You’ll need

  • A sunny day
  • Sheets of cellophane in different colours
  • Tape
  • A window with light shining through
  • Some white paper

What to do

  1. Tape the sheets of cellophane on the window. Arrange your white paper so the light falls on it. What colours are there?
  2. Overlap 2 colours. What new colour do you make?
  3. Experiment with the other sheets of cellophane to make different colours.

Questions to ask

How many different colours can you make?

Try putting 3 or 4 different colours on top of each other. What happens?

Does it work if you put the cellophane on the paper instead of the window?

What's happening

When kids colour, or use paint, they understand that mixing colours can create new colours. This activity helps them discover which colours they can make from other colours. They may also learn that they can see colour better with brighter light.