW! A rainbow! 🌈
Why Does This Work?
White sunlight is actually made of seven colors mixed together: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. You can remember the order with the name “ROY G. BIV”!
When light passes through water at an angle, it bends. Each color bends a different amount — and that separates them so you can see all seven!
This is the same thing that happens with rain. Raindrops bend sunlight, and we see a rainbow in the sky.
Science Words to Remember
🔬 Prism: Anything that splits light into colors.
🔬 Refraction: When light bends as it goes through water or glass.
Now you know how rainbows are made — and you can make them anytime you want! 🎨
