water experiment drawing

WebGL Water

Made by Evan Wallace

This demo requires a decent graphics card and up-to-date drivers. If you can't run the demo, you can still see it on YouTube .

Interactions:

• Draw on the water to make ripples
• Drag the background to rotate the camera
• Press SPACEBAR to pause and unpause
• Drag the sphere to move it around
• Press the L key to set the light direction
• Press the G key to toggle gravity
• Raytraced reflections and refractions
• Analytic ambient occlusion
• Heightfield water simulation *
• Soft shadows
• Caustics (see this for details) **

* requires the OES_texture_float extension ** requires the OES_standard_derivatives extension

Tile texture from zooboing on Flickr

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Floating Dry Erase Marker Experiment

This simple floating dry erase marker experiment is a lot of fun for kids to try! You only need a dry erase marker, a bowl, spoon and water! Kids can learn how to make their drawings float with this simple experiment!

RELATED: Dry Erase Marker Snowflakes

Dry Erase Marker Experiment

Have you ever wanted to make your name float? Learn about science and create floating words with this fun floating dry erase marker experiment!

What is the Science?

Dry erase markers contain an oily silicone polymer. This makes the ink easy to wipe off nonporous surfaces such as a whiteboard, glass, metal or ceramic. This polymer makes the ink slippery and prevents it from sticking to the whiteboard.

In contrast, a permanent marker has an acrylic polymer that makes the ink stick to the surface, instead of being slippery.

How Does it Work?

You can get your drawings to float with a dry erase marker. When you make your drawing on the spoon (or a plate) the solvent that dissolves the ink ingredients will evaporate. Then, the color pigment and polymer is left on the spoon. However, since it has an oily silicone polymer this prevents it from sticking to the spoon.

When you dip the spoon into the water, the water can slip underneath the drawing since the polymer prevents it from sticking to the spoon. Finally, since the ink is lighter than the water, it floats!

Science Experiment

Make this a science experiment by testing the dry erase marker and a washable marker. Have kids make a hypothesis about which one they think will float and why.

See if you can spell different words or make your name! You can even do snowflakes or make other shapes like hearts!

Supplies Needed

Dry Erase Marker s – we tested the Ikea Brand and the EXPO brand. Make sure the marker says it is NOT washable. If it is a washable marker it will not work. We used these markers. Fine tip or larger is recommended.

A round bowl or dish

Metal spoon

Water – we used regular tap water. It was cold water.

Watch the Video Tutorial Here

How to do a floating dry erase marker experiment.

1.  Fill a bowl or container with water

2. Start by drawing a letter or shape on the metal spoon with the dry erase marker.

• Draw thicker lines (but don’t overline it too much or it will ruin the ink already there, just draw a thicker line)
• Make sure all of the lines are connected to each other
• You want to press down so that a lot of ink comes out (if it’s too light it might not be thick enough to hold together)

3. Slowly dip the spoon into the water.

Slowly and carefully move the spoon into the water and let it lift off. This can be tricky to do. Alternatively, you can draw on the bottom of your dish and slowly add water into the bowl or dish and see which letters release and float.

If you have any that break as you are trying to get them into the water, just scoop them out and try again.

See tips above.

Go slowly and try to shake it off gently so that it doesn’t break as you’re trying to get it into the water.

Now that you have your letters floating, use one of the markers to gently push the water around and see if you can get the letters to spell a word!

Try not to touch the letters too closely or the letter may stick to the marker.

Instead of letters, what else can you draw and make float? Try different shapes, a heart or snowflakes next!

More Science Experiments

How to Make Oobleck

Rain Cloud in a Jar

Grow a Rainbow Experiment

Oil and Water Experiment

Related ideas:.

Fluffy Slime Recipe

How to Make Slime With Contact Solution

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How to Draw on Water Using Dry Erase Markers (Dancing Drawings)

• October 16, 2020
• 10 Minute Science , 3-4 Year Olds , 5-6 Year Olds , Household Items , Physics , Rainy Day Science

Amazing Physics science activity to teach kids about density! The magical ingredient in dry-erasers makes ‘floating pictures’ off your child’s drawing board. Sounds impressive?

In this activity, we are going to make the drawing objects float using just 2-3 simple ingredients. Also, this is a great indoor activity that reveals the magic of dry-erasers.

Dancing Drawings on Water

Objective: To teach children how dry-erasers work and about density.

Materials Required

1) Ceramic Plate

3) Dry-Erase Markers (Make sure you are using new ones)

*Product Links are affiliate links – Your support is highly appreciated

That’s it, it is very easy to gather these supplies to conduct this super cool science activity. Since this activity requires very few supplies and takes a minute to set-up , kids will love to do it again and again.

Duration to conduct this Activity: 5 minutes to 10 minutes

What do you think how the writings of markers on the white board are able to erased easily? Even if we write anything on glass, ceramic, etc. the marker writings are easily erased without the witnessing any tiny mark. Ask your children to do their own guesses. A science teacher may answer this question perfectly. However, we are going to do a simple investigation that reveals a great demonstration about dry-erasers.

Instructions to Make Floating Pictures

Here are the simple step-by-step instructions to follow in order to make pictures dance in the water. Have a look!

Step-1: The first important step is to check whether your picked markers are suitable for this science activity.

Step2: Second, you need to keep a small mark on the ceramic plate and add water to it. Observe carefully whether the mark is going off the plate. If the mark floats, then your markers are perfect to perform this simple science activity.

Step-3: Now, let your children draw their own drawings on the ceramic plate. A small tip to hold the color together is to fill the drawing completely without any breaks. Of course, the simple line drawings also work but not effective as complete color filling drawings. See the pictures attached to get an idea on how to draw pictures on ceramic plate.

Step-4: The next step is to add some water on to the plate where there are drawings of markers. You can use normal or warm water to pour on to the plate. You will see the drawings getting separated from the surface, coming alive, and floating on the top of water.

