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How to Make Your Own Rainbow Rain Experiment – DIY Rain Cloud In a Jar

Let’s learn about the weather, and find out why it rains with this cool rainbow rain experiment.

This shaving cream rain cloud experiment is perfect for toddlers and kindergartners at home and in the classroom. All you need for this cloud science project is shaving cream and food coloring and you are good to go.

Let’s dive right in.

DIY Rainbow cloud experiment

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DIY Rainbow Rain Experiment

This rainbow cloud experiment for kids is not only perfect for creative sensory play. It also provides a wonderful hands-on opportunity to let children explore the concept of rain with their own eyes and supports their understanding.

Depending on your children’s age group you can easily adjust this rain cloud in a jar activity with the input of knowledge and the difficulty you are providing.

How to Make a Rain Cloud

Let’s find out how we can make it rain in a jar. Here is what you need for our fun magic cloud experiment.

Rainbow Rain Materials

  • food coloring
  • a big clear jar or vase
  • shaving cream
  • water
materials for rain cloud in a jar experiment

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Background Knowledge

For a better understanding of this fun cloud experiment make sure to explain to your children the following facts before you get started:

  • The water symbolizes the air.
  • Shaving cream is our rain cloud and vapor.
  • And the food coloring shows the raindrops.

Let’s create our own rainbow rain experiment now. Simply follow this easy step-by-step instruction below or scroll down to print them.

Rainbow Rain Experiment Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the rain jar

Fill your glass jar or vase with ¾ of water.


Step 2: Create a rain cloud

Now place the shaving cream on the top of the water to create a big fluffy cloud.


Step 3: Add rain to the cloud

To create rain droplets add various food colors to the shaving cream. The more drops you add, the more rain will fall.

shaving cream rain cloud

This might be interesting for you too:
STEM Education has many benefits, read more about them here.
You might also enjoy our popular Dancing Grape ExperimentFizzy Ice Project, learn How to Grow a Rainbow, make Borax Crystal Ornaments, or check out our Rainbow Quotes.

Step 4: Let it rain

Watch the drops of food color make their way through the cloud of shaving cream into the water. Pay attention and be prepared the droplets will fall quickly!


Oh, and if you feel like crafting our free Umbrella Templates are the perfect match for your rain cloud in a jar experiment. Or try any of our other 15 Fun Water Science Experiments for Kids and start your Weather Chart.

What Is the Science Behind the Rain Cloud in a Jar Experiment?

Through the heat of the sun, water vaporizes into the sky and forms clouds which are symbolized by our shaving cream.

As we add food coloring, the cloud slowly takes in our colored rain droplets.
The clouds fill up and hold as much as they can take in before reaching their abundance. That’s when the rain falls.

Fun Facts About Rain and Rain Clouds

  • There are different types of clouds the 3 most common ones are: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus clouds.
  • Did you know that water can also fall from the sky in the form of hail, sleet, or snow?
  • Rain is an important part of our water cycle. Without water, most parts of our planet would turn into deserts. To learn more about our water cycle take a look here.
shaving cream rain cloud experiment

Tips

  • To improve your children’s fine motor skills you can also use small plastic containers and a dropper instead of food coloring. Just add water to each container, add a couple of drops of food coloring to it, and stir it. Let the kids use this colored water to create rain with their pipettes.
  • Besides teaching your kids about the weather this cool rainbow rain cloud experiment also gives you the perfect opportunity to explain to your children the concept of mixing colors and how new colors are created. Use the primary colors red, yellow, and blue and see what happens when they mix when the rain falls in the water.

Summary

My kids love this colorful rainbow in a jar weather activity and want to do it over and over again! It’s a creative way to illustrate how rain is falling from clouds.

Your children can learn a lot from this hands-on STEM activity, such as exploring the weather concept, including clouds, rain, or even the whole water cycle, introducing new vocabulary and the concept of cause and effect.

Therefore it is a perfect rainy day activity I can fully recommend!

Pin This Fun Rainbow Rain Experiment

Don’t forget to save this rainbow clouds experiment on Pinterest for later! Be sure you are following along with Lil Tigers.

Now it is your turn!
How did your kids enjoy this easy shaving cream rainbow rain cloud experiment?
Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
I’d love to hear from you!


Rainbow cloud experiment

DIY Rainbow cloud science experiment

Learn about the concept of rain with this fun rainbow cloud science experiment

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Difficulty easy

Materials

  • Shaving Cream
  • Food coloring
  • Water
  • Glas container

Instructions

  1. Fill your glas container 3/4th with water
  2. Add shaving cream as shown in the picture
  3. Add a couple of drops of food coloring on the shaving cream
  4. Let it rain

Mollie

Monday 9th of August 2021

Pretty! This was an extremely wonderful article. Many thanks for supplying this information.

Lil Tigers

Monday 9th of August 2021

Your welcome, I m glad you like it!

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