Movement of Water - Paper Towel Art

Create paper towel art with your preschooler and teach them about the movement of water at the same time. Water moves from areas of greater concentration to areas of less concentration and it likes to move along and into fibrous areas, like a paper towel. Teach your preschooler this concept and create art for fridge with this fun preschool science experiment.

What your Preschooler will Learn:

Water likes to move from areas of greater concentration (that bowl of water) to areas of lesser concentration (the paper towel). This is also known as diffusion.
The paper towel is made of fibers that make it absorbant
When given a choice, water will move from a smooth surface to the paper towel—even against gravity

What you Need for this Preschool Science Experiment:

Paper towel
Paintbrush
Water
Food Coloring
A few small bowls
A magnifying glass (optional)

What To Do:

Step one: Have your preschooler inspect the paper towel with the magnifying glass if you have one. If not, have your preschooler simply inspect the paper towel.

Step two: Put water and a few drops of food coloring in each of your bowls. Caution: Food coloring stains. You can do your paper towel art with just one color, or with a few different colors; it’s up to you and your preschooler.

Step three: Hold a corner of the paper towel so it barely touches the water. Depending on your preschooler, you may have to do this step.

Step four: Watch the colored water move up the paper towel, away from gravity.

Step five: Using the paint brush, have your preschooler drop a few drops of colored water onto the the paper towel. Watch the water diffuse or spread out.

Variations:

See what happens when you fold the paper towel and dip it into the bowl.
Try putting an unfolded paper towel into the bowl and see what happens.
Let your preschooler play with the water and paper towel—they’ll learn a great deal simply by playing and seeing what different kinds of paper towel art they can create.

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