Easy, Exciting Skittles Rainbow Experiment for Kids

There is so much excitement that comes with searching for a rainbow in the sky after a thunderstorm. What if I told you that you could create your own beautiful rainbow with a super simple Skittles rainbow experiment? This fun science experiment for kids uses colorful candy to create a rainbow your kids will love! Skittles Rainbow Colors Science Experiments for Kids are a fun, hands on way to let your child create their own amazing Skittles rainbow!

the supplies for the skittles rainbow colors science experiments.

a syringe of water being added to a plate with skittles on it.

the finished skittles rainbow colors science experiments for kids.

Recommended Grade Level:

Preschool

Kindergarten

1st Grade

Supply List
Coordinating Activities

Skittles Rainbow Supplies:

Shallow Dish or Flat Bowl
Very Warm Water
Skittles Candy
Pipette (optional)

rainbow walking water science experiment for kids paper towels wicking colored water for color mixing

rainbow soda and mentos science experiments for kindergarten

Skittle Science Experiment for Kids

This Skittles science experiment is a lesson in density since all of the colors have a different density, so they don’t immediately mix. It is great for St. Patrick’s Day, for a rainbow theme, learning about colors with your kids or just for fun!

It pairs great with our Rainbow Walking Water science experiment!

What Supplies Do I Need for the Skittles Candy Science Project?

All you need is a few simple household items and some delicious candy to do this skittles color science experiment.

Shallow Dish or Flat Bowl
Very Warm Water
Skittles Candy
Pipette (optional)

How Do I Do The Skittles Rainbow Science Project With My Preschoolers?

Skittles rainbow science experiments are the perfect hands on addition to any Spring or Rainbow themed unit! It’s also a great way to use up leftover candy after holidays like Easter and Halloween.
This is a wonderful experiment for introducing the scientific method. Help your child create a question, form a prediction about what will happen, make observations, and write a conclusion.
Talk about the science behind the Skittles Rainbow Experiment. This is a great opportunity to develop some vocabulary words like dissolve, spread, and reaction.

How To Do The Rainbow Skittles Science Experiment:

Instructions:

Sort your skittles into piles by color. This is a great activity for fine motor skills, counting, and color identification!

Organize the skittles into a circle onto a shallow dish or flat bowl. You can create a fun pattern, or let your child be creative and mix it up so there is no pattern.

Fill your cup up with very warm, almost hot water.

Slowly pour the water into the center of the plate. Allow the water to naturally fill in the middle of the plate and spread out until it reaches the Skittles.

If you would like, instead of pouring, you can use the medicine dropper to carefully drip enough warm water into the middle of the plate or the center of the bowl. This is another great way to work on fine motor skills.

Make sure there is enough warm water so it just covers the bottom of the skittles and goes a little past them.

Do not completely cover the Skittles with water.

Watch as the sugar coating dissolves and the dye colors start to spread from the skittles creating a beautiful rainbow. Be careful not to touch the water and break the surface tension, because the colors will all mix together if that happens. Use just enough water to cover the bottom of the Skittles for best results.

Enjoy your homemade Skittles rainbow!

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Can I Use Cold Water for the Rainbow Skittles Science Experiments?

Using cold water will not cause the food coloring from the candy to dissolve well. We recommend only using very warm water for this science project.

Can I Use M&M’s for this Science Experiment?

While we only tested this experiment with Skittles, science is all about testing new ideas! Try different candies to see if the same result is achieved.
When testing new candies, make sure to keep all the other variables of the experiment the same, so that an accurate comparison can be made.

What are Other Activity Ideas Similar to This Skittles Rainbow Science Experiment?

One of the best parts about this easy science experiment is there is no right or wrong way to do them! Ask your child if they want to try something different, or try one of these other fun ways to change up the experiment.

Try this simple experiment different ways! Use a second plate to arrange the colors of skittles into different patterns, different temperatures of water, or try different colored candy. Perhaps try it with different candy, such as M&M’s, Spree, or Mentos.
Try this easy science experiment with different liquids such as warm milk, clear soda or vinegar and compare the results.
Place a coffee filter, a paper towel, or piece of paper underneath the skittles. Watch how the colored water moves up the paper and compare it to how it moved on the plate.
Experiment with different liquids and see if you have a similar or different reaction.
Do another rainbow themed experiment and compare the two. Check out this Walking Water Experiment! Watch the colors as they travel up the paper and see what happens. Compare it to what you saw in the Skittles experiment.
Pair this rainbow Skittles experiment with your favorite rainbow themed book for an easy literacy connection!