rainbow walking water experiment worksheet

Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment for Kids

This walking water science experiment is so much fun and super easy to do! My kids absolutely loved it! It even comes with free printable recording sheets for kids as young as preschool! Check out the video to see how easy this walking water experiment really is. This rainbow activity is perfect for spring science!

Walking Water Science Experiment

Ok, this might just be our favorite science experiment! The whole family (adults included) were completely mesmerized with process. We all couldn’t believe how quickly the water traveled up the paper towel and neat it was to watch the colors mix together.

We have wanted to try it out for a long time now and I am kicking myself for waiting so long. I don’t know why, but I thought it might be difficult to do or take a long time. I was way wrong. It was very easy and we started seeing results right away!

Related: Simple Spring Science and STEAM Activities

The walking water science experiment is great at any time of the year, but it is especially perfect for spring. I love doing rainbow activities in the spring, so this was a great addition to our rainbow theme activities.

If you are looking for simple science to do with the kids and something that will really WOW them, this is definitely one to try.

You only need a few simple supplies that you probably already have around the house.

Setting Up the Rainbow Science Experiment

Supplies Needed:

• Printable walking water recording sheets (button to download at the bottom of the post)
• Small plastic cups or glasses
• Paper towels (*read my tips below for picking the right ones)
• Food coloring in primary colors

* The pick-a-size paper towels are best because then you just use half sheets for each cup. If you only have full sheets, then cut them in half. I’ve also heard that more absorbent paper towels work better too. I buy the cheap store brand ones, and our water moved pretty quickly from cup to cup, so I am not sure how important that is. It may have went quicker with something more absorbent though.

1. Print out the recording sheets and make copies, if needed.

2. Place 7 cups in a row and pour water in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th cup. My cups were about 3/4 full. I have since heard that fuller is better.

3. Add 5 drops of red food coloring to the 1st cup and the 7th cup.

4. Add 5 drops of yellow food coloring to the 3rd cup.

5. Add 5 drops of blue food coloring to the 5th cup.

Doing the Walking Water Experiment

You want to try to use the same amount of food coloring in each cup. When I did this with my kids they did drop an extra one or two in since they can’t control it well, but I just added a drop or two more to the others to even it out.

6. Take a half sheet of paper towel and fold it in half lengthwise and in half again lengthwise.

7. Trim off some of the length so that there isn’t too much excess paper towel that will stick up in the air between each cup. This will make the water walk more quickly.

8. Place one half of a rolled paper towel in the 1st cup and place the other half in the cup next to it. Then another paper towel from 2nd cup and into the 3rd cup. This continues until you have placed the last paper towel that drapes over from the 6th cup to the 7th cup.

9. Stare at the cups and watch what starts happening. You should quickly be able to see the colored water begin to crawl up the paper towel.

10. Don’t forget to do the first part of the recording sheet. Students will predict what they think will happen.

This walking water experiment is AWESOME!

Keep checking back every couple of minutes. Soon you will be able to see that the water has crawled all the way up the paper towel and is beginning to walk back down into the empty cup next to it.

Since the cup on either side of an empty cup has colored water in it, the two colors begin to mix in the empty cup. So cool!

Keep coming back throughout the two hours or soon and observe what is happening.

Question to Ask

What do you think will happen to the water?

What is happening now?

Why do you think the colors are changing?

Why might the water be able to move up against gravity like that?

How this Science Experiment Works

The water moves up the paper towels through a process called capillary action. The paper towel is made from fibers and the water is able to travel through the gaps in the fibers. The gaps in the paper towel act like capillary tubes and pull the water upward. This is what helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves at the top of the plant or tree.

The water is able to move upward against gravity because of the attractive forces between the water and the fibers in the paper towel.

I even removed one of the red cups and made a color wheel so I could introduce the kids to that as well.

I hope your kids have a great time with this super cool walking water science experiment!

Other Cool Science Experiments for Kids

This rainbow  Walking Water Science Experiment  is one of our most popular science activities!

Try this super simple  Oobleck recipe  that only requires two household ingredients!

This  rainbow skittles experiment  is sure to WOW the kids!

You can also make a rainbow of flowers with this super cool  color changing flowers experiment !

This pepper and soap experiment is very simple to do, but always engages the kids!

Did you know you can put paper under water and it will stay dry? Give it a try with this keep paper dry under water experiment . The kids love this cool trick!

Explore Newton’s color wheel while making colors disappear with this totally awesome science activity!

Explore chromatogography with this super fun STEAM activity that combines science and art!

This  rain cloud jar science experiment  give children a chance to explore clouds and rain in a hands-on and engaging way

The kids will get a kick out of this super cool  dancing raisins science experiment !

Check out these other science experiments and activities for kids.

This lava lamp science experiment is always a hit with the kids!

If you haven’t tried this magic milk science activity , you have to! It is so awesome and super easy to do.

This leak proof bag science experiment will make your kids jaw drop! It’s hard to believe, but it works.

• arts & crafts
• _famous artists
• _process art
• _paint recipes
• _keepsake crafts
• _book activities
• _sensory bins
• _sensory play recipes
• _science experiments
• _free printables
• _colouring pages
• _valentines day
• _st patrick's day
• _mother's day
• _father's day
• _thanksgiving

Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment

• rainbow skittles science experiement
• rainbow flower science
• rainbow baking soda science experiment

MORE SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS FOR KIDS

Supplies for the walking water experiment

• 6 small transparent jars or cups
• Paper towels / kitchen roll
• Liquid watercolour / food colouring

Walking Water Science Experiment 

STEP 1: Get your supplies ready

Step 2: prepare the jars with coloured water.

STEP 3: Place the jars in a circle

STEP 4: Predict what will happen

STEP 5: Add paper towels  

STEP 6: Watch the coloured water walk along the paper towels to create a rainbow!

• — Share It —

No comments

Hello & Welcome!

Follow By Email

Join the fun subscribe to our newsletter to have fun ideas delivered to your inbox subscribe.

Get FREE craft and activity ideas

Join our newsletter to have ideas delivered to your inbox each week!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Copyright Messy Little Monster . Blog design by Designs by Kassie . Privacy Policy Here

Walking Water Rainbow Science Experiment

Let’s make a walking water rainbow! There’s no better way for little scientists to learn about capillary action and color mixing than by making water walk (yes – walk!) in this colorful rainbow science experiment. This science experiment is a favorite of ours because it’s so easy to set up and the results are almost immediate.

Check out the simple step-by-step below and then gra b 30 more jaw-dropping (but easy prep!) science experiments kids will love from our shop!

Getting Ready

To prep, I gathered our supplies:

• 6 wide-mouth glasses or jars
• Paper towels (use the kind where you can select a size)
• Food dye or liquid water colors (red, yellow, and blue)

I grabbed the six small glasses first .  We’ve had success using wide-mouth drinking cups and canning jars, too.  Even though they all worked, just remember that bigger glasses will need more food coloring.

I ripped off six sheets of paper towel and folded each sheet in thirds, lengthwise.

We were using pretty small glasses, so I cut a few inches off the folded paper towel so it would fit in the glasses.

It’s a good idea to test your paper towel strip to make sure they fit properly in your glasses.  They should be able to go from the bottom of one jar to the next without sticking up in the air too much. The paper towel on the left shows the just-right height.  It’s important to set up this rainbow science experiment for success!

