How Rainbows Are Made
A rainbow is a curved band of colours that appears in the sky when sunlight passes through raindrops in the air. It forms because light bends and separates as it enters and leaves each tiny drop of water, splitting white sunlight into its hidden colours.
Rainbows matter because they show that sunlight, which looks plain white, is actually made of many colours mixed together. Inside a single raindrop the light bends (refracts) as it enters, bounces off the back of the drop, then bends again as it leaves. Different colours bend by slightly different amounts, so they fan out and reach our eyes separately. This is also how a glass prism makes a colour spread.
Learners will grasp the two ingredients a rainbow needs — sunlight and raindrops at the same time — and why the colours always appear in the fixed order red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. They will also understand why you must stand with the sun behind you and the rain in front to see one.
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A Rainbow Hello!🌈 Science • Light How Rainbows Are Made Have you ever seen a rainbow in the sky after the rain? It looks like a giant colourful bridge! In this lesson you'll discover the secret recipe for a rainbow — and even build one yourself. Tap Next to begin! 👉
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The Secret RecipeTwo things make a rainbow 🍳 A rainbow needs sunlight ☀️ and raindrops 💧 in the air at the same time. That's why we often see rainbows when the sun comes out while it's still drizzling. Tap both ingredients to mix them together: ☀️ Sunlight 💧 Raindrops Add both ingredients to see what happens… Sun alone? Just a bright day. Rain alone? Just a wet day. Together — magic! ✨
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Hidden ColoursSunlight is secretly rainbow-coloured 🎨 Sunlight looks plain white, but it's really all the colours mixed together. When light bends, the colours spread out so we can see them — just like through a glass prism. 👆 Tap the light to split it White light goes in… what comes out? A raindrop can split light just like this little glass prism. 💎
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Inside a RaindropWhat happens inside one tiny drop 💧 Each raindrop is like a tiny round mirror-prism. Follow the light's journey one step at a time: a raindrop 💧 🌈 colours out! Press the button to follow the light. ▶ Next step inside the drop Bend in → bounce off the back → bend out. The bending spreads the colours apart!
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The Colour OrderRainbows always line up the same way 🔢 The colours never get jumbled. From the top of the rainbow to the bottom they go: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet. Tap the colours in the correct order, starting with Red: Start with the colour at the top of a rainbow. ↺ Reset Tip: think of the warm colours (red, orange, yellow) at the top and cool colours below. 🔴🔵
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Where to StandA rainbow hide-and-seek trick 🔭 To spot a rainbow, the sun must be behind you and the rain in front of you. The rainbow always appears on the side opposite the sun. It's raining in front of this child. Where should the sun be so they can see the rainbow? Tap the sun: you (looking → at the rain) 🌧️ rain → behind you by the rain Tap one of the two suns ☀️
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Rainbow SurprisesCool rainbow secrets 🤩 Tap each card to reveal a surprising fact: 1Your own rainbowTap to reveal… 2Secret circleTap to reveal… 3Double rainbowTap to reveal… You can even make a rainbow at home with a garden hose on a sunny day — stand with the sun behind you! 🚿
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You're a Rainbow Expert!🌈🎉 You did it! Here's the recipe: 1A rainbow needs sunlight + raindrops together. 2Sunlight is all colours mixed into white. 3Inside each drop light bends, bounces, and bends again — splitting the colours. 4The colours always line up Red → Orange → Yellow → Green → Blue → Violet. 5Stand with the sun behind you and rain in front to spot one. Next time it rains while the sun shines, look opposite the sun — you might just catch a rainbow you helped explain! 🌟 Great work, young scientist. Tap Start again if you'd like another go.
Frequently asked questions
- What causes a rainbow to form?
- A rainbow forms when sunlight enters raindrops, bends, reflects off the inside of the drop, and bends again as it leaves. This bending splits white sunlight into its separate colours, which we see as a rainbow.
- Why do you need both sun and rain to see a rainbow?
- Sunlight provides the white light, and raindrops act like tiny prisms that split it into colours. Without both present at the same time, the light has nothing to bend through, so no rainbow appears.
- Why are rainbow colours always in the same order?
- Each colour bends by a slightly different amount when light passes through water, so they always spread out in the same sequence: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, from the top of the rainbow to the bottom.
- Where should I stand to see a rainbow?
- Stand with the sun behind you and the rain in front of you. The rainbow always appears on the side of the sky opposite the sun.
- Why does sunlight look white if it contains colours?
- Sunlight is all the colours mixed together, and our eyes see that mixture as white. The colours only become visible when something, like a raindrop or a prism, bends the light and spreads them apart.
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