Color detective is a fun activity that uses materials you already have. Keep school age kids stimulated and engaged with this fun color matching activity.

Supplies for Color Detective

• Clear cups
• Food coloring (A few sets)
• Pitcher of Water
• Measuring cup

Setup the Color Matching Activity

Fill one clear cup with 1 cup of water.   Add 5 drops of food coloring. For example, you may put in two blues, a yellow and two reds. Write down what five color drops you put into the cup.

Presentation and Discussion

Present the cup of colored water to the kiddos, then show them the four colors from the food coloring box. Remind kids that the three of the four colors in the box; red, blue and yellow are primary colors. A primary color is a color that can not be made by mixing other colors together. Also, primary colors are the base of all other colors. If you are working with young children they may benefit from experimental color mixing activities like color mixing water play. They may also find visual charts helpful like this one from first-school.ws

After discussing the basics of color mixing tell the children that in your cup of water you put 5 drops of food coloring. Discuss what colors may be in the cup using the basic color mixing knowledge.

How to Run a Color Detective Activity

Give each child a cup, in each cup add one cup of water. It is important that you measure out exactly one cup because if the amount of water is different from cup to cup the color outcome may affected. Once the cup has the correct amount of water use a sharpie to mark the water level so that the next time you need to refill the cup you can use the mark as reference.

Ask the kids to write down what combination they think is in the cup. Then allow kids to mix their own combinations if its developmentally appropriate. Help younger children who may struggle to get the correct number of drops into the water, or better yet get older children to help them.

After kids have their 5 drops in their water ask them to compare it to your water. Ask them analyze the colors, comparing them to original water color.  Is it lighter? Darker?  what could be changed?

Dump out the old water, fill the cup once again with 1 cup of water and have them try again.  Have kids continue to try until someone gets the color matching correct.

In my experience kids could have done this all day if they were allowed.  All the children ages 5-12 enjoyed this activity.  This project is a fun and affordable STEM activity for kids!