Making a Rainbow

This colorful rainbow science experiment is so simple and quick, it’s perfect for even the youngest little scientists.  My 3 year old, Q, couldn’t wait to get started.

First, I had him line up the glasses and fill the first one with a good squirt of red watercolor , the third with yellow, and the fifth glass with blue.  We left the other glasses empty.

Next, I helped Q add water to the glasses with color until the colored water almost reached the top.

We moved the glasses into a circle and added the paper towels .  Starting with the red, we added one end of the paper towel and then put the other end in the empty glass next to it.

We continued around until the last paper towel was placed into the red glass.

We saw the color wick up the paper towel right away.  This rainbow science experiment doesn’t take long to get going!

After another several minutes, the colored water had almost travelled the whole length of each paper towel.

Five minutes later, the water had traveled all the way up and then down the paper towel and was dripping into the empty glass.

The yellow and red water dripped into the empty cup to make orange!  It made for a good lesson on color mixing.

After another five minutes, we could see the water level had dropped in the red, yellow, and blue glasses and rose in the once empty glasses as the water continued to travel from the more full glasses to the less full glasses.

We grabbed a snack and watched our beautiful rainbow science experiment during the next 20 minutes. The water continued to walk from the primary colored glasses to fill the secondary-colored glasses until all the jars were filled equally.

Not Working?

If you aren’t seeing much movement within a few minutes, it may be that you need to add more water to your colored water glasses.  It really needs to be almost at the top for the water to walk quickly.  So try topping off those glasses and seeing if that gets things moving.

If you see the water moving up the paper towel but it seems like it’s taking forever , it may be the type of paper towel you are using.  You want a paper towel that will really hold a lot of water.  We have used Bounty Select-a-Size and Target’s Up and Up Brand Select-a-Size with success.

It really is worth the extra effort of trying different cups and paper towels to get this activity to work.  And once you have had success, don’t throw out those beautifully-colored paper towels or the colored water!  We gently squeezed out our paper towels and let them dry in a heap on a baking sheet.  We ended up with gorgeous tie-dyed looking paper towels to use for crafts and we used the leftover water as watercolors for painting with later.

The Science Behind It

This rainbow science experiment is as magic as the science behind it.  The colored water travels up the paper towel by a process called capillary action . Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow upward, against gravity, in narrow spaces.  This is the same thing that helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves in the tree tops.

Paper towels, and all paper products, are made from fibers found in plants called cellulose .  In this demonstration, the water flowed upwards through the tiny gaps between the cellulose fibers.  The gaps in the towel acted like capillary tubes, pulling the water upwards.

The water is able to defy gravity as it travels upward due to the attractive forces between the water and the cellulose fibers.

The water molecules tend to cling to the cellulose fibers in the paper towel.  This is called adhesion .

The water molecules are also attracted to each other and stick close together, a process called cohesion .  So, as the water slowly moves up the tiny gaps in the paper towel fibers, the cohesive forces help to draw more water upwards.

At some point, the adhesive forces between the water and cellulose and the cohesive forces between the water molecules will be overcome by the gravitational forces on the weight of the water in the paper towel.  

When that happens, the water will not travel up the paper towel anymore. That is why it helps to shorten the length that colored water has to travel by making sure your paper towel isn’t too tall and making sure you fill your colored liquid to the top of the glass.

Rainbow Science Activity Extensions

Turn this demonstration into a true experiment by varying the water level (volume) you start with and seeing how long it takes the water to reach the empty glass.

Or start with the same volume of colored water and change the brand, type (single vs double ply, quilted vs not) or length of paper towel to see how long it takes for the water to “walk” to the empty glass.

You could even use the same volume of water, same length and brand of paper towel but vary the height of the filled glass , by raising them up on books, to see how that affects the speed of the water as it “walks” to the empty glass.

Have you had enough fun with the paper towels?  Try using other paper products to see how the type of paper effects the results.  Try toilet paper, printer paper, newspaper or a page from a glossy magazine.  What do you predict will happen?

Grab a Record Sheet

Help kids keep track of their results by grabbing our free record sheet! Then grab 30 more jaw-dropping (but easy prep!) science experiments kids will love from our shop!

Similar Posts

Leprechaun Count and Match

Numbers 11-20 Activity Mats

Building Shapes STEM Cards

Valentine’s Odd and Even Sort

Top STEM Toys

Kindergarten STEM Activities

11 comments.

• Pingback: Ice Color Mixing - The Stem Laboratory
• Pingback: Color Matching Fish - Teach Me Mommy
• Pingback: EXPLODING PAINT ROCKETS STEAM ACTIVITY
• Pingback: FREE Rainbow Train Preschool Counting Game - Stay At Home Educator
• Pingback: Coloring Sheets - Playdough To Plato
• Pingback: Matching Colors and Numbers 1-6 | Liz's Early Learning Spot
• Pingback: Color Hunt Around the Room - Mrs. Jones' Creation Station
• Pingback: Colors Sorting Mats Game
• Pingback: Ultimate Boredom Buster: 101 Things To Do When Kids Are Bored
• Pingback: 15 Color Activities | Happy Days in First Grade
• Pingback: 5 Easy Science Experiments for Kids [With Video] – Baba Blast!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Play Learn Inspire

Walking Rainbow Experiment +Free Printable

Can you make water walk? With just a few simple materials you can create a walking rainbow . Spark an interest and love of science with this activity. Learn about how the water moves as children notice the colors mixing with this beautiful walking rainbow experiment.

In just a few hours the water begins to “walk” and move from cup to cup and then mix to create a full rainbow. Children will love checking on their experiment throughout the day and observing the changes.

Print the free instruction sheet and worksheet to extend the learning.

This classic experiment is a fun and easy experiment to try out in any classroom or at home with kids.

Walking Rainbow Experiment Materials

One of the great things about this experiment is that you only need a few household materials. You will need:

• Red, Blue and Yellow Food Coloring
• Paper Towel
• 7 Clear Cups
• Printable Instructions and Worksheet

If you don’t have all of the colors of food coloring, or any colors, the experiment will still work because the water will still move. However, you won’t get the color mixing affect which is what makes the experiment special.

The instruction printable is a great resource to have on hand when you present/do the activity. This way you know which cups to fill and what color to add to each cup. You can also print the worksheet for children to fill out and explain what they saw happen.

Walking Rainbow Experiment Steps

Add water to the first, third, fifth and seventh cup. A little more than half way is best.

Next add red food coloring to the first and seventh cups. Add yellow food coloring to the third cup and blue to the fifth cup. For best results add more yellow food coloring to help when it mixes. The red and blue food coloring can be overbearing and prevent some of the other colors from showing up well.

Once you have your cups prepared, fold a piece of paper towel lengthwise and arch it from the first into the second cup. Continue this so that paper towel is arched over each cup as shown below.

That’s it! That’s all you have to do to prepare the experiment. This is also a great opportunity to ask children what they think is going to happen. Will the water change in anyway? What will the paper towel do?

Within minutes, children can observe that the paper towel begins to absorb the colored water and it begins to move up the paper towel.

After several hours, or for best results, leave overnight, children will notice lots of things that happened!

Walking Water Experiment Explained

The experiment is complete when each of the cups have the same amount of water in them.

When children first see the experiment once the colors have mixed, there will be lots of excitement! The cups that did not originally have any water now are half full of a new color of water. Notice that the water not only ‘walked’ up the paper towel, but it also mixed with the water from the other paper towel dipped into it to create a new color.

