We have been having so much fun with science this summer–it’s the perfect time to get the kids excited with a hands on activity!
The Walking Water experiment is super easy to set up and has a big wow factor. Kids can watch the colored water walk along paper towels and fill an empty glass. It’s very cool!
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Walking Water Science Experiment
- at least 3 empty glasses (these are the ones we used)
- water
- food coloring
- paper towels
Choose the colors you want to mix. We did red and yellow, blue and yellow, and red and blue. Fill a jar for each color and add food coloring. You will need an additional empty glass of the same size for each pair of colors.
Cut a paper towel in half and then fold it into quarters lengthwise. Stick one end of the paper towel into the colored water and one end into the empty jar.
Thanks to capillary action the water moves or “walks” up the paper towels into the empty jar. The middle jar fills up with water until the water levels of all the jars are equal.
When you start with primary colored water in the jars it also turns into a cool coloring mixing lesson.
Walking Water Science Experiment Video
Want to see how cool it is for yourself? Watch it in action!
Walking Water Troubleshooting
Happens very slowly. We have always been able to see results within minutes. If you aren’t it may be the type of paper towels you are using. We do this one fairly often and have great success with the Target brand version where you can select the smaller sizes instead of a larger sheet. If you are disappointed with it taking a long time to see any action I’d try a different type of paper towel.
Won’t get started. You start to see something happening right away when you have filled your outer glasses all the way to the top. It totally works with shorter, wider clear glasses but we have the most success with the canning jars shown in the photos. If you have them it may be worthwhile to get them out!
This is one experiment you want to try until you get right because it is just that cool when it works. Trust me. You’ll be just as impressed with this walking water science experiment as the kids!
Join me and Erica from What Do We Do All Day? each Thursday this summer for a free Summer Science Camp. We are sharing classic science experiments that your kids will love!
Head over to see what they made this week!
Don’t let the fun and discovery stop there!
We have TONS of science experiments your kids will love on our Super Cool Science Experiments for Kids page!
Take me to the experiments –> Super Cool Science Experiments for Kids
This experiment is so cool! I am an Education Manager at a Head Start and I am going to recommend using this experiment and others you have on your website to my teachers. Thanks.
Thank you!!! It is one of our favorites! I HIGHLY recommend trying it!
I want to try this experiment for my school project about colors but the teacher is going to ask me what is going on and I think that the paper towel sucks in the water so this way it travels on the paper towel but I just want to be sure that my hypothesis is right so could you explain it to me or tell me if I am right or wrong?
Diana that is a great topic for you to research before you present it! Good luck!
hi I need step by step to do this can you tell me what the dependent variable I need it for my science fair project
Hi Leisa! Check your notes to figure it out. I’m sure you can do it!
it moves because of a process called capillary action. The adhesive forces between the water and the paper towel are stronger than the cohesive forces inside the water. As a result, the water travels up and across the paper towel out of one glass
Hypothesis???
Sure I’m doing this project for my school 😀
Yay! I also work for Headstart! I’m excited to try this!
The kids will LOVE it!!!!
cool:)))
I am a lead teacher for head start in GA. I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks for sharing this. We did a similar experiment without the colors. I mixed dirt and water in one glass, ran a paper towel (exactly like this experiment) to an empty glass. Pretty soon the formally empty glass will be just as full as the muddy water glass, but with clean water. (Well…cleaner water)
I tried to make it very theatrical: I told my kids I would drink the water from the muddy water glass without using a sieve. Then I set up the experiment in a minute and 20 minutes later drank from the clean water glass.
We’ll definitely reinforce the concept with this one…thanks!
Oh I love that! Especially how you set it up–awesome!
Hi Megan!
My son wants to do this for a project. Can u explain what the hypothesis would be and what the experiment is actually proving?
Thanks
Cheri
Hi Cheri! He would be the one creating the hypothesis, it’s his prediction/educated guess about what will happen. Once he does that he can complete the experiment to see if he is right or wrong. Then based on his results he’d write his conclusion. Have fun!
Wow! It is really cool!
They should tell us how much water to put in the jars but the easiest way to do it is just to pour them into the middle jar at the same time
Just saying
Very cool! About how long does it take for the experiment to work? Thanks!
You can see the water walk up the paper towels almost immediately and our jars were complete in about 30 minutes!
Love the kitchen table experiments. Hope u come by and share this on #kidsinthekitchen this week http://lookwhatmomfound.com/2014/08/salad-sandwich-bites-kidsinthekitchen.html
How long does this usually take for the water to “walk” into the other cups?
You start to see it happen very soon and depending on how much water is in your jar about 30 minutes to complete!
wow!!!!!!! so cool 🙂
Great! Thanks for that!
How many time does it take to see a result?
You can see the colored water “walk” up the paper towels right away! It’s amazing!
#Awesome
This can be done with multiple glasses and colors..the colors will blend with each additional color but even more interesting for the students is that the fluid levels equalize in all the glasses!
Yes! It’s so cool to watch!
Wow!! This is so simple yet so, so clever and impressive!! I cannot wait to try it out with my little guys. Thanks for sharing!
Wow!! This is so simple yet so, so clever and impressive!! I cannot wait to try it out with my little guys. Thanks for sharing!
It really is impressive!!! You must try it!
We did it today – so, so awesome! Thanks again – I am going to write a post on it and of course will link your page for credit!
Isn’t it just the coolest???
This science experiment looks amazing. This is easy also. I hope it goes well. I am excited to conduct this experiment. Thanks for sharing! Kids will enjoy this a lot.
Love this! We did this experiment during the school year, but with only two glasses. I was teaching my daughter how water is absorbed through a plant’s roots.
Such a great visual for roots!!!!
How do you explain term capillary action to young children? Thanks in advance!
Shirley I don’t think you even need to! You can mention it during the experiment, but at that stage it’s more about building their background knowledge. Hope that helps!
Is this good for a fifth grader???
Yes 🙂
Can i know da hypothosis of this project witha question and the answer must me in the experiment
Hi Nameeeshi! A hypothesis is your prediction of what will happen in the experiment based on your research or scientific understanding. It is basically what you think will happen when you “test” your scientific question and why. At the end of your project you check to see if your hypothesis was supported or not and figure out why. Good luck!
how does it work
Capillary action helps the water travel through the paper towels into the other cups until the water levels are even!
mackenzie, Each water molecule is attracted to the paper towel and attracted to the other water molecules. So, as one water molecule gets pulled to the paper towel, the water molecules behind the original water molecule get pulled along as well.
So fun. I’m a HS science teacher, a mother of a 1 yo and a 5 yo, and a Megan. Thank you for sharing with us. I can’t wait to try this with my girls.
He he! Hello fellow Megan! Have fun doing it with your girls–it has been a favorite of my kids for years. It never gets old!
Wonderfull !! I will try with my children Aurevoir 😉
im trying i in class and i will try with my students in science
I have done it with colored cello paper too.will try these for hands on experiment.awesome thx:)
Hi! I am testing out the Walking Water experiment before having it as an activity. What kind of paper towels did you use? Thank you!
Hi Laura! We usually buy whatever is cheapest. I don’t remember what kind I used this day, but if you have trouble let me know and I’ll test some. 🙂
Update! I have tested it to see and we like the Targer brand select a size paper towels the best! I think the brand name version of those would work just as well too. As long as they are nice and thick!
I am a middle school student 8th grade and I had been looking for an easy yet very original experiment to this science fair. While adding something different and multiple things i believe that it will work very well for an experiment, get me a good grade (which is needed) and i think it could be fun. Thank you!
Oh, this is one of my fave science experiments! I love how my daughters look in awe as they watched the water “walk”! 🙂
YES! It’s the best!
I am a science teacher in Chicago who has a kindergarten after school science club. I will be doing this with them this afternoon! Thanks for the inspiration.
They will LOVE it!!!! 🙂
lol this is a cool comment
How much water and drops do I use?
Fill the outer glasses to the top and add as much food coloring as you would like!
I tried it and it really did work like wow!!!???????
I was so surprised good thinking ?
I don’t get it?
hi Megan im doing this for my science fair project and i personally think its a wonderful and very smart idea thankyou for giving me such good information
I am doing this project for Science Fair!
I have tried this for my a science project and made pink by white and red. It was preety good
This is so cool me and my friend are going to try it
my third grade child choose this project and it seemed to amaze the entire family
Thought this was an awesome experiment for my 6 year old to do for a science fair project. Only problem we seem to be running into is that we have had it sitting for days now and the jars are not equal in the amount of water yet. I tried using bounty paper towels and also cheaper ones but I’m getting the same reactions. Any thoughts? Thanks 🙂
Are the glasses too tall? I cannot believe it would be taking that long!!!!! One was full and one was empty to start?
Can this be used with plastic cups instead of glass jars?
Yep! It’s just a little sturdier in the jar, plastic cups are fine!
Thanks. My child gonna present this to her science project. Keep her in ur wish.
Wow thanks so muck for this experiment I used it for my project hopefully I win so I can go to high school and show them.
I just wanted to let you know, you’re one PATIENT and very well mannered woman.
I don’t understand how people can ask the same question back to back, when, not only is it in the description under the experiment, but the person above/below them asked THE SAME questions!!
oy vie.
Anyways, I love that I came across your page. My 1st grader is going to be doing this experiment for his class and I’m so excited for him. Such a fun and simple project for both visual and hands on learners!
Thank You!
Awwww! TY!!!!! You are so sweet! He is going to have so much fun doing it for 1st graders! They will love it!!!
This activity was so cool! I will need to get different paper towels next time though. It took a few days for the color to actually soak up the towel, maybe a bit too thick 😆. Thank you!
It’s crazy how that can make a difference isn’t it! I have timed photos saved on my IG profile @CoffeeandCrayon under walking water if you want to see how fast it goes for me!
Awesome! how long does it take for the experiment to work?
I don’t understand how people can ask the same question back to back, when, not only is it in the description under the experiment, but the person above/below them asked THE SAME questions!!