• How To Make Rainbow Cupcakes In A Jar
• How To Make Rainbow In A Bottle

Thanks for visiting my page, I hope you enjoy this tutorial on how to make a galaxy jar! This DIY rainbow Galaxy jar project was fun to make, you can make with any colors that you want! Mason jar (small or large) 2. Cotton balls 3.

This rainbow cake in a jar looks really pretty and makes a great gift. It’s a perfect solution when you need a few small gifts since the recipe will make about four small rainbow cakes (depending on the size of the mason jars and the cake mix used). Once you have completed the rainbow cake you can print the custom labels to personalize the gift and add a more professional touch.
There are two different methods to make a rainbow cake in a mason jar. The first method is to pour the cake batter into the mason jar, layer by layer, and then bake the batter in the mason jar. The layers tend to mix and it often creates a messy finish. The advantage is that you don’t waste any cake batter and you will probably get around 3 to 4 rainbow cake mason jars.
Another method is to bake the colored cakes and then cut out circles the size of the mason jar. You then spread white frosting on each circle and carefully insert each layer into the mason jar, layer by layer, until they are all inside the jar. The disadvantage is that you will waste some cake and will probably only get around 2 to 3 rainbow cake mason jars but you can make cake pops with the leftovers. You can also just insert the leftovers into a jar and I’m sure that there will be many volunteers to eat the cake even if it doesn’t look perfect!
This method creates a perfect finish and makes your gift look spectacular!
Ingredients:

• 1 Box white cake mix and any other ingredients required according to the instructions on the box
• Ready-made / home-made white frosting
• Gel food colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple)
• Wide mouth mason jars
• Wet wipes or paper towels (to wipe the jar down if necessary)
• Disposable spoons
• White ribbons
• Rainbow sprinkles

Method:

1. Wash and dry the mason jars.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.
3. Make the white cake batter according to the directions on the box.
4. Divide the batter into six portions (you can make more or less colors if you prefer).
5. Add a different food color to each portion. Since food color is often very concentrated add a few drops and mix and then only add more if necessary. It is easy to add more but problematic if you add too much.

To bake the rainbow cake in the Mason jar:

1. If you are going to bake the rainbow cakes in the mason jars then spoon about a quarter of the red batter into the first jar. Then add the orange batter, then the yellow, then the green, then the blue and then the purple.
2. If the batter drips on the jar then wipe it clean before moving on to the next layer.
3. Repeat these steps until you have finished all of the batter.
4. Fill the bottom of a glass baking dish with about a half inch of water. This will prevent the cake from browning. Carefully place the mason jars in the baking dish.
5. Bake for about half an hour or a little longer if necessary (until a toothpick comes out clean). It is important that the cake is ready yet not browned as it won’t look as good.

To bake the rainbow cake before inserting in the mason jar:

1. Pour each portion of batter into a small baking dish.
2. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (go according to the cake instructions but check it early since you are only baking part of the cake box and it should be ready sooner).
3. Allow to cool.
4. Cut out circles the size of the mason jar’s opening. If you do not have a round cookie cutter then use the jar to cut the cake into circles. You can also use a glass cup if you have one the same size.
5. Spread each circle with white frosting and then gently insert into the mason jar. Start with the red cake, then add the orange cake, then the yellow, then the green, then the blue and then the purple.

For both methods continue from here:

1. Add frosting.
2. Decorate with colored sprinkles.
3. Connect a spoon to each mason jar and tie with a ribbon or string.
4. Make a heart shaped chalkboard custom label and adhere with paper glue (unless you print on sticker paper)

This week, Onetime and I had fun exploring some different ways of creating rainbows at home and we’re going to share those with you today.

I’ve also rounded up lots of other fun rainbow activities that you might be inspired to try with your kids.

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To Make Rainbows – You Will Need:

• • a flashlight or a sunny day
  • a mirror (at least 5″ by 5″)
  • a pan of water
  • a CD
  • a prism (we used this one: Tedco Light Crystal Prism – 2.5″)
  • some white paper
  • a small cue card
  • a tall, clear straight-sided glass of water

What Makes a Rainbow?

Before we began our rainbow making adventures, I talked with Onetime a little bit about how sunlight is made up of many colours all put together.

A rainbow appears when the light gets split up into its 7 different colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Sometimes referred to as “Roy G. Biv”

Usually – the reason the light gets split up is because it is passing through a substance that bends the light. The different coloured wavelengths bend in different amounts.

Red tends to bend the least, so it appears on the top of the rainbow, while violet bends the most and ends up on the bottom – with all the other colours in between.

