During Science Day, the children explored the question, “How do colours travel through water?”. To do this they carried out the ‘travelling colours’ experiment using cups of water, food colouring and kitchen towels.
Before starting the experiment they made predictions on what might happen. Some thought the colours would stay in the cup while others predicted that the water would move up the kitchen towel into the other cups and mix.
As they watched, the children were excited to see the coloured water slowly travel up the paper towel and into the empty cups, creating new colours where they met. This led to a discussion about capillary action – the process where liquid can move upwards through narrow spaces, even against gravity. The pupils learnt that this is the same process plants use to move water from their roots up to their leaves.
By the end of the lesson, the children reflected on their predictions and were able to explain how capillary action caused the colours to travel, helping them understand how science can explain everyday processes in nature.
Michael Faraday 