Light and color are two of the most fascinating aspects of science for kids because they can be seen and experienced in real time, sparking curiosity and wonder through simple, colorful experiments. One of the easiest and most beautiful projects is the Homemade Rainbow using a glass of water and a mirror placed in sunlight; as the light passes through the water and reflects off the mirror, it splits into the spectrum of visible light, letting kids witness firsthand how white light contains all the colors of the rainbow through a process called refraction. To make a rainbow at home using a prism, place the prism in a stream of sunlight coming through a window. The prism splits the light into seven colors. This was originally demonstrated by Isaac Newton in 1666 to show that white light is composed of different colors. You can easily recreate Newton’s experiment at home. Check out this video for a detailed setup. This is the best prism to buy.
Chasing Rainbows is an exciting science kit with 13 colorful experiments designed to teach kids about the world of colors. It combines fun and learning, making it perfect for children interested in how light and color interact. The kit includes easy-to-follow instructions and engaging materials to spark curiosity. Ideal for ages 8 and up, it’s a great hands-on educational activity for home or classroom use
Another engaging activity is the Shadow Art Experiment, where kids use flashlights to cast shadows with toys or paper cutouts onto a sheet of paper and trace the shapes—this introduces light direction, opacity, and shadow formation, as well as creativity and storytelling.
The Color Mixing with Flashlights experiment is another eye-opener: by covering flashlight beams with colored cellophane (red, blue, green) and shining them onto a white wall, kids can mix different lights to see cyan, magenta, yellow, and even white light again—unlike pigment mixing, this teaches additive color mixing, which is how digital screens work.This is explained in the above youtube video.
Newton’s spinning disk experiment demonstrates that white light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow. He painted a circular disk with seven colored segments—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. When the disk is spun quickly, the colors blend together and appear white to the human eye. This experiment helped prove that white light is not pure but a combination of different colors. It’s a simple yet powerful way to understand the science of light and color. For the Spinning Color Wheel activity uses a paper disk colored in segments of the rainbow, which is then spun on a string or pencil, and as it spins fast, the colors blur into white, showing how the eye perceives rapid color blending and reinforcing the idea of white light being a mixture of all colors. Best budget for newton spinning disk experiment.
For younger children, the Transparent Color Overlay activity involves stacking colored plastic sheets or laminating colored cellophane to learn how overlapping colors change—mixing blue and yellow sheets, for example, creates green—offering a hands-on understanding of subtractive color mixing.
Kids can also try making a Prism Light Show, using a glass or acrylic prism to split sunlight into its component colors on a wall, helping them see how prisms bend light at different angles based on wavelength and providing a gateway to understanding refraction and dispersion.
Another favorite is the Glow Stick Temperature Test, where children place glow sticks in cold water, room temperature, and hot water, comparing how the speed and intensity of the glow changes with temperature—this combines light, color, and chemical energy in a fun and safe way. You can also try Creating a Periscope, using cardboard and mirrors, so kids can learn how light travels in straight lines and how reflections can be used to see around corners—great for understanding angles and real-world applications like submarines.
The DIY Kaleidoscope project allows children to use mirrored paper, a cardboard tube, and beads or sequins to explore symmetry, reflection, and color combinations through rotating patterns, enhancing spatial thinking and optical design.
A fascinating and simple activity is the Color-Changing Celery Experiment, where celery stalks are placed in cups of dyed water, and over hours or days, the colored water travels up the stalk, showing how plants absorb water and allowing kids to watch color move through a natural system.
Another fun experiment is the Colored Shadows activity, where multiple colored lights (like red, green, and blue) are shone on an object from different angles, and kids can observe how the shadows combine in unexpected ways—resulting in shadows with tints of yellow, cyan, and magenta. The Sunprint Paper experiment uses special light-sensitive paper to create silhouettes of leaves, keys, or other small objects when exposed to sunlight, helping kids learn about UV light, photochemical reactions, and negative imaging.
You can also try the Invisible Ink with UV Light trick, where kids write messages with UV-reactive ink or lemon juice and reveal them using a black light or by gently heating the paper, introducing the concept of invisible light and fluorescence.
In a similar vein, the Black Light Color Reveal experiment uses highlighters or tonic water to show how certain dyes glow under UV light, teaching about fluorescence and how different wavelengths interact with materials.
For an outdoor activity, the Color Hunt Challenge has kids explore the environment with color swatches or paint chips, trying to match them to natural items like leaves, flowers, or rocks, enhancing their awareness of color variation in nature and light reflection.
The Pinhole Camera Experiment is a great way to teach how light forms images: kids can use a cardboard box with a small hole to project an inverted image onto wax paper or a screen, mimicking the function of a real camera and demonstrating that light travels in straight lines.
