STEAM

Full STEAM ahead! Make way for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics in your classroom with our STEAM craft ideas!

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STEAM: Crawling Colour Jars

Looking for an easy colour mixing lesson that involves Science and Art? These crawling colour jars are the perfect way to demonstrate colour theory through a more scientific lens and to introduce the concepts of scientific method and engineering.
  • Step 1Take 3 jars and add some powdered dye into each jar so you have a red jar, yellow jar and a blue jar. Top up each jar with water so it is close to the top but below the rim – you don’t want the jars to overflow! Mix with a spoon so the dye dissolves into the water.
  • Step 2Take 2 cotton balls and unroll them. If you pull the cotton balls apart slowly and carefully, they should unravel into strips.
  • Step 3Place the jars in a row so they are sitting close together. Take a cotton ball strip and place it half in the first jar and half in the second. You will see the colour begin to creep up the cotton ball!
  • Step 4Repeat step 4 using the second cotton ball strip, this time placing it half in the second jar and half in the third.
  • Step 5Sit back and watch the colours creep and crawl closer together until the colours mix! This will take some time, so while you’re observing you can discuss the principles of colour theory such as primary and secondary colours, or warm and cool colours. What new colours can you see?
  • Why not bring the first and third jar together to create a triangle shape. You can then unravel a third cotton ball and place between them to create another colour!

Materials used in this activity

Cotton Balls - White - Pack of 240
Optional
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