Easy Rainbow Walking Water Experiment For Kids

Watch water seemingly defy gravity to blend colors together, creating a rainbow in this fun and exciting STEM walking water experiment kids can do themselves! This activity has tons of “wow” factor to keep kids engaged and help them learn science!

I struggle with doing science experiments with my kids. I WANT to, but they always seem so much more time-consuming, messier, and harder than I think they’ll be.

Do you want to allow your kids to do science experiments and learn about the world around them but don’t want to deal with the mess or the hassle?

Here is the perfect solution: a walking rainbow experiment.

Walking Water Experiment – Fun Science In Action!

I’m a huge fan of science because I think it helps us understand the world around us. And because kids are so inquisitive and hands-on, science experiments help them to get an even better grasp of how things work around them.

We have tried the fizzing snow volcano, dancing raisins, and several other science experiments. While my boys love a good mess, there’s only so much I can take.

That’s why I LOVE this walking water science experiment! It’s just the perfect amount of work (hardly any at all), but the payout is huge.

And I gotta say – the rainbow colors are mesmerizing and so worth it!

Why You’ll Love This Walking Water Activity

This is part of my series of simple science experiments that kids of all ages can do (and enjoy)!

I’m kicking myself for not doing this one sooner. It’s now my favorite experiment – seriously do it right away. Here’s why:

1. It’s easy
2. Take just the right amount of time – not too much of mine, plenty of the kids’ time
3. It’s cheap
4. Super simple
5. It’s SO MUCH FUN (the rainbow colors really make the project exciting)

In addition to pictures, I also have a video for you so you can see just how cool (and easy) this walking water science experiment is!

How to do the walking water experiment

No “Walking Water Experiment For Dummies” book required! All the instructions you need are below.

Feel free to check the handy printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for more details. 😉

Supplies Needed

Here’s everything you’ll need to get the job done.

• 5 clear glasses (like mason jars) or plastic clear cups
• Red, blue, and yellow food coloring
• Scissors
• Paper towels
• Water
• Spoon

Pro Tip: I highly recommend the pick-a-size paper towels because you use less for each cup. However, if you only have full sheets, take the time to cut them in half.

Watch The Walking Water Project Video!

Check out this short video and see for yourself how cool the walking water science experiment is! Then follow the instructions below to do it yourself.

How to do this walking water experiment

Follow these directions, and you’ll have your own rainbow in no time! Feel free to grab the printable directions for this simple experiment below for easy reference when you’re ready to do it.

Step 1

Place 5 empty glasses in a row and pour water in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th (odd-numbered) cups. Fuller is better, so fill them about ¾ full.

Step 2

Add drops of food coloring to the cups like this:

• 5 drops of red food coloring to the first cup (and the 7th cup if you have that many). 
• 5 drops of blue food coloring to the 3rd cup.
• 5 drops of yellow food coloring in the 5th cup.

Step 3

Take the paper towel half-sheet (you’ll need 4 total – OR 6 total if using 7 cups), and fold it in half (lengthwise). Repeat the folding process until your paper towel strip is 1-2 inches wide.

Step 4

Trim off a bit of the length so that there isn’t much excess paper towel that will stick up in the air between each cup. This will help the water walk faster.

Step 5

Place one end of the paper towel strip in the 1st cup and place the other end in the cup next to it (the empty 2nd cup). Then, add another strip of paper towel from the 2nd cup into the full 3rd cup. 

Continue this process until you reach the end.

Step 6

Watch the cups to find out what begins to happen. It shouldn’t take long before you can see the colored water begin to travel up the paper towel.

You can sit there and watch the water climb the paper towels from the glasses of water to the empty glasses. Or walk away for about 5 minutes and come back to check on the progress. The water will stop moving from cup to cup once the water level in all the cups is about the same.

What do you notice about how the different colors of water mix?

Rainbow Water Experiment Notes

IMPORTANT ADJUSTMENT

I only had 5 cups when I did this experiment, so I had to modify it slightly, as you can see in the photos. So here’s what I did: I put the yellow into the last cup and then added 3 drops of red coloring to the yellow cup to make the orange.

It looks even more amazing when you can do it with 7 cups, but I wanted to show you that you can still do it well with 5 cups.

FOOD COLORING

You don’t need to use food coloring for this project to work. However, doing so exponentially takes the “fun” level way UP! It helps the kids to see the “walking” part too 😉

TYPE OF PAPER TOWEL TO USE

In theory, more absorbent paper towels work better. But, I buy cheap off-brand ones, and our water moved quickly from cup to cup, so I am not sure how vital that tip is. Maybe it goes a little quicker with more absorbent paper towels.

Would toilet paper work instead? Not really. In theory, this rainbow paper towel experiment would work with toilet paper too, but paper towels are a little sturdier and won’t break down as quickly when wet like toilet paper will. While I haven’t tried it myself, I envision the toilet paper breaking in between glasses from the weight of the water and disrupting the whole process of this easy science experiment.

SUPERVISE COLOR DISTRIBUTION

Use the same amount of food coloring in every cup. If you let your kids add the food coloring and they are more “liberal” with one or two, simply add the difference to the remaining cups!

Love crafts and easy DIY projects? Grab this mini activity book for more by clicking the image below – free! 👇

 

Important Questions to Ask About This Walking Water Experiment

This may be a fun activity, but it IS a science experiment!

Consider asking your kids these questions to help them learn more and think through this project:

• What do you think will happen with the water?
• How can water move up against gravity?
• What do you think will happen to the colors?
• Why do you think the colors are changing?
• What can you learn from this about color theory?

Talk About Colors

Not only do the colors make this experiment even more fun, but it’s great opportunity to teach the kids about primary colors (red, yellow, blue) and secondary colors (made by combining primary colors: orange, green, purple).

Check out the colorful rainbow!

Walking Water Experiment FAQs

Here are some helpful things to think about as you do this activity with your kids. If you have a question that you don’t see answered below, please leave it for me in the comments!

Love crafts and easy DIY projects? Grab this mini activity book for more by clicking the image below – free! 👇

Walking Rainbow Water Activity Final Thoughts

If you have been wanting to do some science projects with your kids but don’t want to deal with the hassle, the mess, or the time commitment of babysitting a science experiment, this is THE project to do.

And a bonus is that it’s not just kids who love this walking water science experiment! Adults find it pretty enthralling too😁

More From Made in a Pinch:

• Earth Day Science Experiment
• Dinosaur Sensory Bin Activity Idea For Kids
• Magic Milk STEM Experiment
• DIY Rainbow Spaghetti For Sensory Fun
• How To Melt Crayons Into New Shapes

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