We love fun kids’ science and this easy rainbow jar activity is one of our all-time FAVORITES! With just a few common household ingredients like dish soap and honey, little scientists can actually pour a rainbow in a jar. There’s no need for any magic – just 100% kid-friendly science.
Follow the simple step-by-step below and then grab 30 more easy-to-follow science experiments kids will beg to repeat (plus a no prep science journal to keep track of their results!) in our shop!
Getting Ready
This project requires quite a few supplies, but most of them are probably things you already have in your pantry.
To get ready for the science activity, I grabbed my materials:
- AÂ tall, see-through container (I used a clean mason jar.)
- Honey
- Light corn syrup
- Dish soap (either blue like Dawn or green like Palmolive)
- Olive oil
- Rubbing alcohol
- Water
- Food coloring
- AÂ dropper
I also grabbed two identical containers and some marbles so that I could give my son a brief explanation about density.
The Science Behind It
As always, my son was really excited when I told him we were going to do some kids’ science with a rainbow jar! Before we jumped into the project though, I wanted him to understand what was about to happen, so I decided to introduce him to the concept of density first.
I explained that different liquids have different weights.
“Everything is made up of teeny tiny things called molecules,” I said. Â “Some of these liquids have a lot of molecules in them and some of them have only a few.”
I showed him two containers that were the same size. One had a bunch of marbles in it, one only had six.
I had my son hold the two containers and asked him which one was heavier.
“The one with more marbles,” he said. Â I explained that it was the same with our liquids — the ones with more “marbles” (molecules) were heavier and would stay at the bottom of the jar.
Pour a Rainbow in a Jar
Now it was time to make our rainbow jar! Â First, my son poured in the honey, being sure to pour it into the middle of our container. He was careful not to let it touch the sides.
Next, he poured in the corn syrup. (We’d colored it purple using the food coloring.) Again, my son poured it into the middle of the container, not touching the sides.
The dish soap came next.
We poured in regular water that we colored blue. (If you’re using blue dish soap, obviously color your water something different. Again, in the middle, in the middle!)
The olive oil went in the rainbow jar next. Do you know what I’m going to say? That’s right, we poured it in the middle! Also, I recommend pouring a fairly thick layer of oil – it will come in handy for the next step.
Last but not least was the rubbing alcohol. We colored it red – that in itself is a cool peek at different densities because the food coloring just sits at the bottom of the alcohol when you first drop it in. BUT WAIT! DON’T POUR IT IN THE MIDDLE!
This is where the dropper comes in. If you pour the alcohol straight in, it’ll probably pick up the blue food coloring you used in the water and your rainbow will be ruined.
We found the best way to add it was dropping the alcohol along the side of the container using a dropper. The key was not “breaking through” the oil layer into the blue water layer beneath it – that’s why I suggested putting a thick layer of oil.
Our rainbow was done! We held it up carefully to the light, making sure not to shake it, and admired our beautiful creation.
More Simple Science Kids Will Love
Inspire kids to LOVE science with 30 more jaw-dropping experiments they’ll beg to repeat!
Grab 30 easy-to-follow science experiments kids will beg to repeat (plus a no prep science journal to keep track of their results!) in our shop!
Our red layer did not stay red. The food coloring migrated down through the oil but the alcohol stayed behind. We used vegetable oil instead. I wonder if that is the difference. I also am curious if different types of food coloring would have different results. My almost 8 year old had so much fun doing it though. She is presenting it today at her first science fair.
My son and I tried this and loved it! We used coconut oil instead of olive oil. It had to be melted first, but it actually added a cool element to the project. After we made our layers, we shook the jar up. This made the colours mix into a swampy brown and allowed the coconut oil to harden on the top- creating a seal! Lots of fun, thank you!
WOW
How steady are the liquids? If I make this with a class at school will the liquids hold their place when the kids take them home (if they are as careful as kids can be)?
SOO COOL
What can we substitute corn syrup pls?
Hello Joyce,
Thanks so much for reaching out. If Corn Syrup is not available, I would look for a heavy syrup to substitute or skip the layer, while you will not have a perfect rainbow you will still have a fun science experiment!
Stay inspired,
Kimberleigh
Do you have exact amounts of ingredients?
Hello Linda,
No exact amounts are needed, just layers of the different fluids, but we usually just strive for even. The fluidity of this science activity makes it a perfect project for little ones.
Warmly,
Kimberleigh
Do you mix dish soap with water?
Hello Izzy,
No need to mix the soap with water- the density of the soap is what we need to make the layers 🙂
Hope this helps!
Warmly,
Kimberleigh
What are the measurements on all the ingredients?
Hello Nicole,
No measurements needed- just pour the liquid into even layers and the container is full.
Hope this helps!
Warmly,
Kimberleigh
I am in Saudi Arabia. Is the rubbing alcohol necessary?
Hello Ray,
Great question. You can either skip the layer or find something light to use to replace it.
I hope this helps!
Warmly,
Kimberleigh // Happiness Ambassador