Step-5: When the drawings start dancing on the water, ask your child to blow the floating pictures using a straw. Kids enjoy this floating pictures experiment while learning simple science behind dry-erasers.

Extension Tips

Here are a couple of tips that help to extend this science activity.

1) Try to place a paper on the floating drawings and check whether the dancing pictures get attached to the paper again. If yes, then observe the drawings are attached in the same way they are drawn or there is any disturbance.

2) Try to draw pictures or drawings of any objects using other types of pens such as sketches, felt-tip pens, ball point pens, sparkling pens, ink pens, normal markers, etc.

3) Try using different types of waters like soda water, sparkling water, ice cold water, etc. And check whether these waters also make the drawings float on top of the water.

Try our other density science experiments:

9 Layer Density Tower Hot & Cold Water Science Experiment Create Fireworks in Water & Oil Make a Lava Lamp at Home

What are the questions to be asked during or after the experiment?

It is always fun having discussions on the magical ingredients that make the experiment work at its best. And it is highly recommended to children to make observations and record data during science investigations. Such that children would be able to make out what factors are causing the success of the activity they have done. So, I have included a few questions that help you to discuss with your child during and after experiment.

1) Do you observe any specific color that makes the drawing float faster when compared to other colors?

2) What is that drawing surface on which the pictures gets separated so easily?

3) Among color filled drawings and line drawings, which one floats faster?

4) Is it possible to pick up the floating pictures?

5) In what way the temperature of water effect the results of the experiment?

Science Behind This Simple Activity?

Mainly, the science behind ‘Draw on Water Using Dry Erase Markers ’ activity is associated with dry erasers. Yes, let us see how?

Dry erasers are made of minimal adhesive inks so that the drawings made are easily wiped off from the solid surfaces. Also, the ink used in dry erasers is kind of plastic i.e. a polymer . Therefore, when it is written on the solid surfaces, the ink is turned in to a solid film. And this solid film has the magical power of not dissolving in water plus does not wish to secure itself by sticking strongly to the surface. That is the reason, when we pour water to the ceramic plate, the drawings get easily separated off the plate.

The science between water and dry erase markers

In this activity, water also plays major role to lift the drawings off the plate. The water is denser than the solid film formed by the ink of dry erase markers when drawn on the plate. Therefore, when the water is spread under the drawings, it can easily lift off the lesser dense solid film drawings.

The Science Facts about Dry Erasers and Permanent Markers

Permanent markers use the ink that is favourable to stick strongly when written on any surface. That means the ink used here is strongly adhesive in nature so it will not come off easily from the surface. Whereas the dry erasers use minimal adhesive inks that are easily wiped off from any surface.

The Science behind Insoluble Inks

The nature of ink used to make dry erase markers is absolutely insoluble that means it cannot dissolve in water. And also becomes less dense compared to the density of water. So, when you draw on a smooth surfaced ceramic plate, the ink stays insoluble with lesser density. And when the water slipped under these drawings the thick solid film formed by the ink gets off the smooth surface. This happens because of the formation of buoyancy force which makes drawings to dance or float on top of the water.

When the pictures are drawn on any smooth surfaced object using dry erase markers, the ink becomes a thick solid film. This film is insoluble and less dense in nature. Since the water poured is denser than the ink, there happens the formation of strong buoyancy force. This is the force which makes the drawing easily lifted by the water. In this way, dry erase markers float in water.

A floating marker is called a buoy. This directs the places where the boats are tied up, presence of submerged dangers, etc.

The surfaces on which the dry erase markers work at its best include ceramic plates, mirrors, glasses, metals, etc. Because all these are of non-porous surfaces which makes the ink of dry erase markers lift off easily. The dry erase markers ink can easily tint the leaky porous surfaces. So, it is recommended to check the surface type if you are using dry erase markers on it.

You need to gather a smooth surface, water, and a dry erase marker to get a stickman to move in water. Draw the picture of stickman on the smooth surfaced object (whatever you have picked). Then, pour warm water on to the plate. When the water slips under the drawing, it lifts up the stickman’s solid film formed by the ink of dry erase marker. Finally, you can see your stickman floating on top of the water.

Take a dry erase marker and draw a floating man on the smooth surface. Firstly, draw a neat circle and give a vertical line attached at one side of the circle. Then, give hands and legs by drawing slanting lines to the vertical line. A pair of slanting lines at the joining point of vertical line to the circle and the other pair at the end of the vertical line. That’s it! You are done with drawing a floating man.

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Happy Hooligans

Crafts and Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers to Tweens

Dry Erase and Water “Floating Ink” Experiment

Last updated on February 18, 2021

• Facebook 233
• Pinterest 45.7K

If you’re looking for cool things to do with dry erase markers, you have to check out this floating ink experiment ! It’s a fun and easy science activity to do with kids and a great party trick that will “wow” the grown-ups too. 

I have another very cool dry erase activity for your kids to try. It’s a dry erase and water trick that’s going to blow your kids’ minds! We’ve used the Dry Erase Markers with Ink Indicators that the good folks at  EXPO sent us, and we’ve made drawings that float on water!

I didn’t even know that dry erase ink could float until I saw the dry erase stick-man trick  (more on that in a bit) making its way around the web a few months back.

That trick looked so awesome that we were inspired to try it ourselves but instead of making floating stick-men, we made floating hearts.

Check out this video that I shot for you: How fun is that?!!

The kids were fascinated! They did the experiment over and over again, testing different colours of ink and different writing surfaces. This is definitely a science activity that kids AND adults will love.

You may also love these 5 dry erase activities that don’t require a white board.

