A Rainbow From a Glass of Water
Sun, a glass of water and a sheet of white paper are enough to take a sunbeam apart into stripes of colour. A small mirror sunk into the glass then throws the same rainbow onto the ceiling.
What you need
- Glass of water
- Sheet of white paper
- Small mirror
- A sunny window
How to play
- Stand the glass of water on a windowsill where the sun comes straight in.
- Lay the white paper just beyond the glass, where its shadow falls.
- Slide the paper around slowly until a band of colours appears on it.
- Name the colours in order from one end of the band to the other.
- Lean the small mirror inside the glass at an angle and tilt it until a rainbow lands on the ceiling.
- Talk about how sunlight was carrying all those colours the whole time.
