Rain cloud in a jar science experiment
This easy science experiment is a fun way to explain how rain clouds work.
Science experiments can be messy, they can be educational, and they can also be super fun! You can learn about how rain clouds form through this simple activity.
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What you need:
- 1 x jar
- tap water
- shaving foam
- blue food colouring
- pipette or glass dropper (if your food colouring doesn't have one)
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This is what yours should look like. Source: supplied.
Fill your jar about three-quarters full with water from the tap.
Use the shaving foam to create a cloud on top of the water.
Let the foam settle a bit.
Now drop food colouring into the 'cloud'. As your cloud fills up, the food colouring will fall down into the water creating a rain-like effect.
How do clouds work?
Clouds are formed when water vapor rises into the air. When the vapour hits cold air, it turns back into droplets of water. Those tiny drops of water floating in the air collect and "stick" together to form clouds. When clouds get so full of water that they can't hold any more, the water falls back to the ground as rain.
This article was originally published on 23 October, 2015 and was updated on 13 May, 2021.