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! 👉
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:
Sun alone? Just a bright day. Rain alone? Just a wet day. Together — magic! ✨
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.
A raindrop can split light just like this little glass prism. 💎
Each raindrop is like a tiny round mirror-prism. Follow the light's journey one step at a time:
Bend in → bounce off the back → bend out. The bending spreads the colours apart!
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:
Tip: think of the warm colours (red, orange, yellow) at the top and cool colours below. 🔴🔵
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:
Tap each card to reveal a surprising fact:
You can even make a rainbow at home with a garden hose on a sunny day — stand with the sun behind you! 🚿
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.