Both children, old and young, cannot resist the charm of water and sand. They can always have a great time and forget about themselves. However, many parents are worried that their children's clothes will get wet when they play in the water, especially in this weather where it is easy to catch cold. The three-and-a-half-year-old kid always takes every opportunity to splash the tap water every time he washes his hands. But this little experiment of making homemade rainbow water not only attracts children to the charm of colors, but also allows them to learn some popular science knowledge. Let’s try it together.

The materials are all common kitchen items in daily life, such as a purple cabbage, several cups (preferably transparent), sugar, oral alkali, white vinegar (vinegar is also acceptable), Sprite, lemon, water .

01. Cut the purple cabbage leaves into shreds and blanch them in water. Collect the water. This is a magic wand for making rainbow water. The blanching process itself is magical, the purple leaves are poured into the pot, leaving behind indeed blue water.

02. Mix a small cup each of sugar water, alkaline water, white vinegar water, Sprite, and lemon water. If you don’t have white vinegar, you can use vinegar, but it should be diluted a little to avoid affecting the discoloration effect.

03. The time to witness the miracle has arrived. Use a small spoon or dropper to slowly drop the collected purple cabbage water into several glasses of water. It turns out that a variety of wonderful colors can appear in a colorless and transparent cup.

After reaching this point, the baby must be deeply attracted by the brightly colored water and will never think of throwing it away. Now it’s time for the baby to play on his own. What will happen if you add a little more purple cabbage water? What color does water of different colors turn into when mixed together? These questions will keep the children busy for a long time.

In the process of constant experimentation, my classmate Xiaorou has become able to skillfully pour the water in the cup back and forth. And I couldn't bear to spill it at all, let alone let the water splash. This is the water he cherishes most, comparable to milk powder.

After a series of sensory stimulation, the little guy who loves to ask questions will start the One Hundred Thousand Whys mode. This is a good opportunity for scientific enlightenment, but try to explain it in a way that children can understand.

For example: There are a group of cute little guys in the purple cabbage. When we put the purple cabbage in the pot to cook, they sneaked into the water. But we soon discovered them because they turned blue when they encountered water. This group of little guys love to change their faces. When they encounter lemon water and Sprite, they turn purple, when they encounter alkaline water, they become bluer, and when they encounter sugar water, they turn green. So many different colors are created by these little guys. They are awesome, right? Want to know their names?

Scientists discovered that they had this magical function, and they kept looking for different liquids to do experiments. Later, it was discovered that the pH of different liquids is different. The anthocyanins in purple cabbage can be used to indicate their pH. If you have an older child, you can also take him with you to identify the pH of tap water, purified water and other liquids in your life. Using your brain can also inspire your children to think about why the water for cooking purple cabbage is blue?

A little experiment that is both interesting and informative. Try it with your kids.