To do the Dry Erase and Water Experiment, you’ll need:

• EXPO Dry Erase Markers  (affiliate link)
• dinner plate or baking dish
• jug of water (we also experimented with medicine droppers)
• Towel or vinyl table cloth to protect your work surface

A note about our drawing surface:

We experimented with a few different surfaces for this activity. I’ve heard you can use any glass surface or even a laminate table top, but we wanted to contain our water, so we tried the experiment with 3 types of plates:

• a white ceramic quiche dish
• a white dinner plate
• white disposable plastic plates

How to Make Dry Erase Ink Float

Test your markers to make sure the ink is flowing well.

Draw shapes, stick figures or letters on your plate or baking dish.

Pour water into the dish close to the edges of your drawings. Within seconds, you’ll see the dry erase ink reacting with the water, and the edges of your drawings will begin to lift. As you add more water, the ink will lift away from the bottom of the dish and float to the surface of the water. Note : Some of your drawings may only lift a little, and some might not at all. Our results were different every time.

Experiment again and again

We had a great time doing the experiment over and over again, pouring out the water, drying the dish, and trying new shapes and colours to see what would happen.

Make observations

It was fun to make observations to try and determine what factors made the experiment work best. Have your kids do the same. Here are some questions to ask your kids to think about when doing the dry erase and water experiment:

1. Is there a colour of ink that works best? 

Is it the colour of the ink? Does it depend how thick the layer of ink is? See if your kids can nail down what works best for them.

We found that a thicker layer of ink worked best, and the colours we used had varying results. We had the least success with the black ink. Sometimes the red ink floated quickly, and other times, like in the video above, the red wouldn’t come away from the plate at all. Was this due to how hard we pressed? How much ink we used? Which colours work best for you?

2. Which drawing surface works best?

The disposable plastic plates didn’t work as well as our dinner plate, and the quiche dish worked best of all. For some reason, our drawings seemed to stick to the dinner plate more than the quiche dish. The quiche dish was ideal too because of the rim. We could pour quite a bit of water into it and not have to worry about spills.

3. Do solid shapes float better than stick figures or letters? 

Experiment with different types of drawings – letters, pictures, outlines, solid shapes etc. to see which ones float best.

4. Can you pick up your floating shapes!

What’s really cool is that we were able to pick up our floating shapes with our fingers. When we did, they completely deflated and looked like a little strand of rubber, but when we gently placed them back on the surface of the water and jiggled them a little, they expanded back into their original shape and floated again.

5. Does the temperature of the water make a difference?

Try your experiment with hot, cold and room temperature water and observe your results.

And have fun trying the experiment over and over again!

Why DOES dry erase ink float?

If you’d like to know the science behind the dry erase and water experiment, this dry erase stick-man article explains how dry erase ink floats.

Learn more about  EXPO Dry Erase Markers with Ink Indicator here . #EXPOTeacherWin

This post was sponsored by EXPO Markers. The ideas and opinions are my own.

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Reader Interactions

Brenda Penton

September 19, 2017 at 6:17 am

I use them to write reminders on the bathroom mirror. We also use them on the patio door to play around. One person will draw something and a few hours or days later someone else will add to it until we have a whole scene, then we start again.

September 19, 2017 at 10:32 am

Very cool! Certainly something to do at home now that the rainy season is here!

September 19, 2017 at 2:08 pm

Looks like a great experiment!

September 19, 2017 at 3:27 pm

We have a busy household. My daughter and I use dry erase markers to leave messages on her mirror. This helps us remember what’s happening and when.

happyhooligans

September 20, 2017 at 10:04 pm

I love that idea!

September 19, 2017 at 4:25 pm

try lifting out with very porous paper or such … that might wor.

September 19, 2017 at 5:00 pm

So cool!! My kindergartener loves expo markers, this will be a fun experiment for her, thanks!

I have one of thoe giant whiteboards on my fridge; this would be great!

Jessica Gipson

September 19, 2017 at 5:23 pm

I use it in our classroom to demostrate class activity on the white board.

September 19, 2017 at 8:02 pm

I have used dry erase markers on different surfaces over the years. My favorite surface is a small porcelain sign(5X7) that I write on and then put on a stand. I sometimes write the menu or a greetings of a holiday! Such fun!!!

Jessica Mcfarlin

September 19, 2017 at 9:08 pm

I Love using it in the playroom/den on the dry erase board.

September 19, 2017 at 9:14 pm

making all kinds of art. i like these!

Kim Crichton-Struthers

September 19, 2017 at 9:31 pm

We like to use dry erase markers on the fridge.

September 19, 2017 at 10:42 pm

Just the traditional way here- we use it on the whiteboard to draw pictures, fill out the monthly calendar and sometimes list chores.

September 19, 2017 at 10:53 pm

Dry erase markers have so many uses, but I can’t wait to try these experiments.

Velma Garcia

September 19, 2017 at 11:06 pm

I can’t wait to try these experiments with my 3-year-old grandson!

Linda Madden

September 19, 2017 at 11:56 pm

I use them in a walk in my kitchen to show which chore each of my children need to complete before I get home from work. It works out great!

September 20, 2017 at 10:03 pm

September 20, 2017 at 1:49 am

These look like so much fun!!

September 20, 2017 at 2:46 am

I love using dry erase markers to keep our family calendar in order. It’s colour coordinated and the dry erase makes it so easy to make changes.

September 20, 2017 at 7:27 am

Why not send sets of these to the teachers who were in hurricanes in tx and Florida as supporting them in time of loss and help them rebuild their classrooms just thought much love from tx

September 20, 2017 at 10:02 pm

I think that’s a wonderful idea! I’m hopeful that EXPO will make a corporate contribution to relief efforts.

Shelley Brewer

September 20, 2017 at 9:33 am

What a cool project! Definitely need to try this.

September 20, 2017 at 10:06 am

We use dry erase markers to help with our music lessons and also to practice our multiplication tables. We sometimes use them to leave messages for each other as a way of encouraging each other to always try our best. Sometimes I write chores on the white board so that once the boys get home from school, they know what is expected of them that day. Much easier than walking around behind them and constantly reminding them :-).

