Did you know you can effectively demonstrate density with just food coloring, sugar, and water! Don’t believe me? This rainbow in a jar with sugar allows you to show kids how the more dense a liquid (colored for visual purposes only), the heavier it is and it will sink. This rainbow density jar is quick, easy, and cheap to try. Use this rainbow in a jar experiment with sugar as a rainbow activity for kids in the spring or as part of a science lesson on density for kids. No matter how you use it, this density experiment makes an impressive density tower that will impress preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd graders too.
Rainbow in a Jar with Sugar
Teach your students about density with this fun, easy density tower experiment. In this rainbow in a jar activity you will change the density of water by adding sugar. Color the water with food coloring so preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 students can see the layers of this beautiful rainbow density jar. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler – you will love this simple rainbown in a jar expierment with sugar.
Rainbow Density Jar
This simple density jar experiment only requires a few simple ingredients:
- water
- sugar
- food coloring
- pipette or science syringe (handy for laytering)
- heat source (warm water absorbs sugar better)
- tall narrow glass container for layering
Rainbow in a Jar Experiment with Sugar
While this is a super simple density experiment for kids, it does require you to follow the directly exactly or you will just have sweet, colored water.
Combine the following each in a seperate cup:
- no sugar, & red food coloring
- 1 Tablespoon sugar & yellow food coloring
- 2 Tablespoons sugar & green food coloring
- 3 Tablespoons sugar & blue food coloring
Note: You only need a few drops of food coloring per cup.
Now add 3 ounces HOT water per container and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Density Experiment
Now it’s time to make the rainbow density tower out of sugar water. Make sure you layer the liquids slowly. Start by pouring the blue water in your layering container. It has the most sugar and therefore is the most dense – it will settle at the bottom of the rainbow.
Density Tower
For the next color you will want to use a syringe or pipette to not stir the layers, but instead stack them to make a pretty rainbow. Carefully and slowly add the green sugar water to the container. I suggest running the water down the inside of the glass. As the green water is added you will notice that it does not mix with the blue water but rather sits on top of it!
Density Science Experiment
Now slowly begin adding the yellow water to the container using the same methodology with the pipette, going SLOWLY and runnig it down the side of the conater.
Rainbow Experiment
Once all of the yellow water is added repeat this process with the red water. The red water has no sugar in it (fewer molecules mixed in the water) so it is the least dense. Unless you stir, it wil sit on the top of the other, denser colors of sugar water.
Density for Kids
So what is density anyway. Density helps us predict if something will sink or float. The more dense an object is, the more the molecules are packed together making it heaviest for it’s size.
Extension Activity: Look up swimming in the Great Salt Lake in Utah or Dead Sea in Israel. These bodies of water are even saltier than ocean water.
- So would they be more or less dense than the Atlantic Ocean?
- Is the Pacific Ocean more or less dense than a lake or swimming pool?
Now see if your parent can help you google swimming in the Great Salt Lake or the Dead Sea. Peopl float on the top of the water. The fluid is dense people are pushed to the top. That’s because the water is denser than pool water, due to the high salt concentration.
Rainbow Activities for Kids
Looking for more fun rainbow activity ideas? Check these out!
- How to Grow Rainbow Crystals EASILY at Home – Spring Science Activity
- Beautiful Rainbow Slime Activity for Kids
- Yarn Wrapped Rainbow Craft for Kids
- Paper Plate Rainbow Craft for Preschoolers
- Rainbow in a Jar Density Experiments
- Simply Rainbow Density Experiment for springtime
- Delicious Rainbow Stem scienc with jelly beans
- Rainbow Handprint Craft
- Easy Tissue Paper Rainbow Craft for Spring
- Rainbow Toast makes a yummy snack!
- Super cute Rainbow Math with a DIY abacus activity
- Rainbow Painting with Cars Activity
- Free printable Rainbow Color Matching Game
- Craft Stick Rainbow Craft
- Rainbow Rhyming Activity for Kindergarten
- Rainbow Worksheets for kids
- Free Connect the Dot Rainbow Printable for Preschoolers
- Hands-on Rainbow Math Activities for Preschoolers
- Rainbow Playdough Shape Mat
- Lots of fun ideas in this Rainbow Preschool Theme
- Rainbow Read, Rhyme and Dab St Patricks Day Activity
- Work on early literacy skills with this Rhyming Rainbows St Patricks Day for Kindergarten
Summer Fun
Looking for more outdoor activities for kids and things to do in the summer? Your toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, and elementary age kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:
- Marshmallow Shooters – go over 30 feet!
- Lemon Volcano is a fun Summer Experiment for kids of all ages
- 2 ingredient Easy Slime Recipe
- How to Make a Simple Newton’s Cradle Science Experiment
- Ice Cream Volcano Experiment – Summer Experiment for Kids
- EPIC Mentos and Soda Experiment
- How to Make a Lava Lamp – it’s super EASY!
- DIY Water Xylophone Activity – Sound Science Experiment for Kids
- Kids will no nuts over this simple Pop Rock Experiment
- Easy Button Crafts for Kids
- Handprint Strawberry Craft for Summer
- Grow Your Own Crystals
- Water Balloon Experiment – exploring densit with an EPIC summer activity for kids
- Amazing Bubble Painting
- Mind Blowing Color Changing Playdough
- Disolving Seashell Activities – a Summer Science Experiment
