Make Rainbows using CDs

Did you know that you can make rainbows using CDs?  Yup!  It's true.  Check out this rainbow that Chuck and I made right in his room.  All we needed was a bright patch of sun, a CD, and a white surface.

Keep reading to see how we made these lovely rainbows!


 Here's what you need to make your very own rainbows:

• Bright patch of sunshine (or, if it's cloudy, you could use a flashlight)
• CD
• White surface (We used the wall and a white canvas)

Got everything?  Great!  Let's make some rainbows!

(Note:  If you're looking for the scientific explanation behind why this works, check out the Exploratorium.  I found this idea there.  The site also has lots of other fun science activities that you can do at home.)

Place your CD in a bright patch of sunshine.  Use the shiny side to reflect your rainbows. (If it's not that sunny, you could also shine a flashlight onto the CD to reflect rainbows.)

At first, we reflected rainbows onto the wall.  I was delighted to see the colors, but Chuck was not so impressed because the rainbow was rather pale.

Then, I set up a white surface closer to our CD.

Whoa!  Now Chuck got excited because we saw vibrant colors.

We made lots of different looking rainbows when we wiggled the CD around.  Here's a circular rainbow!

And of course, we had to give Chuck's buddy Mac a turn at making his own rainbows too.

Happy rainbow making, friends!  Hope this activity brightens your day!

(Psst- If you're looking for more rainbow themed posts, check out Kids Chaos for a great list!)