Amanda Wilcox

September 20, 2017 at 11:39 am

I love this! I can’t wait to try it with my daughter. Regularly we keep a dry erase calendar in our kitchen which I religiously update to keep us on track. My daughter also has her own collection of fun colored dry erase markers and a board in the garage which she draws on while spending time with daddy in the garage…and there’s always hangman too!

Cari Herrera

September 20, 2017 at 11:40 am

We love using expos to decorate our windows and tables. It comes right off with water! Can’t wait to try this. Thank you.

September 20, 2017 at 9:57 pm

So fun! We played Hangman on our glass sliding door!

September 20, 2017 at 12:48 pm

This is so cool!!

Sue Meyerson

September 20, 2017 at 2:28 pm

I am a pediatric occupational therapist so I use a lot of dry erase markers to work on handwriting, pencil grasp, hand and finger strength, etc. I use dry erase alphabet and number books, or I put worksheets into a plastic sleeve. We work on hand, finger and arm strength when bunching up a paper towel and pressing hard to erase.

sharon drapela

September 20, 2017 at 7:22 pm

We use them for directed drawings and graphing/voting

September 20, 2017 at 9:05 pm

I am boring…I just use them on dry erase boards and laminated pages.

September 20, 2017 at 9:55 pm

Hey, nothing boring about that!

September 20, 2017 at 9:18 pm

I use my Expo markers everyday to update the parents of my students on my whiteboard

Kids and moms

September 21, 2017 at 12:07 am

These colors so so cute and bright, we use for art and craft. hehe. When free, please visit my youtube channle- cute art ideas for kids and moms 🙂

September 21, 2017 at 11:19 am

We do homework every night with a dry erase board. It helps my daughter to be able to erase if she had the wrong thing and we can write it a bit bigger than on a sheet of paper and use fun colors to make the homework experience a bit more enjoyable….Love our Expo Markers!!!!

September 21, 2017 at 2:29 pm

That’s a great idea, Kimberly!

September 22, 2017 at 9:07 am

I use dry erase markers during OT with my students. They love writing letters and erasing them as they trace with their fingers. Or, we play games – hangman, tic-tac-toe, etc. Doesn’t waste paper and the kid shave fun!

Donna VanHook

September 23, 2017 at 11:55 am

This will be great in my science class!

September 24, 2017 at 3:15 am

I like to use dry erase markers during presentations in class.

Kerrie Gregory

September 24, 2017 at 3:16 pm

My favorite way to use dry erase markers in the classroom is having my students use them to trace over laminated cards or fill in the answers on the laminated cards

October 1, 2017 at 8:55 am

Wow, this is a seriously cool activity that I know my kids would get a kick out of. I can’t wait to do this with them. Thanks so much for sharing!

January 31, 2019 at 2:44 pm

This looks great. Will be fun to try. Thanks.

April 4, 2019 at 4:07 pm

It was so much fun to do with the kids and they were so amazed they wanted me to do it over and over again adventualy I ran out o fink in my expo markers so we had to stop doing but we did dinosaurs hotdogs and other fun kid things like a xbox controller a baseball bat but thank you some much for sharing it my kids had a blast

Christian Shebchuk

May 18, 2020 at 8:55 am

Hello! I just tried this and I had a great time thanks for sharing!

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5 Simple Experiments with Water

April is known for it’s rain showers.  What better time to try some simple science experiments with water!  Today, I’m sharing with you 5 simple experiments that need only a few items and take just a few seconds to set up, yet are fun and explore different properties of water.

  1.  Bending pencil experiment

 Materials needed:

• glass with water 2/3 full

Place a pencil in the water, placing it so that it is tipped to one side.  Look through the front of the glass and notice that the pencil is bent.

The science behind it:

Light “bends” when it passes though one substance to another of a different density.  The light is first travelling through the air, and then it passes through the water.  Since the water is more dense than the air, the light rays bend in the water.  This makes the pencil seem to bend as well.  The process of light bending is called refraction.

2.  Rainbow light experiment  

Materials needed:

• Glass of water
• piece of white paper
• full sunlight

Place a glass of water in direct sunlight. Hold the white paper below the glass.  Look for the rainbow!

Rainbows are formed when light passes through water droplets.  As the light comes through, it is refracted, just like in the bending pencil experiment above.  As a result, the light separates into its different colors, which forms the rainbow.

3. Oil vs. water experiment  

• glass or bottle
• vegetable oil or a similar cooking oil
• dishwashing liquid

Pour water into the glass.  Pour vegetable oil into the glass.  Observe what happens.  (The vegetable oil and water separate into layers.) Add dishwashing liquid and stir.  Observe what happens.

Water and oil are both made up of molecules that are strongly attracted to each other.  Water molecules have a positive charge on one end and a negative charge on the other end.  Since the opposite ends of the molecule have different charges, it is called a polar molecule.  The molecules in the oil are more evenly spaced out, and therefore do not have charges on the opposite ends of the molecule.  These are called non-polar molecules.  Since the water and oil molecules are different types, they do not mix.  When the dishwashing liquid is added, it causes the bonds between the molecules to change, and allows the liquids to mix. 

4. Which holds more? volume experiment  

• large measuring cup filled with water
• short and tall glasses of different volumes

*Note:  This activity works best with a tall, thin glass/vase as well as a short, fat glass.  I check the volumes ahead of time to make sure the volume of the short glass is more than the tall vase.

Procedure: 

Show the kids the short and tall glasses.  Let them choose which they believe will hold the most water.  (They almost always choose the tall, thin glass.)  Pour the water into this glass.  Since they chose the glass that they believe holds the most water, remind them that if you pour the water from their glass to the other glass, the water should fill the other glass and still have water left in their glass.  Pour the water into the second glass to test their hypothesis that their chosen container holds the most water.   (My son was shocked when the water was poured into the second glass and it did not fill it entirely!)

