Kids Stuff


Have you entered the science fair or have a water experiment? Let us know and we will post it so others can try.

Can Test - is your lawn getting enough water?


Give this a try! It is simple and your parents might even thank you for it. This is what you do - get a coffee can, or something similar in size. Now, before the sprinklers go on, place the can on one edge of your grass and let the sprinkler run it's cycle. When the sprinklers are finished with the cycle, grab the can and look inside. Is there water?


You can also try this with 3 or 4 cans in other locations. Compare the amount in each can, they should all have about the same amount of water. If there is a big difference between the amounts in each can, adjust the sprinklers so the water covers your grass evenly and try it again.This is a good test to see if all areas of the grass are receiving the same amount of water.




Experiment - Escaping Water


Water can certainly move in mysterious ways, get the water from one cup to make its way up hill and back down into a second empty cup with the help of paper towels and an interesting scientific process.


What you'll need:
  • A glass of water
  • An empty glass
  • Some paper towels

Instructions: Twist a couple of pieces of paper towel together until it forms something that looks a little like a piece of rope, this will be the 'wick' that will absorb and transfer the water (a bit like the wick on a candle transferring the wax to the flame). Place one end of the paper towels into the glass filled with water and the other into the empty glass. Watch what happens (this experiment takes a little bit of patience).

What's happening?
Your paper towel rope (or wick) starts getting wet, after a few minutes you will notice that the empty glass is starting to fill with water, it keeps filling until there is an even amount of water in each glass, how does this happen? This process is called 'capillary action', the water uses this process to move along the tiny gaps in the fibre of the paper towels. It occurs due to the adhesive force between the water and the paper towel being stronger than the cohesive forces inside the water itself. This process can also be seen in plants where moisture travels from the roots to the rest of the plant.