Rainbow Theme

Books / Literature
Search for Rainbow Books at Amazon.com

               

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Sun Up, Sun Down by Gail Gibbons It mentions in this book about prisms and how a rainbow forms.

The Rainbow Fish Ideas/Story Bag (Including snack ideas.)

Home Economics & Snacks

Colorful Peas, Pineapple and Ham Pasta Salad
If you want, you can make different colors of pasta using various colors of gelatin and pots to cook them in.

Note:  For all these snacks, you can talk about the different colors and how they became those colors in the "Rainbow Toast" and "Rainbow Pudding".

Foreign Languages
Japanese Language Vocabulary -  Colors
Spanish Flash Cards - Colors Hear the words pronounced

Rainbow Toast

(If you like, you can read Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh.)

Directions:
For each color, take 1 tablespoon milk (rice/soy/cow's) and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and mix it.  This makes quite a few pieces of toast.
If you want to make lots of colors to practice making colors or if if you have more children or students, you will need to make more.

Place some of the milk mixture in small jars, glasses, small margarine containers, or other containers.
Repeat this 3 times.
Add red, yellow, and blue food coloring in containers.
It takes 1 drop to make each color.
Take a piece of white bread.
Paint the bread with some of the milk using a pastry brush or small paint brush.
Make sure not to paint it with too much milk or it will become soggy (if the child does do that, that is okay, since children love to explore).
Mix some of the red with some of the yellow and see what color it makes (orange).
Mix some of the yellow with the blue and see what color it makes (green).
Mix some of the blue with some of the red and see what color it makes (violet/purple).
Put the bread in the oven or a toaster oven.
Take it out when it is lightly brown.

Rainbow Pudding
Make vanilla pudding or dairy-free vanilla pudding.  Place some in a container .  Make one red, one blue, and one yellow.  Have the children mix the colors to see what other colors they create.   Another variation is to add some colored fruited ring cereal to your pudding.

Rainbow Cereal Snack
Eat colored fruit ring cereal.

Rainbow Necklace or Bracelet
Take a piece of yarn to go around a child's neck or wrist.  Let the child string the colored fruit ring cereal on it.  (You might need to tie one at the end for pre-schoolers so it doesn't fall off.)  Tie it off when you are done.  Enjoy eating it!

Rainbow Rice Cereal Treats
Make rice cereal treats (Rice Krispie treats) and color it with your favorite food coloring (or two).

Rainbow in a Cup
You will need: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple gelatin.  Make the red gelatin according to the directions on the package.  Place a little bit in a clear plastic cup.  Let it set (which will take hours or over night).  Make the orange, then the yellow, then the green, then the blue, and then the purple gelatin in that order after each color has set.  Make sure you begin ahead of time or you will run out of time for each color.  If you don't want to make a complete rainbow, choose your favorite colors and follow the same directions as the red gelatin.

Rainbow Cake
You can use one of my cake recipes located at  desserts or dairy-free desserts.
Version #1
Make your favorite cake in a bundt pan. Cut it in half.  Frost each with white or light blue frosting or seven minute frosting.  Decorate with chocolate chips, raisins, red hots, sprinkles, colored sugar, Skittles, M&M's, etc. to form a rainbow (or just spread anywhere on the cake).  (If you don't use the seven minute frosting, you can squirt some whipped topping on the cake to form a rainbow and then add toppings on the cake.)

Version #2
Make your favorite cake in a 9x13 inch pan.  Frost with white or light blue frosting.  Decorate with chocolate chips, raisins, red hots, sprinkles, colored sugar, sweetened colored candy (for example; Skittles or M&M's), etc. to form a rainbow (or just spread anywhere on the cake).  (If you don't use the seven minute frosting, you can squirt some whipped topping on the cake to form a rainbow and then add toppings on the cake.)

Version #3
Make your favorite cake.  Frost with a 7 minute frosting.  Sprinkle colored sugar, sprinkles, etc. over it.

Rainbow Cookies or Cupcakes
Make your favorite cookies or cake and put it in a muffin tin.  (I have some recipes located at desserts or dairy-free desserts.)  Frost with white or light blue frosting or 7 minute frosting.  Decorate with chocolate chips, raisins, red hots, sprinkles, colored sugar, sweetened colored candy (for example; Skittles or M&M's), etc.

Rainbow Graham Crackers
Spread frosting on a graham cracker.  Sprinkle colored sugar on it.

Science Activities

Rainbow Water #1
Take a container, glass, or jar of water. Have the child add a single drop of liquid food coloring to it.  This can be repeated for different colors.  You can mix colors too.

Rainbow Water #2
Cut up little pieces of square paper.  Using a marker, completely color the square with a color.  Make one red, another yellow, another blue.  Make one part red and part yellow (to make orange).  Take another and make that yellow and blue (to make green).  Take another and color it blue and red (to make purple/violet).You can do other colors, black, brown, pink, etc. Place some water in each of the cups or containers.  Have the child drop the pieces of paper in small cups or containers.  You will see the water change colors and what color it makes.

Rainbow on the Wall
If you have a peep hole in your door, look for a rainbow on the wall. What do you see?

Rainbow Over the Water
Go outside and see a rainbow in your garden house or sprinklers.  What do you see?

Rainbow On a CD
In a room that has light, move a cd that you received in the mail for accessing the web.  What do you see?

Science Activities Links
See a rainbow in a very dark room with a jar or glass of water, a small mirror, and a flashlight.  You tilt the mirror upwards and then shine the flashlight onto the mirror.
More facts about this at:
Indoor Rainbow @ nationalgeographic

Arts & Crafts

Rainbow Craft
Create your own rainbow using crayons, colored pencils, kids markers, etc. and/or different items: colored pasta, cereal, buttons, paints, glitters and glue, crepe paper, construction paper, yarn, etc.

