Raining Rainbows and Scientific Exploration

With all of the hubbub about this cool science activity, I had to try it with the children! 

We approached it from the angle of scientific exploration. Predictions, observation, cause and effect. I talked to Deva a bit beforehand and we figured out ways to guide the dialogue with the children to enhance their own scientific discovery process.  We paused during each step of the activity to ask probing questions and listen to the children's comments and interpretations of what was happening.  This was a voluntary activity but they all enthusiastically joined, stayed, and listened to each other's ideas.

Because it was a science activity and not an art project or open-ended activity per se, we set it up as a teacher-led activity in one giant glass vase, giving each child the opportunity to really observe and reflect on what was happening. We even used visualization and imagination to envision what was happening and what we think might happen next.

Soon, though, it became a big color dumping fest, which was okay because by that point we felt pretty complete about the teacher-led part of the activity.

The science exploration wasn't over yet, though, as children wondered what would happen when they blew the shaving foam and carried out their own experimentation.

There was such a high interest level in this activity that the next day, they each got their own baby food jars, shaving foam, droppers and color set.