Rainbow Shine: 11 Ways To Make A Rainbow In Lockdown

There's a good chance you've already spotted quite a few rainbows out and about lately, or maybe you are already on the look out for them with the kids,  rainbows are all the rage and for very good reason!

Across the world rainbows are being used a  symbol of hope, while so many people are living in lockdown or isolation this is a wonderful way to show that we are all in this together.

Rainbow spotting is a lovely way to add a sense of adventure to your walks too.

Perhaps you already have a rainbow in the window, but in case you haven't or would like to add to your rainbow gallery - check out our rainbow art and craft ideas below!

Art projects are a great way to spend time together as a family, its not just for the kids either, join in and get your creativity flowing.

This is also a good opportunity to learn the order of the colours that make up a rainbow, from top of the arch to the bottom- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, check out this super cute Sesame Street video for a fun acronym to help you remember!

1. Paint Techniques

You can achieve so many beautiful results simply using paint to make your rainbow art.

Go bold with bright poster paint, or create a calmer piece  with water colours. You could lift the paper up as soon as you apply the paint to create an amazing dripping effect, or use other equipment to make your marks instead of paintbrushes, such as stamps or corks.

Another fun easy way to make rainbow art with paint is to use a generous amount of paint, acrylic works well for this- then press another piece of paper or card on top to create a print!

2. Straw Blowing

This a really fun way to create a totally random and abstract piece of rainbow artwork. If you have paint in squeezy style bottles simply squeeze your lines of paint directly onto the paper, if not - you can use a paintbrush, don't be shy you need a good amount of paint for this.

Then take your straw and simply blow the paint up the page or in all directions. Take a look at this video to get the technique perfected.

3. Bubble Painting

This is such a cool and scientific way to make a beautiful and unique rainbow print. Perfect to make with kids as they will love making the bubbles appear.

This is a little more time consuming compared to some of our other rainbow art ideas but it is 100% worth it. Check out this tutorial for detailed instructions on this fun technique, but simply arrange your colours in the order and shape of a rainbow.

4. Handprint Rainbow

We think this one would look amazing on a larger scale, get the whole family involved and you will have a lovely piece of art to frame once it’s done it’s job in the window! Simply choose a colour or two each and get messy, paint your hands and press into the paper to make your hand print rainbow.

Alternatively for individual rainbows, help the kids to paint their hands with rainbow stripes, then they simply press their hands across the paper in the shape of an arch.

With younger children you could also make a cute 'finger print' rainbow instead. For some more inspiration take a look at this page.

5. Wax Relief

For an exciting rainbow reveal, you will need a white crayon, and water colour or watered down paint. You draw your rainbow with the white crayon, this can be a little tricky to see on top of white card or paper, but we love an abstract rainbow so don't worry about keeping it neat.

Once the wax is on, you simply create a wash of paint, horizontally across the page in the order of the rainbow, the image will show through. Super easy and very impressive.

6. Collage

Collage is a great way to encourage creative thinking, you can use so many different things.

Ripped or cut up issue paper is really simple but effective, and looks great on a large scale, you can paste on overlapping squares of tissue paper for a uniform look, or scrunch up the pieces for a more random 3D result.

If you have some magazines at home that you don't mind cutting up, you can challenge the kids to look through and find as many items as they can in each shade of the rainbow, then cut and stick for a quirky mixed up rainbow.

You could also use buttons, scraps of fabric or wool and thread to create your rainbow collage, anything goes!

7. Crochet or Macrame

One for the slighter older kids or to make as a team, there are some amazing tutorials available for crocheting and macrame. These will not only look beautiful on display in your window but when all this has passed (as it will!)

these will look lovely on display at home.

Crocheting can look tricky but once you get the hang of it, it is really quite easy.

Take a look at this video to learn how to crochet a rainbow, this is also a great video if you are a total beginner.

Macrame is  a great option if you like the look of textiles but aren't sure about the needles, hooks and patterns, as it is all done with your hands by creating a series of knots, take a look here if you fancy having a go at a macrame rainbow.

8. Liquid Chalk

Chalk pens are a great way to make your rainbow stand out - by drawing it directly onto the window. This is a really fun and easy activity for the kids too they will love being allowed to draw on the windows, you may end up with a bit more than just a rainbow.

Remember if you want to write message as well, such as 'We love you NHS' or 'Thank you key workers!' you will need to write it backwards.

9. Blocks

If all the Lego or Duplo in the house hasn't been put to use already, this would be a great way to build a rainbow to place in the window. You could make one giant one, or create a whole city of rainbows in all different sizes for a super eye catching display.

If you need some inspiration to get started, this page has a great tutorial for building  a beautiful Lego rainbow.

10. Street Art!

If you have a pavement outside or nearby this is a great way to spread the joy to everyone walking past, if you are feeling brave why not paint or draw with chalk directly onto your house - the bigger the better.

Simply take your chalk and draw your rainbow directly onto the ground, this is sure to make people smile when they are walking along and a fun one to spot for those on a rainbow treasure hunt!

Make sure to only  do this one if you can do so safely and within social distancing regulations.

11. Glitter

Is there anything more uplifting and glamorous than a sparkly rainbow? Draw out your rainbow then squeeze the glue along the outline, or forget the drawing and just freestyle, then add the glitter.

For an extra precise rainbow, take your time and add the glitter to one section at a time, to minimise mixing, then you can shake off the excess as you go along, so as not to waste the any glitter- on lockdown with kids we need to save all the craft supplies we can.