Rainbow Walking Water Experiment: How-To Plus Free Worksheet

The Rainbow Walking Water Experiment is such a fun experiment that children of all ages (and adults) love. The experiment looks like magic when it is executed correctly, but it’s surprisingly simple and takes only a few steps. Below are the details you need to bring the magic of this science experiment to your classroom.

Plus, click the button below to receive our free Rainbow Walking Water Experiment worksheet.

How does the Rainbow Walking Water Experiment work?

The “crawling rainbow” experiment is the perfect example of capillary action. The tinted water travels up the paper towels and into the next cup through the process of capillary action. This is the ability of a liquid to flow against gravity or upward in narrow spaces. This is similar to how water climbs upward from a plant’s root to its leaves. Remember that primary students are practicing the steps in the scientific process and writing so don’t worry if the vocabulary words are difficult to remember.

Is there a Walking Water Experiment video?

This video shows you visual step-by-step instructions and the materials needed to execute this fun and simple experiment.

Materials needed:

6 clear plastic cups
Paper towels
Red, yellow, and blue food coloring
Water

Walking water experiment steps:

The teacher and students set up the science experiment using six cups. Fill the first cup with water and tint with red food coloring. Leave the second cup empty. Fill the third cup with water and tint with yellow food coloring. Leave the fourth cup empty. Fill the fifth cup with water and tint it with blue food coloring. Leave the final cup empty.
You can arrange the cups in a straight line or a circle. (If you want to do a straight line, consider using a seventh cup filled with red-tinted water. See photos.) This experiment works well when you fill cups closer to the top and drape the paper towels closer to the cups instead of standing the paper towels too tall.