You’ve created a beautiful rainbow!

The Science

The paper towel absorbs the water. the water travels up and over! But how? The water travels using something called capillary action. Capillary action is when a liquid can flow, even against gravity. This is similar to how water travels up the roots of a tree to get to the top of the tree and leaves.

Water molecules like to stick together and they also like to attract or stick to other porous materials, like the paper towel. As soon as one molecule, or drop, of water is absorbed to the paper towel, the others follow, like a string.

Once colored water has moved up and over and is in the next cup, the colored water mixes with the different colored water from the other cup to create a new color.

Walking Rainbow Experiment Extension Ideas

This walking rainbow experiment is a great science experiment, but it is also a fun art activity for kids. It is a great way to show children about color mixing.

The three colors the experiment begins with, the red, yellow and blue, are called primary colors. These are the colors that all others colors are made from. When these colors mix together, the new color that is created is called a secondary color. The red and yellow mix to make the secondary color, orange.

The red and blue mix to create purple and the blue and yellow mix to create green. In the end you’re left with a beautiful rainbow!

Another extension idea is to create two walking rainbows and test if warm water makes any difference. If you have one rainbow with cold water, and the other with warm, does the water move faster? It’s fun to test out and have children guess what will happen.

We left our rainbow out for several weeks because the children, and I loved looking at it. After some time all of the water evaporated and we were left with several beautifully colored paper towels.

Free Walking Rainbow Printables

This classic experiment provides children with lots of learning opportunities. Use the printables to make setting up the experiment fast and easy. Print the worksheet to have children record their learning. Click the image below to access the pdf.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Skip to right header navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to secondary navigation
• Skip to primary sidebar

Providing printables, encouragement, tips and resources to help busy mums balance homeschooling, homemaking and frugal living.

Walking Water Rainbow Experiment

This Walking Water Rainbow science experiment is super easy to do and just so much fun. Such a perfect colourful experiment.

Check out the list of materials that we use with this activity.

To complete this experiment, you will need:

• six cups – clear, glass or plastic
• red, blue and yellow food colouring
• paper towels
• Experiment Worksheet

To complete this experiment, first place the six cups in a row and fill up the 1st, 3rd, and 5th cups with water until they are ½ full.

Add 4 drops of food colouring as follows:

• First cup – 4 drops of red food colouring
• Third cup – 4 drops of yellow food colouring
• Fifth cup – 4 drops of blue food colouring

You could leave the cups in a row or arrange in a circle. If arranging in a circle, the first cup should be the red cup, followed by an empty cup, the third cup is the yellow cup, the fourth cup is empty. The fifth cup should be blue and the sixth cup is empty.

• If completing the experiment worksheets, now is the time to fill out the hypothesis.

Take a sheet of paper towel and fold it in half, lengthwise. Then fold it again lengthwise. Cut the ends of the paper towel so that it creates an arch over the cups, but isn’t too high.

Place one half of the paper towel, lengthwise, into each cup so that one part of the paper towel is in a cup of coloured water and the other end is in an empty cup. Repeat these steps until there is one end of paper towel in each cup.

Now is the time to watch and see. The coloured will begin to crawl up the paper towel and leak into the empty cup. 

This dripping water will mix with other colours in the empty cups to create a rainbow. Keep coming back throughout every half hour or so to observe what is happening.

When you have competed the experiment, take the paper towels out of the cups and lay them on a baking tray to look at all the colours.

How does this work?

The coloured water slowly moves up the paper towel through a process known as capillary action. The paper towel is made from fibres and the water is able to travel through the gaps in the fibres. These gaps act like capillary tubes, pulling the water upward. This is the same action that helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves at the top of the plant or tree. Water is able to move upward against gravity because of the attractive forces between the water and the fibers in the paper towel.

Ingredients  

• ▢ 6 cups - clear, glass or plastic
• ▢ red food colouring
• ▢ blue food colouring
• ▢ yellow food colouring
• ▢ paper towel
• ▢ water

Instructions  

Love Free Printables?

Subscribe to receive weekly emails!

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Your ALL ACCESS Shop Pass here →

Rainbow Walking Water Experiment

Simple science starts here! This  walking water experiment is incredibly easy and fun to set up for kids. All you need are a few simple supplies you can find in your kitchen cupboards. Watch the water travel as it makes a rainbow of color, and learn about capillary action too! We love easy science experiments for kids!

What You Will Learn

The walking water experiment is a fantastic way to introduce kids to several key scientific concepts:

Capillary Action : This experiment demonstrates capillary action, which is the ability of water (or other liquids) to move upward against gravity through narrow spaces, such as the gaps between paper towels or the fibers of a paper towel.

Absorption : Kids can learn about absorption, which is the process of one substance being taken up by another substance. In this experiment, they observe how water is absorbed by the paper towels and then transported from one cup to another.

Color Mixing : The walking water experiment also allows for exploring color mixing. Using colored water in the cups, kids can observe how the colors blend as the water travels through the paper towels, creating new colors that overlap.

Properties of Water : Through this experiment, kids can learn about the unique properties of water, including cohesion (water molecules sticking together) and adhesion (water molecules sticking to other substances, like paper towels).

Experimental Method : It introduces children to the scientific method by encouraging them to make predictions, conduct experiments, and observe and analyze the results.

Watch the Walking Water Video:

Walking water experiment.

If you want to make this into a walking water science fair project where you are using the scientific method, you need to change one variable. You could repeat the experiment with different types of paper towels and observe the differences. Learn more about the scientific method for kids here .

Walking Water Experiment Hypothesis Example: “I predict that if I place pieces of paper towel in cups filled with different colored water and connect them, then the water will move up the paper towels and travel from one cup to another.

• Test Tubes and Rack (clear plastic cups or mason jars work well too!)
• Food Coloring
• Paper Towels
• Timer (optional)

Instructions:

STEP 1 . You can set up as many or as less jars as you like for this part.

We used 9 test tubes of primary colors (3 x red, 3 x yellow, 3 x blue). We added red, yellow, and blue food coloring (one color per test tube) in a pattern.

Give each test tube (or glass or cup) a little stir to distribute the color evenly. Try to put the same amount of food coloring in each container!

STEP 2. Cut thin strips of paper towel to fit in the test tubes. If you are using glasses or cups, you can judge the best size strip to fit what you are using.

Place the paper towel strips into the test tubes. There will be two ends in each tube.

STEP 3 . Wait and watch what happens. At this point, you can set up a stopwatch to make note of how long it takes for the colors to meet and mix.

Once you have inserted the towels, it’s the perfect time to talk about what your kids see happening (observations). Do they want to improve their hypothesis or have new ideas about what might happen?

How Long Does It Take?

The whole process starts pretty quickly, but it does take a while for the colors to begin to mix. You may want to leave it and return to see the colors mixed.

This would be a great time to pull out the watercolors and do some color mixing art! Or how about setting up a homemade lava lamp experiment while you wait?

Make sure to check on your walking water science experiment every once in a while to see the changes constantly occurring. The kids will be amazed at how the water seems to defy gravity!

The Science Behind Walking Water

Walking water science is all about capillary action , which also can be seen in plants. You can even check out our celery and food coloring experiment to see this!

What is capillary action? Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow upward against gravity in a narrow space, like a thin tube or a porous material. Capillary action can happen due to combining two main forces: cohesion and adhesion.

Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same substance. In the case of water, water molecules are strongly attracted to each other, creating a sort of “pull” that keeps the molecules together.

Adhesion is the attraction between molecules of different substances. Water molecules are also attracted to the surfaces of materials like glass, paper, and plants.

How Does the Water Walk?

The colored water travels up the fibers of the paper towel. The gaps in the paper towel are similar to the capillary tubes of a plant that pull the water up through the stems. The fibers of the paper towel help the water move upward which is this walking water experiment looks like it is defying gravity. How else does water move up the tree?

As the paper towels absorb the colored water, the water travels up the towel strip. It meets up with the other colored water that has traveled up the neighboring strip. Where the primary colors interact, they turn into the secondary colors. Both colors will continue to travel as long as the towel fibers will absorb the water.

We left our walking water science experiment out overnight and had a mucky-looking puddle of water underneath the rack the next day. The paper towels had become oversaturated!

Free Printable Junior Scientist Guide!

Using the Scientific Method

The scientific method is a process or method of research. A problem is identified, information about the problem is gathered, a hypothesis or question is formulated from the information, and the hypothesis is put to test with an experiment to prove or disprove its validity. Sounds heavy…

What in the world does that mean?!? The scientific method should be used as a guide to help lead the process. You don’t need to try and solve the world’s biggest science questions! The scientific method is all about studying and learning things right around you.

As kids develop practices that involve creating, gathering data evaluating, analyzing, and communicating, they can apply these critical thinking skills to any situation.

To learn more about the scientific method and how to use it, read more here.

Even though the scientific method feels like it is just for big kids…

This method can be used with kids of all ages! Have a casual conversation with younger kiddos or do a more formal notebook entry with older kiddos!

More Fun Water Experiments to Try

Check out our list of science experiments for Jr Scientists!

• Color Changing Flowers
• Sink or Float Buoyancy
• Salt Water Egg Float
• Candle Rising Water Science
• Sugar Water Rainbow (Density)
• Oil and Water

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

11 Comments

• Pingback: Preschool Science Experiments and Science Activities
• Pingback: Quick Water Science Activities for Kindergarten and Preschool Science
• Pingback: Water Science Activities for Kids STEM
• Pingback: 26 Cool DIY Projects for Your Budding Genius
• Pingback: The Friday Five (11-30) - Don McClure Law Firm
• Pingback: December 5, 2018 | Simonadvent
• Pingback: Color Changing Flowers For St Patrick's Day | Little Bins for Little Hands
• Pingback: Color Changing Flower Science Experiment Spring STEM

i was wodering where can i buy this Test Tubes and Rack

This looks like such a cool activity!

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

~ projects to try now ~.

• Toddler Crafts
• Kids Crafts
• Kids Activities
• New Year’s
• Valentine’s Day
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Mother’s Day
• 4th of July
• Thanksgiving

Walking Water Experiment: Rainbow Science Experiment for Kids

In this post you will learn how to do the walking water or walking rainbow science experiment for kids. You can download the walking water experiment worksheet that goes along with this experiment. 

Walking Water or is it Walking Rainbow?

One of the coolest science experiments that really gets the WOW factor is the Walking Water or Walking Rainbow experiment #ivehearditbothways.

I was excited to do this experiment and watch it, and I was not disappointed. I was anxious that it wouldn’t work because I used cheap paper towels, but my cheap paper towels did not disappoint!

Even if you’re not into science, do this experiment. It’s just cool.

You do have to ask your kids to apply a little bit of patience. The water doesn’t walk up right away. But we did other things as we watched the process, and we were amazed every time we checked back to see it.

Here’s how we did it.

This post contains affiliate links.

Walking Water Experiment

Paper Towels Food Coloring 7 Cups (we used disposable plastic cups) Water If you want to make it official, you can download the Walking Water Experiment worksheet. (this worksheet simplifies the scientific method for young minds, and asks the right questions for young scientist to think about what is really happening. 

Instructions:

Line up your plastic cups in a row, or in a circle. (The circle is pretty cool).

Place water in cups 1, 3, 5, and 7. It works better if you fill it about 3/4 full.

Place food coloring as follows:  (make sure the colors are dark, and do the same amount of drops for each color)

Six drops of RED in cup 1. Six drops of YELLOW in cup 3. Six drops of BLUE in cup 5. Six drops of RED in cup 7.

Fold half a sheet of a paper towel 2-3 times long ways so that it’s about an inch wide. (hot dog style, as pictured below) Do this six times to six different paper towels.

Put one end of the paper towel in one of the cups of water, and the other end of the paper towel in its corresponding empty cup. Repeat with each cup of water and empty cup. It should look like the picture below. (If you decide to do a circle, you do not have to connect the red cups with a paper towel).

Observe what the water does. It should slowly start to climb up the paper towel and into the next cup.

It is not a super-fast experiment, it does take a few minutes to get started. It might help to do something else and then look back on it. We checked it about every 10 minutes and it looked different. It was pretty cool.

Here’s what it looked like right away:

After about 10 minutes:

After about 30 minutes:

After about an hour:

All the cups that didn’t have water are now a fourth of the way full. It was super cool to watch.

It was super cool, and the kids wanted to keep checking on it throughout the day. They didn’t want to throw it away. I also thought it was really cool.

Science is just cool.

If you want some more science, check out my science ebook: 13 Easy Science Experiments for Kids with Household Items.

And that’s how you do the Walking Rainbow Experiment.

Related: Skittles Rainbow Science Experiment

Related: Clouds and Raindrops Science Experiment

Related : 9 Easy Science Experiments for Kids with Household Items

If you enjoyed this article, please share

Related posts.

At Home (DIY) Summer Camp Ideas, Themes, & Schedule

Fun & Easy Summer Activities for Toddlers (Outdoor and Indoor)

Summer Survival Kit Ideas List for Moms & Kids

Free Printable Daily Summer Schedule for Kids Big & Small

Prayer Chart Printable Including For Kids & a Monthly Calendar

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Easy Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment For Kids

By In The Playroom

June 20, 2023

Today, we’re going to embark on a fantastic journey through the rainbow, with a fun water science experiment for kids. But guess what? This is no ordinary rainbow – it’s a rainbow that walks! We’re going toltake you step by step through the “ Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment .” 

This classic and easy science experiment is a great way for kids of all ages to delve into the fascinating world of science, color theory, and have a whole lot of fun while doing so!

This experiment leverages a natural phenomenon known as the process of capillary action. In this process, water molecules move up narrow spaces against the force of gravity. You might have seen this in action when a plant’s roots absorb water from the soil. Here, we’re going to mimic this effect using simple supplies – empty cups, water, food coloring, and paper towels. 

We’ll see water climb, colors mix, and a beautiful walking rainbow form, right in your kitchen or living room!

How to Make Your Own Walking Water Rainbow Science Experiment

Embark on a mesmerizing journey with the "Walking Rainbow Water Experiment". In this simple experiment, observe as water walks through paper towels, creating a captivating spectacle of a rainbow in motion.

Witness the magic as primary colors blend to form secondary colors, bringing the rainbow to life right before your eyes.

This experiment offers a vivid and educational experience that beautifully demonstrates capillary action and color theory.

Watch in awe as your everyday cups and paper towels transform into a walking water rainbow, creating a delightful and educational moment for kids of all ages.

