Science for Preschoolers - Capillary Action

Today we learned about capillary action, cohesion and adhesion to explain how water goes up from the roots to the top of a tree.

The kids drew with water soluble markers on a thick paper (whatman filter paper) and placed it in a small water cup to watch the color go up by capillary forces. It was a very hectic activity so I didn't take any photos. In retrospect it would have been better to use paper towel strips, because water travels faster on paper towels compared to whatman paper.

We finished the activity by placing a flower in colored water, which the kids took home to watch how the flower changes color. Blue and red are the best colors to use for this activity.

These are not my photos, but they illustrate the activity