Little science · for 5 years · 5 min read

Kemi’s blue-sky why

A story for every child who asks “why?” all day long. It ends with a real kitchen experiment you can try together: a sky and a sunset in one glass.

Kemi leans in to sniff the basil plant on the windowsill, holding her toast, while Dad smiles beside the kitchen table.

Kemi loves the word “why”. “Why does toast go crunchy?” she asks at breakfast. Crunch, crunch! “Why does the basil smell so nice?” Dad smiles. “So many whys, and it’s only morning!”

Kemi splashes in a puddle in the courtyard and points up at the bright blue sky while Dad thinks, hand on his chin.

After the rain, Kemi jumps in a puddle. Splash! “Why do puddles splash?” Then she looks up. The sky is big and bright blue. “Dad, why is the sky blue?” Dad thinks. “That’s a big one. Let’s save the sky one for later,” he says.

Kemi kneels on a chair at the kitchen window, pointing at orange and gold sunset clouds over the rooftops, with Dad behind her.

That evening, the sky over the rooftops turns orange and gold, with a stripe of pink. “Dad, look! Now the sky is orange! Why?” “Remember, we never look straight at the Sun,” says Dad. So they look at the glowing clouds. “Later is now,” says Dad. “Let’s make a sky!”

At the kitchen table, Dad shows Kemi a drawing of white sunlight fanning into rainbow colours, and Kemi’s eyes go wide.

“First, a secret,” says Dad. “Sunlight looks white. But really it’s all the colours of the rainbow, mixed together.” Kemi’s eyes go wide. “Like a rainbow after rain?” “Yes! Raindrops split sunlight apart, so we can see the colours inside,” says Dad.

Dad holds a clear glass of water steady while Kemi stirs in a spoonful of milk, and the water turns cloudy.

Dad fills a clear glass with water and holds it steady. Kemi adds a little spoonful of milk. Stir, stir! The water turns cloudy. “Air is made of tiny bits, too small to see,” says Dad. “The milk is like those tiny bits.”

In the dark kitchen, Kemi shines a torch into the side of the milky glass and peeks down at its soft blue glow, with Dad beside her.

Kemi switches off the kitchen light. Click! She shines the torch into the side of the glass, never into anyone’s eyes. She peeks down from the top. “The glass is a little bit blue!” she gasps. “The tiny bits bounce blue light around more than red, orange or yellow,” says Dad. “The air does that too. Blue light comes at us from all over the sky,” he says. Kemi grins. “So that’s why the sky is blue!”

Dad holds the torch to the milky glass while Kemi, on the other side, looks through it and cheers at its warm sunset-orange glow.

Now Dad holds the torch steady. Kemi crouches on the other side and looks through the glass towards the glow. “Now it’s sunset orange!” “At sunset, the Sun is low,” says Dad. “Its light travels a long way through lots and lots of air. Most of the blue gets bounced away. The reds, oranges and yellows come through.” “I made a tiny sky and a tiny sunset!” cheers Kemi.

Kemi yawns on Dad’s lap by the window as the sky over the rooftops fades to soft dark blue.

Dad switches the light back on. They snuggle by the window together. Outside, the orange fades to a soft, dark blue. Kemi yawns a big yawn. “Dad… why do I get sleepy?” Dad smiles and hugs her close. “Let’s save that one for tomorrow.”

the end

let’s play: make a sky in a glass

With a grown-up, fill a clear glass with water.
Add a little milk and stir until the water is cloudy.
Turn off the light. Shine a torch into the side of the glass, never into anyone’s eyes.
Look down from the top. Is the water a little bit blue?
Now look through the glass towards the glow. Does it look like a sunset?

talk about it

What colours are hiding in sunlight?
Why did the milky glass look a little bit blue?
What colour was the glow at sunset time in the glass?
What would you like to ask “why” about?

for grown-ups

What this story helps with: Sunlight is a mix of all the rainbow’s colours. The air spreads blue light all over the sky more than red, orange or yellow, so the sky looks blue. At sunset the light crosses much more air, the blue is bounced away, and reds, oranges and yellows reach us.

The story practises curiosity, asking questions and finding answers by trying things out. Sunlight is a mix of colours; the air scatters blue light more than red, orange or yellow, so the sky looks blue, and at sunset the light crosses so much air that mostly reds, oranges and yellows reach us. The milk only needs to make the water slightly cloudy, and the blue is gentle. To continue, keep a “why” jar: write down your child’s questions and pick one to explore together each week. And remind them that we look at sunset clouds, never straight at the Sun.

sources we checked

Written and illustrated by the wishyou.today team. Every story is checked for age, kindness, safety and facts before it is published. Spotted something? Tell us on Instagram.

let’s play: make a sky in a glass

talk about it

for grown-ups

sources we checked

more stories