Rainbow Painting
Paint a rainbow on a piece of paper.

Torn Paper Rainbows
Make a rainbow shape piece of paper using white (or whatever color the child wants) construction paper.  Have pieces of torn construction paper.  (If you want, you can have the child/children help you tear pieces of paper.)   Place some glue onto a small piece paper so they can put the colored pieces of paper on the glue and then on to the rainbow.   If desired, you can glue the finished rainbow on a piece of blue construction paper.

Torn Paper Paper Plate Rainbow
Cut the paper plate in half.  Make a rainbow shape.  Hole punch a hole in the middle of the paper plate so you can hang it with yarn.Have pieces of different colors of torn construction paper or you can have the child/children help you tear pieces of paper.   Place some glue onto a piece paper.  Place a cotton swap in it and then on the paper.  Have the child place it on the back of the paper plate to make a rainbow.

Crepe Paper Rainbows
Make a rainbow shape piece of paper using white construction paper.  Put various colors of pre-cut 2x2 inch tissue paper in a box. Have the children over the end of an unsharpened pencil, then put some glue on it, and place it on the rainbow.  If desired, you can glue the finished rainbow on a piece of blue construction paper.

Games

A. Color Hand Game
Use two pieces 8 1/2 x11 inch white computer paper or  9x12 inch construction paper and trace your left hand (or right hand if your left handed) to the wrist.  Cut it out.  Turn it so the thumb faces the left.  Color each finger a little above the cut part of the hand a different color (for example; blue, red, pink, black, yellow, white, purple, gray, green, brown, orange, etc.).  Label each color above the cut part of the finger.  Laminate or place clear contact paper on it.  Cut it out (no need to cut each finger out except the thumbs).  With a straight pen or needle, make a small hole about the middle about where the thumb is on the hand patterns.  Use a brad to reinforce it (make sure it not that tight so it will spin) and place a small paper clip under the brad.  Staple the hands together by the brad and on the upside down hand.  Use masking tape or heavier tape and tape it on a small piece of poster board.  Have the children play the game to help reinforce color skills.  Have the children say the color each time a different color is spinned.  Repeat the game.

Options:
For older children, you can leave off the name of the colors and have the child spell the word outloud and/or on paper.
Make another set in Spanish (you can use these colors; azul, rojo, rosado, negro, amarillo, blanco, morado, gris, verde, marrón, anaranjado, etc.).

Rainbow Games
B.  Draw a picture of the following on a 3x5 inch index card.  Write the color below each item in English, a line, and the Spanish (if desired) word.
Make two sets.

How to play the game:
Have 2 children turn all the cards picture facing down.  Have each child try to find the matching picture.  If they found it, have them place them in a pile near them.  If they don't find it, have the next child turn it over and try to find a match.  Keep playing until one child has more cards.  If you only have one child, have that child keep playing until they find all the matches.  You can have the child/children say the words in English and/or Spanish.

For younger children, just have them match the pictures and say the colors in English (by looking at each picture).

Go to Pratt's Spanish Speaking Tips to learn to pronounce the words.  The color "orange" is hard to pronounce so you might have to practice the word or skip it (especially for younger children).  You can to to StoryPlace La Biblioteca Pre-escolar: Colores to learn to pronounce the colors.  Remember the masculine and feminine in the words.  If you use a different object, the ending of the word might change.

Option #1:
Draw an apple with a brown stem and a green leaf.
red
----
roja

Draw an orange with a brown stem.
orange
----------
anaranjada

Draw a sun.
yellow
--------
amarillo

Draw a frog.
green
-----
verde

Draw a morpho butterfly.
blue
----
azul

Draw some purple grapes or flowers (a  pansy or violet-these flowers can be other colors besides purple).
purple
 -------
morada

Option #2:
This is for older children (or you need to be with the younger child to help them).  It can be a review game.
Draw the above pictures in Option #1 game on both sides of the card. On one side, write the English sentence underneath the picture.  On the other side of the card, write the Spanish sentence.  Have the child (or yourself for younger children) say either the English or the Spanish sentence and have the child say it out loud to themself (or tell you) in a complete sentence.  If the child is younger, have them say only the color.

What color is the apple?
The apple is red.

¿Qué color es la manzana?
La manzana es roja.

What color is the orange?
The orange is orange.

¿Qué color es la naranja?
La naranja es anaranjada.

What color is the sun.
The sun is yellow.

¿Qué color es el sol?
El sol es amarillo.

What color is the frog.
The frog is green.

¿Qué color es la rana?
La rana es verde.

What color is the butterfly?
The butterfly is blue.

¿Qué color es la mariposa?
La mariposa es azul.

What color is the flower?
The flower is purple.

¿Qué color es la flor?
La flor es morada.

Game Links
Bry-Back Manor: A Rainbow Game

Rainbow Songs
Flowers Make a Rainbow: Mrs. Jones Sing Along
I Can Sing A Rainbow Lyrics & Music @ NIEHS
I Can Sing A Rainbow (sheet music) @ Music & Song in EFL teaching
Rainbow Colors: A Rebus Song adapted by Mrs. Jones
A site that non-readers can sing the song while looking at the animated pictures.

Scripture Connection
Genesis 9
 

Online Rainbow Activities BrainPOP: Rainbow Movie & Quiz Kendra's Coloring Book: Rainbow Paint your own rainbow. Rainbow Lorikeet @ Enchanted Learning StoryPlace Color Theme and In Spanish: Colores Online story, What Color Is It? (online activity)

Online Story
Missing Color This story needs to be read to non-readers.
Samuil Marshak - The Rainbow Book