Students collect a variety of cloth materials, such as cotton, velvet, denim, felt and a polyester material. Have them choose more than one color of each in both dark and light colors. Keep samples of each piece of cloth in a cool, dark place for comparison to see how much colors have or have not faded. Students subject the material to a variety of possible color fading conditions. Place cloth in direct sunlight and indirect sunlight. Place cloth under a lamp. Wash some material in hot water, some in cool. Use bleach with some material. While material that is washed will show fading quickly, sunlight takes longer to show results. Students observe changes in color and make conclusions based on their color fading cloth experiments.
Colors in paper may also fade. Students choose different colors of construction paper, including black. Keep original samples for comparison. Place the different colored construction paper in full and partial sun and under lamps. For another experiment, choose paper with a variety of properties such as photographs, full-color magazine ads, newspaper pictures or drawings on paper with crayons, markers or paint. For each experiment, students observe any changes daily, noting which colors fade first and the rate of that fade. Students note if the shade of color changes or if the color disappears all together.
Students test whether liquid color fades like color in cloth and paper. Students set up an experiment using water and differing colors of food dye. Students keep some of the glasses with food dye in a consistent temperature. They keep others in sunlight and subject others to heat, but not sunlight. Each day, students note changes and the rate of fade, if any. They also note whether temperature plays a part in colors fading. Have them try the experiment with other liquids such as drink mixes. Students chart the changes.
Homes provide an opportunity to observe the fading of colors. For a science experiment, ask students to note places around their homes where sunlight has access. Have them observe the colors on furniture, carpet and curtains in direct sunlight and outside the area of sunlight. They chart whether colors have faded and how much different the colors look from the original colors. Students note which colors have less fading and which material -- curtains, carpet or furniture covers -- best retain color. Students place a pillow near the window and observe color fading over the course of a month. Have students take pictures of their findings and create a poster for the class.