• Clear Plastic cups
• Paper towels
• Food Coloring

Instructions

• Step 1 : Grab around six clear cups and place them in a circular formation. You can use slightly more of slightly less cups if you prefer, anywhere from 5-7 cups will work well. Pour water in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th cup, leaving the 2nd, 4th, and 6th cups empty. We'll refer to these as our water cups and empty cups. It works best if you have the water cups pretty full.
• Step 2 : Now, let's create a rainbow in our water cups. Add 5 drops of red food coloring to the 1st cup, 5 drops of yellow food coloring to the 3rd cup, and 5 drops of blue food coloring to the 5th cup. These are our primary colors.
• Step 3 : Cut six equal size paper towels into strips. Fold each strip lengthwise, so they become narrow enough to fit into the cups but still have much excess paper towel to soak up and transport water.
• Step 4 : Submerge one end of the paper towel strip into a water cup and the other end into the adjacent empty cup. Repeat this process for all the cups. It's important that the paper towel strip is touching the bottom of both cups.
• Step 5 : Watch and wait. You will begin to see the colored water travel up the fibers of the paper towel thanks to adhesive forces. The absorbent paper towels, full of small fibers and tiny gaps, act as capillary tubes. In a couple of minutes, the water will "walk" to the next jar.
• Step 6 : Over a longer time, you will see the water level in the empty cups rise, and new colors will begin to form as the primary colored water mixes. These new colors are your secondary colors. Congratulations, you've created your own walking water rainbow!

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Lessons and Benefits of the Walking Water Science Experiment

This experiment is much fun and more than just a pretty show of colors. As budding scientists, kids get a hands-on understanding of several scientific principles.

Understanding Capillary Action

The attractive forces between water molecules (cohesive force) and the cellulose fibers in the paper towel (adhesive force) are stronger than the forces pulling water molecules down (gravity). This is what makes water move up the paper towel strips and gives kids a live demonstration of capillary action.

Color Theor y

This fun experiment introduces color mixing , transforming primary colors into secondary ones. By simply observing the process, kids learn that red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green, and red and blue make purple.

Scientific Method

This simple science experiment is a great way to introduce the scientific method to kids. They form a hypothesis about what will happen when the colored water climbs the paper towel, then observe and note the results, learning to  accept or reject their initial assumptions. This enhances their critical thinking skills and piques their interest in scientific exploration.

Science often requires waiting for results. The walking water experiment takes time as the water slowly seeps from one cup to the next. This process helps children develop patience as they eagerly await the formation of the rainbow.

Environmental Connections

This experiment can be a launchpad for discussions about how plants utilize a similar process to pull water from the soil up into their roots and stems. Kids learn about the amazing ways nature uses science.

Fine Motor Skill s

 For younger kids, this experiment helps improve fine motor skills as they carefully pour water and place paper towels. Older kids can take on the role of leading the experiment, enhancing their organizational and leadership abilities.

The walking water rainbow science experiment offers not just an opportunity for kids to create their own rainbow at home, but also serves as a visual feast that helps illustrate key scientific principles and color theory.

It’s a fun science experiment that parents and kids can enjoy together, and it requires minimal, simple supplies, making it perfect for a rainy day, a fair project, or just an everyday adventure in learning. It encourages curiosity, instills a love for science, and ensures a great time for our little scientists.

Join us next time as we explore more easy science experiments that make learning a joyous journey, not just a destination.

Until then, keep experimenting, keep learning, and keep having fun. Remember, every budding scientist is just an experiment away from a great discovery!

More Simple Science Experiments for Kids

If you enjoyed the walking water rainbow experiment, and you’re looking for more engaging and educational science activities for your little scientists, we have a trove of simple experiments that can be done at home. These experiments not only inspire scientific curiosity but also make learning interactive and fun. Stay tuned for more exciting journeys into the fascinating world of science.

Growing Gummy Bears Kitchen Science Experiment for Kids

• Egg Science Experiments
• Super Hero Invisible Ink
• Make Your Own Baymax Rocket Fist
• STEM Catapult
• Measuring Speed and Distance

More Rainbow Activities

Our exploration of rainbows doesn’t end with the walking water rainbow experiment. For those who can’t get enough of the colorful magic, we have more rainbow-themed activities lined up. These vibrant activities will not only keep your kids entertained but also add a splash of color and creativity to their learning process. Keep an eye out for more captivating rainbow adventures!

• Rainbow Coloring Pages For Kids

Crayon Resist Water Color Paper Plate Rainbow Craft

• Fine Motor Paper Cutting Rainbow Craft
• Rainbow Heart Perler Bead Patterns
• Rainbow Poem for Kids (Free Printable Worksheet)

Rainbow Sun Catcher Shadow Art

In The Playroom

Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables. Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.

• Wardrobe Essentials for Back to School 
• 20 Awesome and Fun Back to School Crafts for Kids
• Free Printable Olympics Word Searches
• Cardboard School Bus Pencil Holder Craft

Happy 4th July Free Printable Banner

A guide to teaching in australia: traveling and finding work , 5 thoughts on “easy rainbow walking water science experiment for kids”.

• Pingback: Hand Made Parachutes Summer Craft for Kids - In The Playroom
• Pingback: STEM LEGO Challenges With Free Printable - In The Playroom
• Pingback: Secret Reveal Magnifying GlassS Craft - In The Playroom
• Pingback: Fishing for Caps Toddler Fine Motor Water Play - In The Playroom
• Pingback: Hot and Cool Colors outdoor Science Experiment For Summer - In The Playroom

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

• Request a Mentor
• Become a Mentor

Rainbow walking water science experiment

This walking water science experiment is so much fun and super easy to do!

Supplies Needed:

• Printable walking water recording sheets (you can find them on Amazon)
• Small plastic cups or glasses
• Paper towels
• Food coloring in primary colors
• Set out the recording sheets and place them like the picture shown.
• Place 7 cups in a row and pour water in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th cup. the cups are about 3/4 full. (fuller is better)
• Add 5 drops of red food coloring to the 1st cup and the 7th cup.
• Add 5 drops of yellow food coloring to the 3rd cup.
• Add 5 drops of blue food coloring to the 5th cup.

*Try to use the same amount of food coloring in each cup. You can always go back and even them out

• Take a half sheet of paper towel and fold it in half lengthwise and in half again lengthwise.
• Trim off some of the length so that there isn’t too much excess paper towel that will stick up in the air between each cup. This will make the water walk more quickly.
• Place one half of a rolled paper towel in the 1st cup and place the other half in the cup next to it. Then another paper towel from 2nd cup and into the 3rd cup. This continues until you have placed the last paper towel that drapes over from the 6th cup to the 7th cup.
• Stare at the cups and watch what starts happening. You should quickly be able to see the colored water begin to crawl up the paper towel.

Keep checking back every couple of minutes. Soon you will be able to see that the water has crawled all the way up the paper towel and is beginning to walk back down into the empty cup next to it.

Since the cup on either side of an empty cup has colored water in it, the two colors begin to mix in the empty cup. So cool!

Keep coming back throughout the two hours or soon and observe what is happening

Questions to discuss with your buddy

What do you think will happen to the water?

What is happening now?

Why do you think the colors are changing?

Why might the water be able to move up against gravity like that?