When we see a rainbow in the sky, it is usually when the sun is behind us and it is shining through millions of tiny raindrops floating in the sky – all of which are bending the light and projecting the rainbow.

(Did you know that sometimes – rainbows appear at night too? Read this post to find out about Moonbows!)

In any case – we don’t need raindrops to make a rainbow. Here are our 5+ different ways to make rainbows of your own INSIDE!

1. Making Rainbows with a Mirror

Let’s start with the easiest! Fill a large bowl or dish halfway with water and prop up a mirror inside it so that part of the mirror is under the water and part is out.

Place the rainbow maker near a sunny window with direct light coming in so that it hits the mirror (early morning or early evening light works best).

Play around with holding a large white piece of paper above the maker to “catch” the rainbow. You might have to move a bit until you find it.

How To Make Rainbow Cupcakes In A Jar

Play around with moving the paper closer to the mirror and then farther away to see how your rainbow changes!

SAFETY NOTE: Just like you should never look directly into the sun, be sure that you do not look directly into the reflection from the mirror. It can damage your eyes. If you are at all concerned about this with your child, instead of using sunlight, try a darkened room with a strong light source instead.

2. Making Rainbows with a Glass of Water

When light goes through a glass of water – it also splits into a rainbow.

To get ready – take a piece of paper and cut a slot into the middle of it. Tape this onto the side of a smooth/clear drinking glass so that the sun’s rays can pass through the opening onto the SURFACE of the water in the glass.

You will need to do this on a very sunny day (or try a darkened room with a strong direct light source.)

Make sure that the glass of water is VERY FULL. Place the glass on a white floor or white piece of paper, making sure the sun’s rays are shining through the slot in your paper and hitting the surface of the water.

You should see a mini-rainbow appear below the glass!

Have your child describe the colours they see and you can talk about rainbows you have seen in the sky and how they are similar or different.

3. Making Rainbows with a Prism

If you’re lucky enough to have a crystal chandelier at home, or a hanging crystal decoration, you may not need to buy a prism. We didn’t – so I picked one up at our local kids’ toy shop.

Basically, all I did was place a large piece of white paper on the floor beside our living room window that lets in lots of direct sunlight in the morning.

Onetime figured out pretty quickly that by moving it around, he could make a rainbow beam appear on the paper. He had lots of fun moving the prism in different ways and exploring how to change the size of the rainbow.

If you happen to have 2 of the standard prisms, you can have the light pass through one prism (which then breaks into a rainbow) and enter the other prism – which then bends it back into white light. Cool huh?

For other prism play ideas, check out Rainbow Prism Busy Bag, and Prism Play and Chalk Art.

4. Making Rainbows with a CD

You can make this really simple and just hold a CD up to some sunlight – or shine a flashlight on one in a darkened room – and you will see a rainbow on the CD.

How To Make Rainbow In A Bottle

Or go a little further, and try to catch the reflection of the light on some paper!

The reason why a rainbow appears is because there are tiny ridges in the surface of the CD that are reflecting the light in different directions. To read more about the science behind CD rainbows – check out this post at Exploratorium.

5. Making Other Rainbows

Other ways we didn’t try: misting a hose on a sunny day with the sun behind you, looking for rainbows in bubbles and oil slicks, wearing rainbow glasses (okay maybe that one doesn’t count!)

We plan on waiting for a warm spring day to try these out! For even more ideas and tips – check out this Rainbow Making WikiHow.

More Rainbow Activities

Experience colour mixing and crazy sensory fun with Rainbow Goop

Build a Fine-Motor Rainbow to work on fine-motor skills and to create a beautiful craft.

Make Milky Rainbows with ingredients from your kitchen.

Try making our St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Math Bin for a fun search for gold and counting fun under the rainbow.

Other Rainbow Ideas

• Rainbow Fine Motor Play at Sugar Aunts looks like colourful fun.
• St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Slime from Left Brain Craft Brain is glittery awesomeness!
• The New Rainbow Jello, Soda Bottle Rainbow craft, yummy-smelling Rainbow Rice, and Sort a Rainbow activities from A Little Pinch of Perfect will keep the kids busy.
• This St. Patrick’s Day Learning Pack from Totschooling has lots of shamrocks, gold and rainbows.
• This Rainbow Retelling bracelet craft from Growing Book by Book can be used with any story to build comprehension and retelling skills.
• Love this Liquid Rainbow Jar from Playdough to Plato for learning about density.

Picture Books for Learning About Rainbows

To find some excellent children’s books to learn more about rainbows – click on the picture below!

Hope you found some fun rainbow learning activities for your kids today. We certainly learned a lot and had a few very colourful days at home with these activities!

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