This Colour Mixing – Sweet Wrapper Science Experiment is great fun for the kids and a super way to make good use of sweetie wrappers.
If you’re anything like me then over the festive period you ate more tins of chocolates than you care to own up to, blamed most of the scoffing on the children and the pets and now the tightness of your waistband is giving the game away. Well I don’t feel so bad about it as I evidently had to do it, not because I’m a greedy snuffle-pig but for the children and in the name of science!
The transparent sweet wrappers that I know so many of us parents and carers flatten out and put to one side for various cutting and sticky activities are fantastic for the scientific exploration of both light and colours too.
How To Set Up Your Light and Colour Science Experiment For Kids
Setting up this science investigation for kids is super easy. I simply flattened and laminated my coloured sweet wrappers. I went on to thread half together to make a colour wheel and put the other half on lolly sticks for mix, match and layer glasses lenses.
How To Use The Homemade Coloured Lenses
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The lenses are really super for shining torches through too. Children will enjoy making pretty colours on the ceiling, walls and floor.
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Children can build up their knowledge of light and shadows by moving the lenses closer and further away from the torch and seeing what happens to the coloured shadow’s size.
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Older children might enjoy exploring concepts of transparent, translucent and opaque by building up layer upon layer and watching what happens to the level of light passing through from the torch and its colour.
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And of course they are just great fun for looking through, nothing like turning Mummy blue! With my new chocolate induced shape I will resemble blueberry Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
This activity supports Understanding The World and Expressive Arts and Design: exploring and using media and materials in the EYFS Early Learning Goals and SC4 Physical Processes at key stage 1 and 2 in The National Curriculum.