How this Science Experiment Works

The water moves up the paper towels through a process called capillary action. The paper towel is made from fibers and the water is able to travel through the gaps in the fibers. The gaps in the paper towel act like capillary tubes and pull the water upward. This is what helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves at the top of the plant or tree.T he water is able to move upward against gravity because of the attractive forces between the water and the fibers in the paper towel.

Share on facebook

More from athletes for kids.

3 Fun online activities to do this week with your buddy

Fun activities to do online with your buddy

Fun in the sun!

• Next »

Start typing and press enter to search

2- Ingredient Walking Rainbow Experiment That Works Like Magic

Categories Science Experiments

Kids will love making their very own walking rainbow experiment from just three colors as a fun addition to rainbow science experiments . It’s amazing how color mixing science experiments for kids can make something spectacular! The Walking rainbow science project is a classic science experiment that we’ve tried before. It was a lot of fun to watch the rainbow form right before our eyes!

This lesson teaches color theory, capillary action, the scientific method, and engineering. Kids will have a blast with this simple rainbow science experiment! It’s one of our favorite color science experiments for kids.

Table of Contents

What is the walking rainbow experiment.

This year, my kids realized they could make the entire rainbow with the walking water experiment starting with just the primary colors.

This rainbow walking water experiment packs a lot of learning into a tiny package! Kids will love watching the colors slowly transform over the course of 48 hours.

This project is also perfect for no prep STEM challenges , rainbow science experiments , St. Patrick’s Day STEAM activities , and more!

What do children learn from the walking water experiment?

The rainbow paper towel experiment   teaches a few basic scientific concepts.

When the paper towels are rolled up and placed between two jars, they exemplify capillary action, which is how liquid can move up something, rather than follow the usual pull of gravity and pull down.

To get a bit technical, intermolecular forces between the liquid and the paper towel creates surface tension that reacts with the adhesive force between the liquid and paper towel.

This causes the water to move up the paper towel and into the next jar.

What is the science behind climbing rainbow?

Capillary action is how plants pull water from the soil and up into their leaves to give them water and nutrients. This is the process that we will be mimicking in this rainbow walking water science experiment.

Then, once the paper towels pull color from the base red, blue, and yellow primary color jars, the resulting mixture creates the secondary colors of green, purple, and orange, completing the rainbow.

Water moves from jar to jar due to capillary action and surface tension. The surface tension of the water keeps the water from falling off the paper towel onto the table below as it creeps up the paper towel.

Capillary action is the force that is applied to the molecules in the water as they are absorbed by the towel. The pressure gently pushes the water all the way through the towel, and down into the jar next to it.

The water stabilizes and ends up at the same level in all the jars because of how things like to stabilize.

Once the water level is the same in all the jars and the paper towels are all wet, the water stops moving from jar to jar.

This is how the colors remain in primary in secondary colors, rather than continuously traveling from jar to jar, which would make all the jars turn brown.

STEM Classroom Decorations and Bulletin Boards

Here are some fun STEM themed classroom decorations and bulletin boards that will make any classroom more fun!

Cell Model Posters

Science Has All the Solutions Decorating Kit

What is a Scientist Decorating Kit

Science is All Around Us Decorating Kit

Scientific Method Classroom Posters

Scientific method posters

Science sayings bulletin board decor

Forces of motion bulletin board set

Science lab safety rules

STEAM bulletin board set

Scientific thinking bulletin board set

Walking Rainbow Experiment STEM Integration

Here are some additional STEM elements you can add to this activity to make it a complete STEM lesson plan!

Science: Color theory, capillary action. With paper towels (and plants work the same way), the molecules in the water are attracted to the molecules in the paper towels.

This causes the water to slowly move from the jar, up through the paper towel, and into the next jar. Eventually, the water level in all the jars will even out.

The way the walking rainbow experiment works is one of the most fascinating areas of science!

Technology: Food coloring is a marvel of modern science. We also used a timer to determine how long it took for the water to travel to one container to another.

Engineering: Kids have to set up the experiment properly or it won’t work. If you mix the wrong colors, you won’t end up with a rainbow, but a muddy-looking mess!

Math: Measuring, time estimation, comparison.

Walking rainbow experiment ingredients

Here is what you need to make this fun walking rainbow experiment.

The walking rainbow experiment teaches kids a lot about different parts of science, and this is what you need to make it happen!

• 6 mason jars
• Food coloring (in red, yellow, and blue)
• Paper towels

STEM Teaching Resources

These teaching resources will make your STEM classroom more fun and rewarding for your students!

STEM worksheets

STEM experiment kits

Space erasers

Planet erasers

Star erasers

Mini science notebooks

Science crazy straws

Science sticky notes

Science themed stickers

STEM journal

Life Cycle Puzzles

How long does the walking rainbow experiment take?

The walking rainbow water experiment does not take long.

In about 5 to 10 minutes, the color will move up the paper towel and start to fill the jar next to it.

Usually, the process is complete in just a couple of hours, although in some cases, it may take up to 8 hours for the colors to fully move from one jar to the other and combine to make the secondary colors.

Print the walking rainbow experiment directions!

Kids will love watching the new colors appear in this rainbow water experiment.

How to do the walking rainbow experiment

Kids will love making their very own walking rainbow from just three colors. This amazing walking rainbow experiment is the most fun walking water experiment ever! You'll have a blast with the rainbow walking water.

Instructions

Go over the color wheel before starting.

Show the kids how mixing colors will create different colors. However, don't tell them how to make the rainbow!

Let the kids discuss how they will make a rainbow from just three colors.

It will take them a little bit to determine the right combination.

If the kids are stumped, you can help them out by reminding them what colors are together in a rainbow.

The paper towels will start soaking up the water right away, but it will take about 48 hours before the process is finished.

Set a timer to find out exactly how long it takes to start mixing colors.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Want to save this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

STEM Shirts for Teachers

These STEM shirts are adorable and super fun to wear while teaching STEM or science.

Share this project with a friend!

beyond the playroom

purposeful play

Rainbow walking water printables, science experiment for kids.

• February 18, 2020

Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment Printables

Free printables.

Download your set of 3 FREE printables to use with the Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment for kids! 

View full instructions on How To Complete The Rainbow Walking Water HERE!

free printables

Download your set of three printables to use with the Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment for kids! 

Follow me on social media

Let's connect, before you download, subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get ideas and free printables straight to your inbox, no thanks, i'm good.

Back to School 10 Frames

Sign up to our email squad and get your hands on this set of back to school 10 frame cards, this website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. learn more here..

Download Now : Our FREE 30 Minute Weeknight Dinner

Easy Rainbow Walking Water Experiment For Kids

Watch water seemingly defy gravity to blend colors together, creating a rainbow in this fun and exciting STEM walking water experiment kids can do themselves! This activity has tons of “wow” factor to keep kids engaged and help them learn science!

I struggle with doing science experiments with my kids. I WANT to, but they always seem so much more time-consuming, messier, and harder than I think they’ll be.

Do you want to allow your kids to do science experiments and learn about the world around them but don’t want to deal with the mess or the hassle?

Here is the perfect solution: a walking rainbow experiment .

Walking Water Experiment – Fun Science In Action!

I’m a huge fan of science because I think it helps us understand the world around us. And because kids are so inquisitive and hands-on, science experiments help them to get an even better grasp of how things work around them.

We have tried the fizzing snow volcano , dancing raisins , and several other science experiments. While my boys love a good mess, there’s only so much I can take.