The science behind the experiment:

Most kids think that the taller the glass, the more water it must hold.  This is not always the case, especially if it is tall and thin.  This simple experiment shows that you cannot determine the volume based on the height of an object. 

5. Surface Tension experiment  

• measuring cup filled with water

Pour water into the glass, filling it to the brim.  With the eyedropper, carefully add additional water to the glass.  Continue to add water until it over flows. Observe the surface of the water and watch it bulge above the top of the glass.

As I mentioned in the oil vs. water experiment, water is a polar molecule.  This makes the water molecules stick together with a very strong bond.  The surface of the water bulges upward with each drop of water, until the molecules can no longer stick together at the top of the glass.  This is called surface tension.  You can also try this experiment with dropping pennies into the glass, to see how many pennies you can add, before it the water spills over the edge.  Likewise, you can also try it with other liquids.  Rubbing alcohol is a good liquid to try, as it does not have a high surface tension value like water does.

Happy experimenting!

Love this, Leann! So simple but so fun. My 4 year old loves experiments and is always asking to do them. Pinned to my Hands-On Science board and will re-pin to my preschool board as well. Going on the lesson plan for next week, too.

I remember this from when I was a kid and how magicial it felt when I discovered these concepts. Thanks for sharing! We’d love for you to share this on our After School Link up http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2013/04/creating-and-learning-with-clothespins.html

Fantastic! Thanks for the easy experiments but also the science behind it!

Great hands-on learning. Thanks!

It is AMAZING. It is easy to do & it is so helpful to my projects.. Thank you leann

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30 Easy Water Experiments For Kids

Water experiments aren’t just for summer! Water is easy and budget-friendly for science learning with preschoolers, elementary-age kids, and even middle school science. Check out our list of our favorite science experiments with water and look for the free printable water themed science camp week guide!

SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS WITH WATER

What do all these science experiments and STEM projects below have in common? They all use water!

These water experiments are perfect for at home and in the classroom with simple household items like salt. Also, check out our science experiments with baking soda.

Let’s dig in if you want to explore science with water as the main ingredient! While you’re at it, make sure to check out more kid-friendly science experiments.

Our science activities and experiments are designed with you, the parent or teacher, in mind! Easy to set up, and quick to do, most activities will take only 15 to 30 minutes to complete and are heaps of fun!

USING THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

The scientific method is a process or method of research. A problem is identified, information about the problem is gathered, a hypothesis or question is formulated from the information, and the hypothesis is put to the test with an experiment to prove or disprove its validity. Sounds heavy…

What in the world does that mean?!? The scientific method should be used as a guide to help lead the process.

You don’t need to try and solve the world’s biggest science questions! The scientific method is all about studying and learning things right around you.

As kids develop practices that involve creating, gathering data evaluating, analyzing, and communicating, they can apply these critical thinking skills to any situation. To learn more about the scientific method and how to use it, click here.

Even though the scientific method feels like it is just for big kids…

This method can be used with kids of all ages! Have a casual conversation with younger kiddos or do a more formal notebook entry with older kiddos!

Click here to get your 12 days of science challenge calendar!

WATER EXPERIMENTS FOR KIDS

Click on each link below to explore cool experiments with water! Here you will find easy water experiments for preschoolers through middleschoolers, including the water cycle.

This age group is beginning to learn about core concepts in chemistry , including states of matter, how different substances mix or interact, and the properties of different materials.

ICE IS NICE SCIENCE

Explore the solid form of water and ice. Look at three great ice experiments that highlight the scientific method perfectly!

BENDING WATER

Can you bend water? Yes, you can with static electricity. Grab a balloon and some water to set up this easy experiment.

CANDLE IN WATER EXPERIMENT

Can you make the water rise by burning a candle under a jar? Grab a few simple supplies and find out.

CELERY EXPERIMENT

Here’s a simple explanation of how osmosis works with celery and water and a fun science demonstration!

COFFEE FILTER FLOWERS

Water is the main ingredient in this gorgeous but super easy combined science and art activity. Make a bouquet of colorful, coffee-filter flowers and explore solubility too!

COLOR CHANGING FLOWERS

This engaging color-changing flower experiment explores the concept of capillary action as your flowers magically turn from white to green. Easy to set up and perfect for a group of kiddos to do at the same time or as an interesting water science fair project.

CRUSHED SODA CAN EXPERIMENT

What happens when you heat and cool water inside a soda can?

DISSOLVING CANDY

There are all kinds of fun things you can dissolve in water!

DRY-ERASE MARKER EXPERIMENT

Is it magic or is it science? Create a dry-erase drawing and watch it float in water.

FREEZING WATER EXPERIMENT

Will it freeze? What happens to the freezing point of water when you add salt? Check out this easy water experiment to find out.

GUMMY BEAR OSMOSIS LAB

Learn about the process of osmosis when you try this easy gummy bear osmosis experiment. Watch your gummy bears grow as you investigate what liquid makes them grow the biggest.

HOW DO SHARKS FLOAT?

Explore buoyancy with this simple oil and water experiment.

HOW MANY DROPS OF WATER ON A PENNY?

All you need for this experiment are a few coins, an eyedropper or pipette, and water! How many drops fit on the surface of a penny? What else could you use? A bottle cap turned over, a flat LEGO piece, or another small, smooth surface! Take a guess at how many drops it will take and then test it out.

ICE FISHING

Did you know you can go fishing indoors with salt, string, and ice! Kids will have a blast!

ICE MELT ACTIVITIES

Playful hands on science and learning which is perfect for our preschoolers. Explore water science with one of these fun theme ice melt activities.

LEGO WATER EXPERIMENT

Build a dam from Lego bricks and explore the flow of water.

OCEAN CURRENTS

Build a simple model of the ocean currents with ice and water.

OCEAN LAYERS

Just like layers of the earth, the ocean has layers too! Have you ever wondered how you could see them without going scuba diving in the ocean? Explore the layers of the ocean with a liquid density tower experiment for kids. 

