Science Coloring Page

Something exciting is happening on this science coloring page. A young scientist in a white lab coat and goggles lifts a flask of bubbling green liquid high in the air, while bubbles float up toward the ceiling. The bench is full of real tools: a rack of four test tubes, three beakers and a microscope, with two pens tucked in the coat pocket. Above them hang small planets on strings, next to a big poster of an atom.

Ages 5 to 11 fit best. Expect to spend about 30 to 40 minutes, as the bench has lots of small shapes. Young kids can focus on the scientist and the bubbles.

Mixing colors in the lab

Everything in a lab begins with a clean white, so color can be used in a fun way here. Leave the coat white and let the liquids do the work. Green in the big flask looks like a real experiment, and the test tubes can go red, yellow, blue and green from left to right.

Try a little color science as you work. Fill the first beaker with blue, the second with yellow, and then use both of those crayons on the smallest beaker. It comes out green, and your child gets to see it happen.

The wall tiles look nice in a soft purple or pale blue. Each bubble can have a color of its own. Save your brightest orange for the planet with the ring.

Tips for the small tools

• Fill the liquids first, then leave the top of each glass white so it still looks like glass.
• Color the goggles lightly so the eyes behind them still show.
• Do the three cabinet doors in one color and let the magnet, plant and H2O label stand out.
• Use a dark gray for the microscope base and a brighter color on its curved arm.

Sharp colored pencils are best on the test tubes and beakers. Markers can bleed across those thin lines, and one slip will turn a whole rack into a blob.

Science you can spot in the picture

The poster shows a model of an atom, with tiny electrons moving around a center called the nucleus. Everything you can touch is made of atoms, and they are far too small to see even with this microscope. Britannica's page on the atom explains it for older kids.

Look at the label on the right cabinet door. H2O is the name scientists give to water, because each tiny piece of it has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

About 360 years ago, an English scientist named Robert Hooke looked at a thin slice of cork under his microscope. He saw tiny boxes and called them cells, the word we still use today.

Try an experiment with your science coloring page

That bubbling flask is easy to copy at home. Put two spoons of baking soda in a cup, set it on a tray, and pour in some vinegar. The fizz is a gas called carbon dioxide, and it is safe as long as a grown-up helps and nobody drinks it. Add a drop of food coloring for a real green brew.

Before you pour, have your child write down a guess on the back of the page. Will it overflow? Good scientists guess first and check after. Then give the scientist in the drawing a name, and write a short lab report underneath.

In class, ask students to find each tool and say what it does. A magnet, a seed in a pot and a jar of water can each start a small lesson of their own.

More for young scientists

You can find this sheet in our preschool coloring pages. A curious child may want to head outward with the planets drawing, or build something with the rocket. For number work, try the math classroom.

Questions