Teaching colors is a staple for any preschool mom. We all know the classic crafts of mixing paint or food coloring. But that is so messy. Messy to do, messy to clean up, and we are all just crossing our fingers that nothing gets permanently stained.
What if I told you that there was an easy craft you could do to teach colors over and over again? These DIY color-changing bottles are just that!
You only have to make them once, but you create a learning resource that will last. Sounds great, right?
Show, Don’t Tell
Homeschooling in the early years is such a special time. Watching their eyes light up with wonder as they play will make a mama’s heart burst. Whether it’s letters, numbers, days of the week, or colors, everything is new and exciting.
There are many different approaches to homeschooling, but for the early years, I try to lean into the show – don’t tell mindset. This means instead of sitting and providing formal instruction, I try to create experiences through play to teach and introduce new concepts.
That’s why I love these color-changing bottles. Young children get introduced to color theory without even realizing it!
Your Supplies
These DIY color-changing bottles do not require a long list of supplies, but you might have to make a special trip to the craft store for a few items.
What You Need:
1. 3 water bottles
2. 3 empty glasses or measuring cups
3. mineral oil (such as baby oil)
4. water
5. water-based food coloring in red, blue, and yellow
6. oil-based dye in red, blue, and yellow (this can be found at a craft store in the aisle with the candle-making supplies)
7. hot glue gun
**Vegetable oil will not work well for showing the colors because of its yellow tint
DIY Color Changing Bottles
- Pour about half of each water bottle into three empty glasses and dump out the rest.
- Distribute the mineral oil equally into the empty water bottles (don’t stress about it being exact)
- Drop a few drops of each color of food coloring (red, yellow, and blue) into the water. Start with just a few drops of each. It is always easier to darken a shade rather than lighten it.
- Add a tiny amount of each color of the oil-based dye to each water bottle.
- Combine the water and oil to make secondary colors. Red with blue to make purple, yellow with blue to make green, and red with yellow to make orange. It does not matter which color is oil- or water-based – it’s just the correct combination.
- Screw tops on each bottle.
- Shake each bottle to see how the colors combine. Adjust accordingly by adding more food coloring or dye.
- Put a thin bead of hot glue around the top of each water bottle to seal them well.
That’s it! Now shake and see what colors you’ve made. This craft also provides an opportunity to teach your kids about the characteristics of oil and water.
Notes
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Smaller water bottles do better for smaller hands since they have to be able to shake them.
- This craft will stain.
- Beware of red and especially blue. They are so pigmented in color and can be challenging to balance out. Purple is the hardest color to get right because it uses both of these. Start with teeny tiny amounts of color. If it becomes too dark, dilute it with either more water or more mineral oil
- You can sub super glue to seal the tops if you think you need something stronger. Again, this will stain.
Play and Learn
That’s it! I first saw color-changing bottles in a teacher supply catalog years ago. They were so expensive that I thought, “I can make those.” And now, you can too!
