American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Racing M&m Colors
An activity where students can experiment with whether different colors of M&Ms dissolve faster in water versus others. This lab includes a student worksheet and teacher instructions.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Colors Collide or Combine
Do M&Ms colors combine or collide when they are put together on a plate of water? This lab activity will have students investigating what happens when M&Ms get wet.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: "Stained Glass Glue"
In the activity, "Stained Glass Glue," students use common everyday materials to use inquiry when they mix different substances and observe the unusual result of mixing water colors, milk and common dishwashing detergent.
University of Florida
Baldwin Library: Twelve Times One: Illustrations of Child Life by Mary Lathbury
This is an online photocopy of the original text of the children's book Twelve Times One: Illustrations of Child Life by Mary A. Lathbury (1888), a book of poetry with illustrations designed with water colors.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Are You in Hot Water? Use Solar Energy to Heat Your Own Water
The goal of this science fair project is to build batch solar collectors from different colors of plastic bags and see which collector is the most efficient in heating water.
Can Teach
Can Teach: Songs and Poems
This site features an extensive list of poems and songs for every event during the school year. Explore the seasons, colors, holidays, and more.
NASA
Nasa: What Is Ocean Color?
This site from NASA explains the meaning behind the different colors of the oceans. Gives information as to the role of phytoplankton in the color of the oceans and affects of the carbon cycle on the oceans.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Rainbow Milk
This activity is designed for students to learn that primary colors mixed together make secondary colors. They will also experiment with how fat and soap molecules repel each other in water.
Science Made Simple
Science Made Simple: Why Leaves Change Color
This is a site that offers answers to some often hard to answer questions such as why do leaves change colors. Provides an easy to understand answer to the question along with a section that students can read on their own, a puzzle,...
EL Education
El Education: Life in a Vernal Pool Field Guide
After researching and observing life in a local vernal pool, students write and illustrate a field guide including digital photographs and original water colors.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Release the Rainbow
A simple activity to demonstrate how light separates into colors when it passes through water acting as a prism.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Black Is Black or Is It?
An experiment with a coffee filter and a marker to see what happens when water touches a black dot, or any other color. With links to several scientific, academic articles that explain what is happening.
Roy the Zebra
Roy the Zebra: Reading Games: High Frequency Words: Tom's Color Game
Help Tom the zebra get ready for bed in this interactive game. Drag each color word next to the box with the matching color and give Tom one item he needs for bedtime. After giving him socks, a blanket, hay, and a glass of water, watch...
BioEd Online
Bio Ed Online: Rainbow in the Room
Students investigate the properties of visible light and the sequence of colors in the spectrum using light shone through water and prisms. The lesson and accompanying slideshow can both be downloaded.
Children's Museum
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Color Changing Milk
Learners observe a molecular dance of bursting colors through exploring states of matter and learning that materials can be characterize by how they respond to water.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Heat Transfer
Students explore how different colors absorb or reflect heat using a black can of water, a white can of water, and a plain can of water.
Physics Central
Physics Central: Physics in Your Glass: Racing Molecules
An easy experiment for demonstrating and exploring molecule movement requiring common household items: two glasses, two dark colors of food coloring, and warm and cold water. A few variations to the experiment will have students using...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Chromatography: Selecting Variables
For this lab, students will demonstrate observation skills as they design an experiment to separate colors of various water-based pens in order to learn about mixtures and solutions. Students will determine a variable to test and...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: All That Glitters
This Ocean Explorer lesson plan (PDF) explores the questions: What colors, if any, are visible down in the deep sea? What is bioluminescence? Students will learn about white light (visible light), the quantity and quality of light as...
Center of Science and Industry
Cosi Columbus: Coffee Filter Rainbows
Science experiment that demonstrates chromotography. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of what happens with different colors when they are soaked with water.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Rotating Light
An experiment where polarized light is shone into a solution of sugared water, causing each of the colors in white light to change direction in varying amounts.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Bill Nye Demonstration: Chemistry of Color
Ever wonder why some colors dissolve in water and others don't? Watch this video to learn why. [2:16]
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Paper Towel Chromatography Experiment
Observe the separation of colors derived from black marker ink by wicking water through a marker line on a paper towel.
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Maps Etc: Physical Europe, 1916
A physical map of Europe from 1916 showing color-coded elevations and water depths for the area extending from Iceland to the Ural Mountains in Russia Proper, and the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean Sea. Land elevation colors range...