Science & nature4–5 · 6–8
The Rainbow Colors Hiding in Sunlight
White sunlight hides all the colors of the rainbow!
Why?
Sunlight looks white, but it’s really a mix of many colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet!
When sunlight shines into tiny drops of water in the air, the drops bend the light and split it into its colors, and a rainbow appears! To see one, the Sun must be behind you. In a rainbow, red is always on the outside and violet is on the inside.
Try it
On a sunny day, put a glass full of water 🥛 on a windowsill in the sunshine, and place a sheet of white paper on the floor below it. Move the paper around… can you catch a little rainbow?
Ask Mum & Dad
When have you seen a rainbow? What colors did you see?