OIL AND WATER EXPERIMENT

Do the oil and water mix? Explore the densities of liquids with this simple oil and water experiment.

POTATO OSMOSIS LAB

Explore what happens to potato when you put them in concentration salt water and then pure water. Learn about osmosis when you try this fun potato osmosis experiment with the kids.

RAINBOW IN A JAR

Can you make a rainbow in a jar? This neat rainbow water experiment explores water density with just a few materials. Instead of salt we use sugar and food coloring to stack the colors of the rainbow.

PENNY BOAT CHALLENGE

Design a simple tin foil boat, and see how many pennies it can hold before it sinks in the water. How many pennies will it take to make your boat sink?

MAKE A PADDLE BOAT

Fill the kiddie pool or tun with water and make this DIY paddle boat for fun physics!

SALT LAVA LAMP EXPERIMENT

Explore what happens when you add salt to oil and water.

SALTWATER DENSITY EXPERIMENT

Can you make an egg float? Will different items sink in freshwater but float in saltwater? Compare saltwater to freshwater with a fun experiment with salt and water. Make your predictions and test your results.

SINK OR FLOAT EXPERIMENT

Check out what you have in the kitchen for an easy science experiment with water   with some very interesting results!

SKITTLES EXPERIMENT

A super simple water science experiment with everyone’s favorite candy! Did you know you can try it with M&Ms too? You can also you those red and white mints, old candy canes, and even jelly beans!

SOAP POWERED BOAT EXPERIMENT

Explore surface tension as kids observe firsthand how soap influences the movement of a small boat on the water’s surface.

SOLID LIQUID GAS EXPERIMENT

Learn about the properties of solids, liquids and gases with this simple water experiment. Have fun observing how water changes from a solid to a liquid to a gas.

STRAW BOATS

Design a boat made from nothing but straws and tape, and see how many items it can hold before it sinks in the water. Explore buoyancy while you test out your engineering skills.

TOOTHPICK STARS

Make a star out of broken toothpicks by only adding water. Learn about capillary action with a totally do-able water experiment.

WALKING WATER EXPERIMENT

Can water walk? Make a colorful rainbow with a little color theory mixed in too! This walking water experiment is super easy and fun to set up! Mason jars, plastic cups, or bowls will also work just fine for this experiment.

WATER CYCLE IN A BOTTLE

Make a discovery bottle all about the water cycle. One of the best water science activities is one where we can learn more about one of the most important and necessary cycles on Earth, the water cycle!

WATER CYCLE IN A BAG

The water cycle is important because it’s how water gets to all the plants, animals and even us!! Learn about the water cycle with this easy water cycle in a bag experiment.

WATER DISPLACEMENT EXPERIMENT

Add this simple water displacement experiment to your science lesson plans this season. Learn about water displacement and what it measures.

WATER EVAPORATION EXPERIMENT

Dive into the process of evaporation (a liquid changes to a gas) with this simple water evaporation experiment. Investigate how different factors like temperature, airflow, and surface area affect the evaporation rate.

WATER REFRACTION EXPERIMENT

Why do objects look different in water? A simple water experiment that shows how light bends or refracts as it moves through water.

WATER XYLOPHONE

A homemade water xylophone is perfect for exploring physics and sound science!

WATER ABSORBTION EXPERIMENT

This is a very simple and fun water experiment which is great for preschoolers. My son had a blast exploring what materials absorb water and what don’t.

WHAT DISSOLVES IN WATER

This is super simple chemistry using common items around the house to explore mixtures and discover which items dissolve in water !

Compare how fast different everyday items melt in the sun, including ice cubes. A fun experiment to do in the summer!

WATER WHEEL

Hop on this engineering project and design a water wheel that moves! Use our idea as a springboard to create your own or follow the step-by-step directions.

WATER CLOCK

Find out how to use water to tell the time with this water clock project .

Plan a Water Summer Science Camp

Grab this free guide and plan a day or two of water theme science camp activities . We have 12 free guides, each with a different theme! Use them all year long.

ALSO TRY THESE EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS

• States of Matter Experiments
• Surface Tension of Water Experiments
• Chemistry Experiments
• Physics Experiments
• Fizzing Experiments
• Physical Changes
• All About Atoms

MORE HELPFUL SCIENCE RESOURCES

Science vocabulary.

It is never too early to introduce some fantastic science words to kids. Get them started with a printable science vocabulary word list . You will want to incorporate these simple science terms into your next science lesson!

WHAT IS A SCIENTIST

Think like a scientist! Act like a scientist! Scientists like you and me are also curious about the world around them. Learn about the different types of scientists and what they do to increase their understanding of their specific areas of interest. Read What Is A Scientist

SCIENCE BOOKS FOR KIDS

Sometimes the best way to introduce science concepts is through a colorfully illustrated book with characters your kids can relate to! Check out this fantastic list of science books that are teacher approved and get ready to spark curiosity and exploration!

SCIENCE PRACTICES

A new approach to teaching science is called the Best Science Practices. These eight science and engineering practices are less structured and allow for a more free**-**flowing approach to problem-solving and finding answers to questions. These skills are critical to developing future engineers, inventors, and scientists!

Printable Science Projects Pack

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics
• Science Fair Project Pack with experiments to try!

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Is It Possible to Draw on Water

 Safety 

• Adult supervision.
• watch out, kids may drink the liquid.

 Materials List 

• Dry erase marker
• Ceramic tray (plate, anything with non-porous surfaces.)

 Instruction 

 Troubleshooting 

 question to ask   .

• What makes the drawing float on the top of the water?
• What kinds of tray else can be used in this experiment?
• What drawing can you create, in addition to the small person?

 Scientific Description 

 extensions ,  disposal .

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November 15, 2018

Make Your Drawings Float!

An animating science project from Science Buddies

By Science Buddies & Svenja Lohner

Draw away! Use a little chemistry to make your own moving sketches. 

