SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Rainbow activities #1: Prism rainbow.

Using a prism and flashlight your child can help you create a rainbow on the wall. This always fascinates my kiddos because they are getting to create their own rainbow. This activity is great to pair with the book A Rainbow of My Own. At the end of the book the boy spots the bands of color on his wall. These are created by the sunlight shining through his fish bowl.

Once we finished studying the colors on the wall, it was time to color in the rainbow printable. There are a couple options to use for different ages. At Mick’s age my goal is to simply convey primary colors: red, yellow, and blue; as well as secondary colors: orange, green, and purple. For an older child like Marty, 5, I want to be more specific with the colors in a rainbow. Instead of simply coloring in purple, he can separate purple into indigo and violet because that is more accurate and suitable for his age.

Rainbow activities #2: Color mixing experiment.

This color mixing experiment, or you can call it a demonstration, is a simple set up with water glasses and primary colors. The goal is to create secondary colors by mixing the primary. It can take a little experimenting to get the amount from each color correct. My 5 year old joins in on the fun because both boys love the challenge.

Rainbow activities #3: Rainbow scratch paper.

Scratch paper is a simple yet fun way to continue our rainbow theme. I love this pack because it also comes with stencils. The boys practice fine motor skills while using the scratch paper and stencils together. Marty, 5, enjoys using the stencils to make stories and Mick simply experiments with tracing things that catch his eye.

While the boys scratched away I first read a couple themed poems. One is from a particularly favorite book of mine, The Rainbow poem by David McCord from Doubleday’s Favorite Poems: Old and New. Then, I turned on music to listen to, including Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland.

Rainbow activities #4: Grow a rainbow.

When our mini unit study comes to an end the boys are always sad. This is probably because they are little surprises and rarely spotted. Or maybe it’s because a favorite Bible story ends with one stretching across the sky. No matter the reason, today’s activity is the perfect end to our rainbow study.

We reread our themed books plus Raindrops and Rainbows by Patti Hamilton. The boys of course do not mind listening to the same books over and over again. After reading I gave the boys rainbow themed coloring pages. I also colored but mine was to set up the activity. Once I finished they watched a rainbow grow. While it grew we reviewed primary vs. secondary colors.