Color surrounds us everywhere we go, in the food we eat and the clothes we wear.

So why not find out how to create cool and colorful art? Check out some fun science experiments you can do this weekend. You can also learn scientific facts while having fun with these activities.

Which color is hotter?

Materials needed:

3 thermometers

1 white A4 sheet

1 sheet of A4 black

1 yellow A4 sheet

2 tin cans

Acrylic or poster paint (black, yellow, white)

paint brush

jug

Method

Find a safe spot in your home with direct sunlight. Place three thermometers on a flat surface. Make sure your thermometer is in good condition.

Place the white paper on the thermometer, the yellow paper on the second and the black paper on the third. Wait 30 minutes.

While waiting, paint one can white, one yellow, and one black.

After 30 minutes, write down the temperature on each thermometer.

If the can is dry, add water. Then place the can in a place where it gets enough sunlight.

Put a thermometer in each can. Cover white cans with white paper, yellow cans with yellow paper, and black cans with black paper. Again, wait 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, write down the temperature on each thermometer. You’ll notice that the thermometer on the black can registers a higher temperature than the others.

the science behind it

Black absorbs more sunlight than white or yellow. This turns into heat and raises the temperature. White is a color that reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it.

magic milk

materials needed

1 medium bowl

1 cup milk

Dish washing liquid soap

swab

3 colors of food coloring of your choice

Method

Pour the milk into the bowl. Make sure the bowl rests on a flat surface as you want the milk to remain as still as possible.

Place 1 drop of each color in different areas of the milk.

Dip a cotton swab in a small amount of soap and gently touch one of the milk-colored drops. You’ll notice the colored droplets spread in cool patterns all over the bowl.

Repeat the same for the remaining color droplets using a new cotton swab.

the science behind it

Milk contains fat. If you add food coloring to milk, it will float on top of the fat. Since all the fat molecules in milk are connected, adding soap to the mixture will break the bonds between the fats and allow them to separate. This movement is more pronounced in food coloring.

(Parental supervision recommended)