That’s why I LOVE this walking water science experiment! It’s just the perfect amount of work (hardly any at all), but the payout is huge.

And I gotta say – the rainbow colors are mesmerizing and so worth it!

Why You’ll Love This Walking Water Activity

This is part of my series of simple science experiments that kids of all ages can do (and enjoy)!

I’m kicking myself for not doing this one sooner. It’s now my favorite experiment – seriously do it right away. Here’s why:

• It’s easy
• Take just the right amount of time – not too much of mine, plenty of the kids’ time
• It’s cheap
• Super simple
• It’s SO MUCH FUN (the rainbow colors really make the project exciting)

In addition to pictures, I also have a video for you so you can see just how cool (and easy) this walking water science experiment is!

How to do the walking water experiment

No “Walking Water Experiment For Dummies” book required! All the instructions you need are below.

Feel free to check the handy printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for more details. 😉

Supplies Needed

Here’s everything you’ll need to get the job done.

• 5 clear glasses (like mason jars) or plastic clear cups
• Red, blue, and yellow food coloring
• Paper towels

Pro Tip: I highly recommend the pick-a-size paper towels because you use less for each cup. However, if you only have full sheets, take the time to cut them in half.

Watch The Walking Water Project Video!

Check out this short video and see for yourself how cool the walking water science experiment is! Then follow the instructions below to do it yourself.

How to do this walking water experiment

Follow these directions, and you’ll have your own rainbow in no time! Feel free to grab the printable directions for this simple experiment below for easy reference when you’re ready to do it.

Place 5 empty glasses in a row and pour water in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th (odd-numbered) cups. Fuller is better, so fill them about ¾ full.

Add drops of food coloring to the cups like this:

• 5 drops of red food coloring to the first cup (and the 7th cup if you have that many). 
• 5 drops of blue food coloring to the 3rd cup.
• 5 drops of yellow food coloring in the 5th cup.

Take the paper towel half-sheet (you’ll need 4 total – OR 6 total if using 7 cups), and fold it in half (lengthwise). Repeat the folding process until your paper towel strip is 1-2 inches wide.

Trim off a bit of the length so that there isn’t much excess paper towel that will stick up in the air between each cup. This will help the water walk faster.

Place one end of the paper towel strip in the 1st cup and place the other end in the cup next to it (the empty 2nd cup). Then, add another strip of paper towel from the 2nd cup into the full 3rd cup. 

Continue this process until you reach the end.

Watch the cups to find out what begins to happen. It shouldn’t take long before you can see the colored water begin to travel up the paper towel.

You can sit there and watch the water climb the paper towels from the glasses of water to the empty glasses. Or walk away for about 5 minutes and come back to check on the progress. The water will stop moving from cup to cup once the water level in all the cups is about the same.

What do you notice about how the different colors of water mix?

Rainbow Water Experiment Notes

IMPORTANT ADJUSTMENT

I only had 5 cups when I did this experiment, so I had to modify it slightly, as you can see in the photos. So here’s what I did: I put the yellow into the last cup and then added 3 drops of red coloring to the yellow cup to make the orange.

It looks even more amazing when you can do it with 7 cups, but I wanted to show you that you can still do it well with 5 cups.

FOOD COLORING

You don’t need to use food coloring for this project to work. However, doing so exponentially takes the “fun” level way UP! It helps the kids to see the “walking” part too 😉

TYPE OF PAPER TOWEL TO USE

In theory, more absorbent paper towels work better. But, I buy cheap off-brand ones, and our water moved quickly from cup to cup, so I am not sure how vital that tip is. Maybe it goes a little quicker with more absorbent paper towels.

Would toilet paper work instead? Not really. In theory, this rainbow paper towel experiment would work with toilet paper too, but paper towels are a little sturdier and won’t break down as quickly when wet like toilet paper will. While I haven’t tried it myself, I envision the toilet paper breaking in between glasses from the weight of the water and disrupting the whole process of this easy science experiment.

SUPERVISE COLOR DISTRIBUTION

Use the same amount of food coloring in every cup. If you let your kids add the food coloring and they are more “liberal” with one or two, simply add the difference to the remaining cups!

Love crafts and easy DIY projects? Grab this mini activity book for more by clicking the image below – free! 👇

Important Questions to Ask About This Walking Water Experiment

This may be a fun activity, but it IS a science experiment!

Consider asking your kids these questions to help them learn more and think through this project:

• What do you think will happen with the water?
• How can water move up against gravity?
• What do you think will happen to the colors?
• Why do you think the colors are changing?
• What can you learn from this about color theory?

Talk About Colors

Not only do the colors make this experiment even more fun, but it’s great opportunity to teach the kids about primary colors (red, yellow, blue) and secondary colors (made by combining primary colors: orange, green, purple).

Check out the colorful rainbow!

Walking Water Experiment FAQs

Here are some helpful things to think about as you do this activity with your kids. If you have a question that you don’t see answered below, please leave it for me in the comments!

This fun experiment is all about the process of capillary action .  The paper towels are made of cellulose fibers, and water travels through the tiny gaps in the fibers. Think of it like straws (capillary tubes) pulling the water upward. Why? Because the water is attracted to the paper towel fibers and pulls other water molecules along with them as water is pulled through the fibers of the paper towel. These attractive forces between the water molecules and the paper towel forces pulls the water up through the narrow space against the pull of gravity. Real World Application? This is the exact process that draws water from a plant’s roots to the leaves at the top of the tree or plant.

About 30-45 minutes for the water to move completely. It’s amazing to watch the water move upwards and over into the empty cups, creating new colors along the way! 

Walking Rainbow Water Activity Final Thoughts

If you have been wanting to do some science projects with your kids but don’t want to deal with the hassle, the mess, or the time commitment of babysitting a science experiment, this is THE project to do.

And a bonus is that it’s not just kids who love this walking water science experiment! Adults find it pretty enthralling too 😁

More From Made in a Pinch:

• Earth Day Science Experiment
• Dinosaur Sensory Bin Activity Idea For Kids
• Magic Milk STEM Experiment
• DIY Rainbow Spaghetti For Sensory Fun
• How To Melt Crayons Into New Shapes

Pin for Later!

Rainbow Walking Water Experiment

A fun and easy STEM project for kids to teach them about colors and capillary action!

Ingredients

• 5 clear glass (like mason jars) or plastic cups
• 2 paper towels

Instructions

Place 5 cups in a row and pour water in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th (odd-numbered) cups. Fuller is better, so fill them about ¾ full.

Add 5 drops of red food coloring to the 1st cup and the 7th cup. Add 5 drops of blue food coloring to the 3rd cup. And 5 drops of yellow food coloring to the 5th cup.

Take the paper towel half-sheet (you’ll need 6 total) and fold it in half (lengthwise) and repeat the folding process until your paper towel strip is 1-2 inches wide.

Trim off a bit of the length so that there isn’t much excess paper towel that will stick up in the air between each cup. This will help the water walk faster.

Place one half of a rolled paper towel in the 1st cup and place the other half in the cup next to it (the empty 2nd cup). Then one from 2nd cup and into the 3rd cup and so on until you reach the end.

Watch the cups to find out what begins to happen. It shouldn’t take long before you are able to see the colored water begin to travel up the paper towel.

The entire process can take up to 45 minutes, but it's fun to watch as the colors travel!

