This is such an easy- and magical!- experiment to make. First, dab some watercolor pigment (we used these watercolors) onto your paper in multiple places. You could use just one color, but I wanted the kids to see what happened where the pigments mixed & mingled. For example, can you see where the blue & yellow are overlapping above to form green? And some purple from the red & blue at the very top? So neat. But these layers won't happen if your paper falls apart in the process, so make sure you check out our former "Rain Art" post for paper recommendations! 

Then, once your watercolor is on the paper, it goes out in the rain for the magic to happen.

Be ready for some calm, entranced children during the process! It's mesmerizing to watch the rain hit the paper and move the pigment around. This was a good twenty minute's worth of entertainment for two kids who come running down the stairs first thing in the morning, and don't stop all day (smile). 

Then, as another layer of science fun, we sprinkled salt on top of the finished product. It was fun to discuss what they saw happening as the salt interacted with the watercolors. Since salt is a desiccant, it sucks up the water/liquid wherever it lands. I hadn't used salt & watercolors together since college, and I forgot how neat it was to watch! 

Can you see all those gorgeous speckled areas from the salt? When we do this experiment again, I will be dabbing less watercolor on the paper. Our large globs took several days to dry, which meant getting down wet paintings a couple times a day to prove to the kids that they really weren't dry and ready to be hung up yet. I think smaller globs will dry faster next time- I'll let you know how it goes! 

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