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Make a Rainbow with Capillary Action

Prep Time20 minutes
Author: Michelle Moody

Materials

Instructions

  • Fill each jar with equal amounts of water
  • Pour 10 drops of red in one jar of water, 10 drops of yellow in another jar of water, 10 drops of blue in another jar of water, and 5 drops of blue and 5 drops of red in the last jar of water.
  • Measure the paper towel lengthwise, and draw six (6) evenly spaced vertical lines.
    properties of water capillary action
  • Draw down each line using the wax stick or white crayon.
    properties of water capillary action
  • Cut a quarter of the way down each line from step 4. Bend back the second, fourth, and sixth sections.
    properties of water capillary action
  • Place the jars of water from step 2 on a baking sheet.
  • At the same time, place the first section of the paper towel into the red colored water jar, the third section into the yellow water, the fifth section into the blue water, and the seventh section into the purple water.
    properties of water capillary action
  • Watch as the water travels down the paper towel.
    properties of water capillary action
  • Once the water has traveled all the way down, remove the paper towel from the jars. Lay the paper towel flat on the cookie sheet to dry.
  • Once dry, you'll have a beautiful rainbow, just like the ones after a rain!
    properties of water capillary action