Kids are always asking questions about various weather phenomenon like “how does a volcano explode” and “how does God make it rain.” I’ve heard it all. This past summer Princess saw a rainbow for the first time. So you can imagine the question that followed – “how does a rainbow form?” she asked.
It just stopped raining and we decided to go for our daily family walk. “Look, a rainbow!” she shouted. As you can tell by this photo below, she was in awe and gazed up at the colorful arc in the sky. Her smile was as bright as its pretty colors.
I was on a mission to satisfy her curious mind. At 4, I knew I needed to keep the details age appropriate because when it comes to science and children, simple explanations work best.
If you're children ever ask how does a rainbow form, here's what you can tell them. Share on X- A rainbow forms typically following rainfall.
- Sun shines its light through drops of water in the sky.
- The light reflects pretty colors that make up a rainbow.
Keep in mind that there are other things involving how a rainbow is created, like how sunlight is made up of different colors we don’t normally see. When it enters the Earth, the light is white. Also, the light hits the raindrops at a certain angle allowing us to see the different colors that make up a rainbow.
Each color has different angles depending on the speed as they enter the raindrops, forming red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet stripes.
You don’t have to worry adding these extra details in your descriptions. Kids just want basic explanations.
While you’re at it, follow up your weather lesson with a fun experiment. It helps kids gain a better understanding of how each weather phenomenon works.
It also makes learning fun when they do cool science experiments. Plus, they may even want to use it for their next school science project.
Here's what you'll need to create your own rainbow: Share on X- Bowl of water
- Mirror
- Flashlight
- Construction paper to show rainbow or dark room/closet
Check out Princess’s latest video illustrating how a rainbow forms. Please give this video a thumbs up and subscribe to her channel, My Fun Princess Life.
What are some of your kids’ weather questions?