Skittles Rainbow

The Skittles Rainbow experiment is one of the most colorful and eye-catching science activities you can try at home. It’s simple, quick, and creates a magical rainbow pattern right before your eyes. Even though it looks like art, there’s real science behind the way the colors spread. This experiment is a great way to show kids how dissolving works and how substances move through water.

What You Need

• A pack of Skittles (any colors will do)
• A shallow plate
• Warm water

What to Do

1. Take a handful of Skittles and arrange them in a circle around the edge of the plate.
2. Slowly pour warm water into the center of the plate until it just touches the Skittles.
3. Wait and watch as the colors begin to spread toward the middle, creating a rainbow pattern.

What Happens

As the warm water touches the Skittles, the sugar coating and food coloring begin to dissolve. The colors slowly spread into the water, moving toward the center of the plate. Each Skittle releases its color, and together they form a beautiful rainbow or starburst pattern. The colors often meet in the middle, but instead of mixing completely, they create distinct lines that look like a magical rainbow design.

The Science Concept

The Skittles Rainbow demonstrates two important science ideas: dissolving and diffusion.

• Dissolving: The sugar and food coloring coating on the Skittles dissolves when it comes into contact with water. Warm water speeds this up because heat makes molecules move faster.
• Diffusion: Once dissolved, the colored sugar water starts spreading out into the surrounding water. Diffusion is the natural movement of particles from an area where they are crowded (near the Skittles) to where they are less concentrated (toward the middle of the plate).
• Color boundaries: The reason the colors don’t mix right away is that the water between them has very little movement. This creates sharp, clear lines between each color, adding to the beauty of the rainbow effect.

Why It Looks Like a Rainbow

Skittles come in bright colors like red, orange, yellow, green, and purple. When arranged in a circle, each color dissolves into the water and moves toward the center. Since the colors are positioned next to each other, the result is a perfect rainbow-like pattern. It’s not only fun to watch but also a great way to connect candy with chemistry.

Fun Variations

• Different shapes: Instead of a circle, arrange the Skittles in a line, heart, or spiral. See what patterns appear.
• Cold water vs. warm water: Try using cold water and compare how fast the colors spread. Warm water usually dissolves the sugar faster.
• Other candies: Experiment with M&Ms, jellybeans, or any other colorful candy to see if they create similar patterns.
• Salt water vs. plain water: Use salt water instead of regular water. How does that affect the way the colors spread?

Learning Outcome

The Skittles Rainbow is more than just a pretty picture—it’s a chance to learn how sugar and coloring dissolve and how diffusion works in liquids. It shows how molecules move, how heat affects dissolving, and why patterns can form in nature. Best of all, it combines science with fun, making it a perfect activity for kids and families to enjoy together.