Similar Posts

Children And Pets: Essential Tips For Safety With Animals

Homemade Sugar Scrub: Minty Orange Sugar Scrub Bars

How To Make A DIY Nature Mandala Craft

Ultimate List Of Car Camping Essentials For Families

Kid Gifts For Horse Lovers: The Ultimate List

Top 50+ Easter basket Ideas for Boys (updated)

I like the way this project looks. I’m doing this project this year for my 5th grade science fair project.

Hi Michael! That’s terrific! I hope it turns out well – good luck in the science fair!

This takes me back! What a great experiment to do with kids. I’ll have to get my kids doing this one.

Such a fantastic project! Definitely need to try these out.

What a fun project! I’ll have to try this one out with my kids.

Now, this looks fun. My daughter would enjoy this. She loves anything that allows her to use my food coloring.

I love this idea. Gonna try this with my daughter. She’s at the stage that she wants to know everything and i know she will enjoy this.

This is great! It’s so simple yet has a big impact on kids. Mine will love to watch the color travel and probably turn it into a race to see which color will make the rainbow first.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Save Your Favorite Ideas

Walking Water Experiment

We love simple science experiments. And this one is really easy to set-up and the kids are always amazed at the end result. Learn about color mixing and capillary action in this easy walking water experiment!

RELATED: Grow a Rainbow Experiment 

Walking Water Science Experiment

This science project is fun for kids of all ages to try! Kids will be amazed at the rainbow created using capillary action. You can also use this activity to teach about color mixing and rainbows.

See also our Grow a Rainbow experiment.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Here is what you will need for this activity:  

• Paper Towel – 6 folded half sheets
• Food Coloring – we like the liquid gel food coloring (you just need 1 drop) but regular food coloring works too
• 7 Small Clear Cups or Glasses

What is the Science Behind This Experiment?

This science experiment is a great example of coloring mixing and capillary action.

Kids can learn about how secondary colors are formed when the orange, green and purple colors are made in the empty cups.

Capillary action is what makes the dye move up the paper towel.  The water moves upward through the paper towel, lifting the food dye molecules with it. This same phenomenon is what allows trees to get water from the ground with their roots. Paper towels are made from fibers found in plants, called cellulose.

How to do the Walking Water Experiment

1. Start by filling up 4 clear cups with water.

Fill the water to almost the top of the cup.

The more water there is, the faster the walking water will travel.

2. Add 1 drop of red food coloring to two of the cups, 1 drop of blue food coloring to one of the cups and 1 drop of yellow to one of the cups.

If using regular food coloring you may need to add a few drops.

For the red and blue, make sure this is not too concentrated.

Once the colors mix, if they are too concentrated then the purple will look more black than purple.

3. Place the cups in a line starting with red on each end.

Line them up like this: 1. Red 2. Empty Cup 3. Yellow Cup 4. Empty Cup 5. Blue Cup 6. Empty Cup 7. Red Cup

When the colors mix then the order of the rainbow will show this way.

4. Fold over 6 pieces of paper towel (half sheets) and trim about 1/4 off the end so they are not too long.

5. Place a paper towel into each cup and connect with the empty cups.

6. The water and dye will immediately start to move up the paper towel into the empty cups.

Blue and red will mix to make purple.

Blue and yellow will mix to make green.

And red and yellow will mix to make orange.

7. Wait 2-3 hours for the empty cups to fill with the new color that is mixed from the other 2 cups.

Now your walking rainbow is complete! You can now see each color from the rainbow in the cups and your empty cups have now been filled with the secondary colors – orange, green and purple!

Note – if you would like to do the experiment in a circle instead of a straight line to save space, just make 1 red cup and place the cups in a circle (as shown in the first image).

Kids will love watching the water travel and seeing the new colors being made in this easy science experiment!

More Science Experiments for Kids

Try this fun and easy Grow a Rainbow Experiment . You only need washable markers and paper towel!

For another fun experiment, make some oobleck! 

Try a rainbow rain cloud in the jar experiment!

More Science Experiments

Dancing Corn Experiment

Fluffy Slime Recipe

Skittles Experiment

Oil and Water Experiment

Related ideas:.

Cloud Dough

The BEST Playdough Recipe

How to Make Slime With Contact Solution

50+ Christmas Crafts for Kids

Share a comment.

We LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or comment here.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cancel Reply

Sign up for my FREE newsletter and get new ideas to your inbox!

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Amazon Favorites
• Search this website

A Dab of Glue Will Do

Little Learners, Big Ideas

PS PK K 1 2

Walking Water Science Activity for Kids

I'd love it if you shared!

• Facebook 239
• Pinterest 39.4K

We are always on the lookout for simple science activities to do with our kids. It doesn’t get any easier than this walking water science activity! Kids of all ages will be dazzled by the magic of watching colored water move along a paper towel from a full glass to fill up an empty glass.

Getting Walking Water Ready

Setup is super simple for this activity. We began by gathering the following supplies:

• Six jars of equal size (we used pint-sized mason jars )
• Food coloring in primary colors (red, yellow, and blue)
• Paper towels

We started by adding about 20 drops of blue food coloring to one jar and then filling it with 2 cups of water. Then we added 20 drops of yellow food coloring to another jar, filled it with water, and then added 20 drops of red food coloring to a third jar and filled it with water.

We arranged our jars in a circle so that there was an empty jar in between each filled jar.

Then we tore off six paper towels. The brand we used is Viva, but I have read that many other brands work just as well. If you find that your walking water science experiment isn’t working you may want to try a different brand or thickness of paper towel.

Our paper towels are the smaller “choose your size” kind. If you have the full sized paper towels you will only need to tear off three of them, and then tear each of those in half.

We folded each paper towel into length-wise quarters. This is the perfect size for each towel to reach from the bottom of one pint-sized jar to the bottom of the next jar.

Making Water Walk

We arranged each paper towel so that one end was submerged in the colored water of one full jar and one end was in an empty jar. This meant that each jar had two paper towels in it and all the jars were connected in a little circular paper towel circuit. We predicted what would happen and recorded it on the free printable below.

Within 30 seconds we could see colored water creeping up the paper towels! Little by little the water moved along the paper towel until it finally started dripping into the empty jar. With two different primary colors dripping into each empty jar we quickly created the secondary colors; orange, purple, and green!

After about one hour our jars looked like this:

We checked on our walking water frequently and observed how more and more water was transferred from the full jars to the empty jars. After leaving it overnight we noticed how all of the jars contained exactly the same level of water.

After the experiment was completed, we completed our recording sheet. It was so much fun!

The Science Behind Walking Water

The colored water moves up the paper towel by a process called capillary action. Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow upward, against gravity, in narrow spaces.  This is the same thing that helps water climb from a tree’s roots to its leaves at the top.

Paper towels are made from plant fibers called cellulose.  In our walking water experiment, the water flowed upward through the tiny gaps between the cellulose fibers. The attractive forces between water and cellulose fibers make this possible.

Want science planned for you ALL YEAR LONG?!

Do you want science planned for the ENTIRE CALENDAR YEAR !? This Endless Science Mega Bundle will save you so much time and keep your students engaged and excited about learning . This amazing resource contains 53 science topics  including  life science , physical science , earth science , and animal studies .

Download Your Walking Water Science Experiment Printable Below!

Can you not find a resource that you would LOVE to have for your classroom? Contact me and I would be happy to make it for you.

Click the picture below to download. 

You May Also Enjoy These Posts

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .