Paper Towel Escalator
Behold the magic of paper towel!
ADDED October 16, 2009
Length: 15 minutes or so of set-up. (And it's easy, fun set-up for parents and kids.) 24 hours of waiting for the science and magic.
Parental Involvement: Find two bowls that you don't cherish.
Kids Should Be Able to: Follow simple directions. Wait 24 hours relatively patiently. Enjoy science!
Lately we've been performing some science experiments with the kids. The purpose of these activities is just a fun introduction to scientific investigation. In our house, we're not always sure what the outcome of any experiment will be -- or if anything will happen at all.
When the experiments do "work," we'll share it with you here.
Today we present the "Paper Towel Escalator." Like any escalator, ours moves stuff from place to place. The Paper Towel Escalator moves water, though, not people. And -- as you'll see -- it does not move *dirt!*
For this activity (or "experiment") you'll need two bowls and three pieces of (still attached) paper bowls. The bowls should not be your grandmother's finest china because, well, we're going to be putting *dirt* in them.
Due to the indisputable presence of *dirt* involved in this activity, we did it in the garage. You might want to do the same. (A certain Mom in our house draws the line at *dirt* in her kitchen.)
Have your kids put a few tablespoons of dirt in one of the bowls. Next, mix in about a cup or two of water and mix. The scientific name for the resulting concoction is . . . mud.)
Elevate this dirty, mud-filled bowl a bit. (We placed this bowl on top of an overturned pot.)
Next, put the other bowl -- which should be completely empty -- on the ground (so that it is lower than the mud bowl.) Fold the paper towel two or three times so that you have a narrow (and "fat") strip of paper towel. Put one end of the folded paper towel into the top bowl, and the other end into the bottom, empty bowl.
(A kid could really do *all* these steps, with minimal parental supervision.)
That's it. That's all you need to do. Leave the experiment alone for twenty-four hours, and then check back.
When you and your kids return the next day, the Paper Towel Escalator will have taken the water out of the mud and given it a ride into the bottom bowl. Water and dirt will be separate again! (Don't you feel that you're getting a good value out of this paper towel? It's really working overtime in the cleaning department.)
Why does this happen? The paper towel is designed to be very absorbent and very sturdy. "Capillaries" -- or very tiny tubes -- in the paper towel absorb the water and transport it along the length of the towel. The dirt, which is too big and heavy to make the trip -- is left behind.
Try it today with your kids. It really works!
Science is fun. So are escalators. And of course, so is dirt. We hope you and your kids enjoy experimenting!
| good at home, |
Comments
Post Comment
