Maker Monday: Kids will love making the “mad scientist color wheel”

Kids will have fun learning about colors with this STEAM Maker Monday project. As they create the “Mad Scientist Color Wheel,” they’ll see it progress from the three primary colors — red, blue and yellow — to create the secondary colors of orange, green and purple. The bent wicks between each glass (made from rolled up paper towels) give a sense of a laboratory setting, adding to the cool factor. Little ones will love doing the steps by themselves.

It’s super-easy to set up and as with all Maker Monday projects, kids can do this with items you may have around the house or can pick up at a dollar store or grocery store. Just follow the step-by-step instructions below.

A note to kid makers: We always suggest having supervision from a parent or caregiver when you do Maker Monday projects. This project doesn’t involve any tools, but it’s always good to have grownups check in to make sure you’re working safely.  

Maker Monday materials:

• 6 sheets of paper towel (if using thick, highly absorbent towels, half-sheets will work)
• 6 clear glasses or mason jars or clear plastic cups
• red, blue and yellow food coloring
• water

STEP 1: Fill three of the glasses almost to the top with water. Arrange all six glasses in a circle, with an empty glass between each full glass. Then, add about 6 drops of food coloring to the glasses that contain water — one with blue, one red, one yellow.

STEP 2: Twist each paper towel so that you can use it a wick. Give the glasses with water and food coloring a little stir, if needed. Then bend one of the twisted paper towel in half and lower one end into the glass containing blue water. Then lower the other end of that paper towel into the empty glass to the right. Keep doing this with each paper towel, so that each glass has the end of two paper towels in it. The glasses will all be connected in a circle by the paper towels (see above).

STEP 3:  Watch as the colored water is slowly absorbed up through the paper towels and drops of it eventually leak into the empty glasses. Show kids that as the water level in the full glasses drops, the water level in the empty glasses slowly will begin to rise.

STEP 4: As the empty glasses slowly begin to fill, the secondary colors of purple, green and orange begin coming to life.

Want more at-home fun creating cool stuff and making beautiful things? Check out more Maker Monday projects right here. Do you have an idea for a Maker Monday craft project? If so, please share it with Kidsburgh! Send your maker activity ideas to info@kidsburgh.org.