Create a Rainbow Waterfall

Materials you'll need

• 1 sheet of tissue paper
• Food coloring (several colors)
• 1 small glass jar
• Tape
• 1 large clear glass
• Water

 

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1: Fold a sheet of tissue paper lengthwise into a long, narrow strip.

Step 2: Squeeze rows of food coloring across one end of the strip, using a different color for each band so you build a rainbow of stripes.

Step 3: Wrap the colored end of the paper around the bottom of a small glass jar and tape it in place so the colors face outward.

Step 4: Fill a large clear glass with water.

Step 5: Place a small glass cup upside down in the large glass.

Step 6: Lower the glass jar with colored paper into the large glass until the paper is immersed.

Step 7: Wait and watch. The water climbs into the paper and pulls the colors down into the glass like a rainbow waterfall.

Learn more

This project works thanks to capillary action — the same force that helps water travel from a plant's roots up to its leaves. Paper is made of tiny fibers with gaps between them, and those gaps act like tiny straws, pulling water upward into the dry paper. As the water climbs, it dissolves the food coloring and carries it along for the ride. Once the paper gets soaked with colorful water, gravity takes over and pulls the heavy, colorful drops back down, spilling them into the clear water below and creating your rainbow waterfall.