George Retseck

Key concepts Chemistry Polymer Solvents Material science

Introduction Have you ever wished your drawings would come alive and the stick figures or objects on your paper could move around? It’s not as impossible as it sounds! In this activity you will make your drawing move around by letting it float on water. What makes this possible is the interesting chemistry of dry-erase markers. These markers are usually used to write on whiteboards or glass surfaces and can easily be erased. It turns out they are also perfect for doing science!

Background You might have a whiteboard in your school classroom. To draw on this surface, your teacher probably uses a whiteboard pen or dry-erase marker. The writing from these markers can easily be erased from the whiteboard without leaving any marks.

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This is possible because dry-erase markers contain special ingredients. They include a solvent, which is usually some kind of alcohol. This is used to dissolve the color pigments that determine the marker’s color. In addition, a resin or polymer is added, which is the key to making the ink erasable. In a dry-erase marker the resin is an oily silicone polymer, which acts as a “release agent.” This makes the ink of the marker very slippery and prevents it from sticking to the whiteboard’s surface. This is why the ink can easily be wiped off from a very smooth nonporous surface such as a whiteboard or glass.

You might know dry-erase markers can stain other surfaces such as clothes permanently. This is because fabric doesn’t have a smooth surface, so the ink can soak into its pores—staining them forever! In real permanent markers the resin used is an acrylic polymer that functions as a “binding agent” and makes the ink stick to the surface. Only the type of polymer differentiates a permanent marker from an erasable marker. Find out how this difference affects how your drawings float in in this activity!

Two shallow trays or plates with smooth surfaces that you have permission to draw on with markers

Dry-erase markers (different colors)

Permanent marker

Rubbing alcohol

Paper towels

Preparation

Find a work area that can tolerate water spills.

Fill your cup with room-temperature water and set it next to your trays or plates.

Choose one color of your dry-erase markers and make a drawing on your first plate such as a stick figure, a heart or word. Does it look like the ink is sticking to the surface of your plate?

Let it dry for a couple of seconds and then use a dry finger to wipe across your drawing. Does your finger wipe off the drawing, or can you still see it afterward?

If the drawing came off, make a new drawing. Otherwise, keep the old one. Then pour just enough water onto your plate to cover the drawing. Wait and observe. If nothing happens, shake the plate a little bit. What happens to the ink after a while? Does your drawing begin to float and come to life?

Next use a permanent marker to make a drawing on the second plate. Do you see a difference from how the dry-erase marker looked on the surface?

Let it dry for a couple of seconds and use a dry finger to wipe across your drawing. Does your drawing disappear once you wipe it with your finger? Can you explain why or why not?

If the drawing came off, make a new drawing. Otherwise keep the old one. Then pour some water on your plate to cover the drawing. Wait and observe. What happens to the drawing this time? Does it float? How are your results different from the previous ones?

Extra: Make drawings with different colors of dry-erase marker. Do all of them behave the same way or are they different? Which color floats best?

Extra: What happens if you pour rubbing alcohol on top of your drawing instead of water? Does your drawing still float? Do dry-erase and permanent markers give you the same result? Why or why not?

Extra: Can you erase your floating drawing? Try to pick up your drawing from the water's surface with your fingers. What happens to it when you pull it out of the water? What do you think the material you now have in your hand is made of?

Observations and results Did you get your drawings to float? You should have—but only when using the dry-erase marker. When you make your drawing on the surface of a smooth plate or tray the solvent, or alcohol, that dissolves the ink ingredients will evaporate. This leaves the color pigment and polymer behind on the surface. With the permanent and dry-erase markers, it actually looks like the color is sticking. When you wipe across your drawing with your finger, however, only the drawing that you made with the dry-erase marker will disappear. This is because the oily silicone polymer in the dry-erase marker prevents it from sticking whereas the acrylic polymer resin in the permanent marker makes it stick to the surface.

The fun starts when you pour water on your drawing. You should have observed your dry-erase marker drawing magically detached from the plate and rose to the water's surface. There, it could float and move as if it were alive! The permanent marker drawing should have remained stuck to the plate. This difference is due to the special polymer in the dry-erase marker ink—because this ingredient prevents the ink from attaching to the plate, and the water can slip underneath. And because the ink is lighter than water it can float. When you poured rubbing alcohol on your drawings, however, you should have seen them both slowly dissolve. This is because alcohol is used as the solvent in both markers.

Cleanup Remove all remaining drawings from your plates by rubbing them with a paper towel soaked in rubbing alcohol. Then rinse them with warm water and soap before reusing them.

More to explore Make Your Own Markers , from Science Buddies Chromatography: Be a Color Detective , from Scientific American Soluble Science: Making Tie-Dye T-Shirts with Permanent Markers , from Scientific American Science Activity for All Ages! , from Science Buddies

This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies

Explore the natural world through science and sustainability

How to Create Critical Thinkers by Freezing Water: A Science Experiment

Creating critical thinkers can be done with little more than water, food coloring, and a below-freezing temperature! Learn how freezing water can become a science experiment in this simple investigation.

The other day, my nine-year-old daughter asked me if the color of water would affect its freezing point. I asked her what she thought the answer was, and she said that because darker colors absorb heat better than lighter ones, she assumed that dark-colored water would freeze at a lower temperature than light-colored water. 

I suggested that she get some food coloring and test her hypothesis! Although I knew that the addition of food coloring wouldn’t change the freezing point of water, I realized that this would be an excellent opportunity for her to design, test, and analyze her very own experiment. Nurturing her confidence in carrying out the scientific method from start to finish was a fundamental part of her education, so we quickly gathered our supplies and she got started!

