Blowing water in drops along waxed paper is a simple, fun way to demonstrate water science with kids. Even if your child is too young to grasp the concepts of surface tension and the bonding properties of water molecules, it’s still a fun indoor activity that will make kids say, “Cool!!!”
Also, it’s super-duper easy, which is my favorite type of science experiment. Plus, my kids love to play with water.
What you need:
- A straw, or other thin tube. (Actually, this is optional and kids could simply blow without the aid of a straw.)
- Waxed paper
- Flat surface
- Eye dropper (a spoon will also suffice)
Instructions:
- Drop water onto wax paper. Make the drops as large or as small as you like.
- Move the drops by blowing them across the paper.
That’s it!
Kids can experiment by blowing extra hard to make the larger drops break up into smaller beads. Also you can blow the beads together to make larger beads. You can suck them up the straw and blow them back out. Kiddo liked blowing his off the table to “plop” on the floor. (It’s just water, after all.)
I loved how this project has the added bonus of entertaining the kids for an extended period of time without a lot parental involvement.
More easy and FUN science projects to try:
- Water refraction is just like magic!
- Blow up a balloon with kitchen ingredients
- Use household ingredients to create your own preschool science lab
- Amaze your kids with a leak proof hole in a bag!
- Make a coin jump off a bottle
MORE SUPER EASY INDOOR PLAY ACTIVITIES WITH WATER
I First Published this idea 3/16/09.
Leptir says
June 4, 2010 at 9:14 amLooks like fun 🙂
I'll probably try it in my classroom with kids.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
MaryAnne says
June 4, 2010 at 12:15 pmWhat an excellent activity! Thanks for the idea =)
mandy says
June 5, 2010 at 1:44 amoooh, fun!
Christy says
June 5, 2010 at 5:33 pmMy kids will love this! Thanks.
Raising a Happy Child says
June 9, 2010 at 11:14 amI have to try it out – wind races have been popular here, but we haven't done them with water.
Magda says
September 12, 2016 at 5:29 pmHi! I’m about to launch a year-long science course for young kids at some of the local schools. I love this idea! It will be a PERFECT fun activity to end the “Surface tension” lesson with! We’ll be doing some fun experiments to bring the concept home to the kids, and this is just what I needed! Thanks so much Erica!
Erica says
September 14, 2016 at 12:16 pmGlad the idea was useful!
Julie C Billow says
April 17, 2017 at 12:45 amI just tried this out myself and had fun! Try adding some color to the experiment by drawing on the waxed paper with markers and then watch as the water drops blow through the colors and absorb them. Fascinating!
Erica says
April 19, 2017 at 11:07 amI love that idea!
Gail says
March 9, 2018 at 3:22 pmUsed this today with my preschool kids. Many had fun watching the water break apart and go back together. I added food coloring to the water and used freezer paper ??
Rebecca says
March 28, 2019 at 3:00 pmWe used color waters and blew the the color water droplets into each other to see what colors they turned into. The kids loved it.
Erica says
March 29, 2019 at 8:08 amWhat a fantastic idea!