Surface Tension Science
Build a water maze and experiment with surface tension!
Explore:
- Science of Surface Tension
- Water-Walking Animals
- Wire Sculpting
About This Crate: Super-Sticky Water
Water striders like this one can walk on water using surface tension. Photo by Tanguy Sauvin via Unsplash
- Did you know? A water strider’s legs can hold up fifteen times the insect’s weight without sinking!
- Have you ever noticed that your hair clumps together when it’s wet? You can thank science for that! Water likes to stick to itself, so the water on each strand of hair will stick to the water on the strands around it, causing wet clumps.
- One reason soap is good for cleaning things is that it lowers water’s surface tension. This makes it easier for the sudsy liquid to spread out and get into all the nooks and crannies.
Repurpose your crate
Materials
- Kiwi Crate box
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Art supplies (like stickers, markers, washi tape, and colored paper)
- Sink or large container
- Water
- Liquid soap
- Cotton swabs
Directions
- Use scissors to carefully cut the lid off your Kiwi Crate box.
- With a pencil, draw a small boat shape on the piece you cut off.
- Cut out the boat shape and decide which end is the front and which is the back. Cut a deep, V-shaped notch into the back.
- Decorate the top of your boat! Add stickers, make stripes with washi tape, or use markers to doodle designs. To make a sail, cut a small paper triangle. Fold down one side to make a tab, then tape the tab to the boat.
- When your boat is decorated, add about an inch (2.5 cm) of water to a sink or large container. Carefully set the boat on the water and point the front in the direction you want it to go.
- To sail your boat, dip a cotton swab in a little liquid soap. Place the soapy end of the swab into the water behind the boat. The soap will break the surface tension and push the boat along!