Experimenting with Freezing Water

From this simple experiment, your learners can (with a bit of guidance depending on ability level):

• Form a hypothesis
• Discuss background information
• Create a materials list
• Write step-by-step instructions to conduct the experiment
• Collect data
• Visualize data with the creation of a graph
• Analyze the data
• Form a conclusion based on the data collected

Learning how to properly design, conduct, and analyze an experiment takes time. We did this activity in two days. The first was spent on designing and conducting the experiment, the second was devoted to graphing the data, analyzing the results, and drawing conclusions. Depending on the ability level of your learners, and the time you have to devote to this lesson, it is perfectly appropriate to spread the learning out over a week.

To give you an example to work from, here is what my daughter chose to do:

Asking a Question and Forming a Hypothesis

The question my daughter asked was, “Does the color of water affect its freezing point?”.

Using her background knowledge of heat absorption and colors, she determined that a plausible answer to the question would be yes because darker colors absorb more heat than lighter colors. This is also known as her hypothesis, as it is an educated guess as to the outcome of the experiment.

Your learners may choose a different question, such as “Does the container the water is held in effect its freezing point?” or “Does the volume of water affect its freezing point?” – any question that has one variable will work well for this experiment! 

Discussing Background Information

Being familiar with the freezing point of water is a key element in this experiment. Discuss with your learner that water freezes at 0℃ or 32℉. Temperatures above freezing point will cause a phase change from solid to liquid water, and temperatures below freezing point will do the reverse.

We happen to live in a seasonal climate where winters dip below freezing on a regular basis, which is why we chose to conduct this experiment outside. However, this experiment could easily be done in a freezer, so long as the temperature is adjusted to be a few degrees below the freezing point of water, to allow for a more gradual phase change from liquid to solid.

Creating a Materials List for the Experiment

Now it’s time for your learner to get to work. Have them collect the materials that they will need and place them in the designated workspace, then write a list of the necessary items in their science journal. Here is what my daughter chose to use for her freezing water experiment:

• Red, yellow, and blue food coloring
• 4 plastic cups*
• Thermometer
• Measuring cup

*my daughter originally wrote that she would use 4 jars until we discussed that thin glass jars could potentially crack when water was frozen in them, so she switched to using clear, plastic drinking cups.

Designing the Instructions for the Freezing Water Experiment

Writing instructions challenges even the brightest of students, because writing clear, concise directions is a skill that requires a lot of practice. If possible, allow students to verbalize their instructions to you or to a partner to help them clarify their meaning and add in any missing steps. Students may find they need to revisit and edit their materials list once they’ve created their instructions, as additional items may be needed to experiment!

Here is the final list of instructions my daughter created to conduct her freezing water experiment:

• Get your materials.
• Put 100 mL of water into four cups.
• Put two drops of food coloring into each cup of water; leave one cup clear.
• Stir each cup to spread out the food coloring drops.
• Take the starting temperature of each cup and record.
• Place the four cups outside.
• Set a timer for 10 minutes.
• Every 10 minutes, check until they are frozen.

Designing instructions is a great time to have a conversation about controls and variables. In my daughter’s experiment, she chose to have one cup without food coloring, which served as her control. The only variable, or the factor that changed, was the food dye color difference added to the three remaining cups.

Collecting Scientific Data

Before my daughter began to collect data for her freezing water experiment, she created a simple table to record her information. We have a thermometer that measures temperature in Celcius, so that is the measurement she recorded every 10 minutes. She planned to collect data until each cup reached 0℃. 

That being said, temperature collection is not necessary to complete this experiment. I wanted my daughter to collect data to practice her graphing skills. For younger learners, this could be used instead as a qualitative observational experiment, where learners watch to see when the cups begin to form ice inside.

Here is an example of the data collection table we used:

During the data collection phase of this experiment, my daughter quickly realized that measuring the temperature of each cup every ten minutes was quite a chore! I told her to make a note of that in her science journal, as a reminder for the next time she designed an experiment that had time as a factor.

Visualizing Scientific Data with a Graph

Temperature was the measurement we recorded to determine if the color of water affected its freezing point. Since the temperature was collected at even time intervals, a line graph is an appropriate way to visualize the information. Remember to point out the following things when helping your learner create their graph:

• The x-axis is at the bottom of the graph and will display time, or the independent variable.
• The y-axis is on the left vertical side of the graph and will display temperature, or the dependent variable.
• Label each axis in even increments and include the unit of measurement in the axis title.
• Draw a clear dot to represent each data point
• Connect the data points for each colored cup like you would connect dots on a picture.
• Include a key to help explain the data.
• Create a title for the graph that highlights what the graph is visualizing.

Again, depending on the age and ability level of your learner, you may choose to only demonstrate how to graph the data, or set up the graph and allow the student to plot their information. Or skip this step altogether and verbally discuss the results of the freezing water experiment!

Drawing Conclusions from the Freezing Water Experiment

This is one of the best parts of any science experiment – discovering if your prediction was accurate! Make sure to stress to your learners that making a correct prediction is not the goal of the experiment; learning from the experiment is!

For my daughter’s experiment, she concluded that adding food coloring to water didn’t affect the freezing point. She then went on to talk about other things she could try to change the freezing point of water, like adding salt to the water. I think she may have remembered a lesson I taught with Medinah of Science Teacher Mom that looked at why we add salt to roads in the winter ! 

You may notice that once your student understands the process of designing and conducting an experiment, they’ll want to experiment over and over again. I’d count that as a win! 

Making Science Easily Accessible

Conducting simple scientific experiments like this one allows students to see that science is everywhere and doesn’t require fancy equipment to conduct investigations. Additionally, their confidence in making predictions and interpreting information will grow, strengthening their critical thinking skills.

If you try this freezing water experiment, please let me know by tagging me @thoughtfullysustainable on Instagram or Facebook , or by leaving a comment below! If you have any questions, feel free to email me ! 

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Chemistry Club : Messy Fun Science Experiment & Drawing Lab Water

Phoebe Sarah, B.S, M.S, TEFL Certified🔬🧪

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This class is no longer offered, junior creators: magical creatures drawing lab (mythology + art).

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