An Invitation to Read ~ "Discover the Rainbow" Day

Spring here in southwestern B.C. is simply gorgeous, and with this transitional season between a rainy winter and a sunny summer, we can see multiple rainbows a week as the sun peeks in and out of the rainclouds. In a desire to capture the beauty of the promise within the rainbow, as well as the wonder in its scientific occurrence, the idea for this rainbow-focused day was born. Party prep began with the collecting of books from the library and the purchase of rainbow coloured crepe paper streamers that would be hung in rows from our dining room ceiling and decorate our front door to get the kids excited about what was inside!

I called our gathering a "Discover the Rainbow" Day, and together we were a group of Moms with our eight children between the ages of four and eleven. As one whose heart leaps with joy when I look outside and recognize that it is 'rainbow weather,' I happily took on the teaching role for our one and a half hour gathering. First thing on the docket - snacks! The day before, I had taken the 5+ hours to make rainbow-layered Jello Jiggler cubes and they came out looking and tasting so yummy! We also joined together in bringing different fruits to created a rainbow of fruit with fluffy marshmallow clouds. Once everyone's plates were full and the children were seated, I began.

I opened with a quick reading from Genesis 9 where we hear of the very first rainbow, and hoped that my passion about remembering our remembering God would encourage them to think of his love for them each time they see a rainbow. From there I set up our main experiment, known on Pinterest as the "walking water experiment." The kids made predictions as to what would happen once the water was added...after also learning what a prediction is. (Bonus learning? Yes please!) We checked in on the spreading colours throughout our time and the kids really enjoyed seeing that their prediction of secondary colours appearing was right!

While we were creating a rainbow in the plastic glasses, I took a few minutes to read a short educational kids book on rainbows and teach the kiddos a silly new way to remember the colours of the rainbow in order. (Did you know that Really Old Yaks Go Bathing In Vests? So may giggles...) Then we set to making even more rainbows! Again, Pinterest came in so handy with this fun experiment that uses Skittles and warm water. We did this one twice because the children enjoyed it so much, and we even tried shaking the table to see if we could get the colours to swirl. (I especially enjoyed this part of the experiment because it was unintentional that the table was bumped, so we just worked it in and found enjoyment in what could have been a mishap. :)

Now that we had eaten a rainbow and made two rainbows by way of experiment, I thought we should see some rainbows. I started by shining a flashlight on some small crystal beads as I held them in front of a blank white wall to show how sunlight refracts and reflects off of raindrops, and then the kids lined up to take a turn looking through our handmade spectroscope. (Thank you, husband!) I loved seeing all of the children waiting in line to look through the spectroscope, each of them enjoying this simple contraption, no matter their age. Finally, I shone the flashlight directly on the CD that I removed from the spectroscope so we could see some larger rainbows on the wall. (Pro tip: Plan ahead and pick up a prism for this part of the gathering. I threw this little shindig too close to St. Patrick's Day and all of the teachers in the area had snapped up the prisms in the stores.)

And not one to pass up an opportunity to read a picture book to a group of attentive kiddos, I opened, "A Rainbow of My Own," by Don Freeman for a sweet, imaginative read. Even though it was obviously geared to a younger age bracket, I truly don't think any of the children in attendance are too old for a good picture book.

As I closed, I made a point to honour the different ages and interests in the group and gave activity options: colouring pictures of a rainbow, doing a craft that was inspired by Don Freeman's book, reading from the basket of books that I had collected on our topic, or even playing with the rainbow coloured blocks that I had put out.

Even if the majority of the children who came to our Discover the Rainbow Day gathering were familiar with how a rainbow occurs in the sky, I hope they each left learning at least one new thing, or even better, that possibly they could all leave with a greater appreciation for the stunning rainbows that paint our sky, and the God who thinks of us each time they do.

Oh, and there were goody bags, because why not?! Each child received a mini gift bag with a rainbow coloured Rainbow Loom bracelet (made by my sweet kiddos), a couple of candies, a colouring page with more rainbow facts, and a rainbow scratch bookmark, stick and tassle.

And here is where I not only tell you about what I planned and implemented, but also show you what I've put together so you can easily throw your own Discover the Rainbow Day gathering as well! In the brochure pictured here, I have laid out a list of more than a dozen books about rainbows and colour that you can check out of your public library, an optional craft idea, as well as the step-by-step directions for our Skittle rainbow-making experiment. Enclosed with it comes a package of 4 rainbow scratch bookmarks, sticks and tassels for your children to enjoy after, or for you to give in a goody bag. I plan to make this into a PDF for printing, but for now I will be selling these locally.

With many more 'rainbow weather' days left to our Spring, take advantage of them and have fun learning about rainbows together!