Create ‘Magical’ Rainbow Flowers

Flowers are a beautiful sight to behold. They add a splash of colour to any landscape, and their aroma can be intoxicating. There is something about flowers that makes people happy, and it is no wonder that they are often used at weddings and other celebrations as a symbol of joy.

It’s also hard to top Nature when it comes to creating beautifully coloured flower petals, but in this short science experiment, you will get to try to do just that!

In this blog, we’re going to share with you a little trick for colouring flowers using food dye.

This fun science experiment is easy to do on your kitchen table and is guaranteed to impress!

There are lots of resources online for how to do this. However, here’s one we recommend, titled ‘Kids’ Science Experiment – How to turn white flowers into colourful carnations!‘

How to create your vibrant flowers

First, you’ll need to gather some supplies. For this project, you’ll need:

• Flowers (white are recommended to best see the results)
• Food colouring
• A container for each colour you want to use
• Water
• A spoon or other stirring implement

Begin by filling each container with water and adding a few drops of food colouring. We recommend blue, green, and purple, but you can use any colours you like.

Stir the water until the food colouring is evenly distributed.

Next, take your flowers and remove any leaves that would be below the waterline in your containers. Gently lower the flowers into the water, making sure that each one is completely submerged.

Leave the flowers to soak for at least an hour, or until the petals are as vibrant as you’d like them to be. Carefully remove the flowers from the water and set them on a paper towel to dry.

And that’s it! You now have beautiful, multi-coloured flowers to enjoy.

The ‘science’

When you add food dye to water, it dissolves into small molecules called ions. These ions can bind to other molecules, which is what happens when the dye attaches to the surface of the flower petals. The type of dye molecule and the pH of the water both affect how strongly the dye will bind to the surface.

Most food dyes are made from synthetic chemicals, but some natural dyes can be made from plant matter. If you want to get extra-eco-fancy, consider using blueberries, spirulina, and matcha powder to make purple, green, and blue flowers respectively. You can experiment with different colours and see what works best for you.

In the video resource we mentioned above, they suggest gently cutting the stem in two and placing either side in a different vessel of coloured water to create multi-coloured flowers.

You might even consider this activity as a great way for you and your kids to make custom designed flower posies as gifts for friends and family.

Have fun with this project and see what beautiful results you can create!

Image credit

Photo by Matthieu Bühler on Unsplash