The rainbow center

Some of the many ways to explore the colors of the rainbow with your students!

With spring coming around the corner and all the crazy weather we have been having, it has naturally been a great opportunity to explore rainbows. Last week, we invited the children to explore the colors of the rainbow in our rainbow center…

We have a bookshelf that always seemed to stump us as to what to do with it until we decided just to make it a “thematic center.” Each week we change the items on the center to reflect something the children are interested in or at other times, we build the shelf around a unit/theme we are talking about…

Rainbow Discovery Bottles

The rainbow center was fairly simple in set up. The biggest attraction were the colorful discovery bottles…

The discovery bottles are plastic Voss Bottles we purchased from Boxed.Com. Each bottle has it’s own ingredients inside but most of them contain colored water and glitter. Some of them also have baby oil and beads in them. Once the bottles are ready to go, we hot glue them closed…

Rainbow Puppets

The rainbow center also included a set of rainbow puppets for the children to play with and to perhaps invite a little more conversation about color…

This rainbow discovery bottle was a little different in that it didn’t shake up or move any but it did provide a beautiful look at the colors of a rainbow. This bottle was filled with hair gel from the Dollar Tree. You can see a complete tutorial on how to make this bottle over at Preschool Inspirations!

I would have liked to have added a few prisms and other rainbow gadgets but we will continue to build our collection of rainbow things for next time…

Open-Ended Exploration

Every time we put together this center, it is always interesting to see what the children will do with the items we provide. Most of the items are homemade but sometimes, we go out and buy something simple and cool to add to the center too.

Keep it Simple

One thing to keep in mind is that we intentionally keep the center simple in design. In other words, we don’t overload the center with things as it makes it harder for the children to really explore and find things…

We used the clear plastic Voss Bottles as magnifiers for the children to roll across the rainbows laying flat on the shelf. The rainbows will turn over as you roll the bottle across…

Our rainbow center worked out nicely for the week. It gave the children lots of opportunity to explore and talk about all the colors of the rainbow!

 

Available on Amazon

Links to Grow On

How to Flip a Rainbow by Lemon Lime Adventures

DIY Rainbow Glasses by Kid’s Stuff World

Rainbow Slime by Teach Preschool

12 Rainbows to Create and Explore by Teach Preschool

To see more ideas for Rainbows on Pinterest – click here!

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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