Magic paper blooming flower trick is a fun STEM capillary action Montessori science kids activity to explore through craft the stickiness of water molecules while learning of property of adhesion.
Learning about properties of water through fun invitations to craft and create ignites that love of learning in little people while they are exploring how molecules cling and adhere. Besides, for this Magic Paper Blooming Flower STEM Science Trick, you will be using items around your home. So you would not be needing any specialized Montessori science materials. Most importantly, with this fun craft, your child will be learning about capillary action, and the ‘stickiness’ of water molecules and a complicated property of adhesion through fun sensory PLAY while creating a water lily pond.
Drop an easy-to-make DIY paper lily bud in a bowl of water and watch it slowly bloom before your eyes! Both children and adults will be mesmerized by this simple paper-craft. This magic flower experiment is powered by a scientific phenomenon called “capillary action” ~ a process of paper absorbing water very rapidly. When paper gets wet, it swells, causing the folded petals of your magic flower to open up.
YOU’LL NEED for Magic Paper Flower Trick:
- a dish filled with water
- colorful paper (we are using brightly colors sticky notes)
- stamps (we are using these craft ink pads)
- scissors
- a pencil
First, cut out flower shape from left over colorful paper and use pencil’s eraser to create pistil in a center by dipping an eraser into an ink pad.
Thereafter, fold your flowers inwards and fill a shallow dish with water.
Finally, you can optionally add to to the water glitter, blue food coloring, and water beads to give your pond a murky greenish look. Please, note that this step is optional, as you might want to keep your water clear.
Carefully set the flower lilies on the water’s surface and wait to see what happens. Your paper flower will be slowly opening up like a real water lily blossoms.
Revealing Science Mystery Magic Paper Blooming Flower STEM Science Trick
“Capillary” means a tiny tube, like a straw with a tiny bore. If you put paper under a microscope, you will notice that the paper’s surface is not solid but is rather made of tiny wood fibers that are tightly interwoven providing amazing strength (paper towel is made to be especially airy). When the paper comes into contact with water, the amazing power of capillary action rapidly draws water into all these tiny spaces. That is happening because the water is slightly more attracted to the wood fibers than to itself. When the paper absorbs water ~ thanks to capillary action~ it swells, causing any folds to open back up again.
Capillary action Montessori Science extension: try folding each neighboring petal over sequentially. Your flower will open very differently than if you folded each opposite pair. Try experimenting with the order and see what happens.
The best thing about Magic Flowers is that they are super easy to make and you can let the little hands happily craft with a little magic happening at the end. I hope the Magic Flower experiment will brighten up your day and trigger those inquisitive minds.
See our Summer Themed Unit Study HERE.
For more on Capillary action Montessori Science
- See HERE Primary Colors, Water & Paper Capillary Action Timelapse Kids Science Experiment
- Also, see HERE Markers Coffee Filters Rainbow Walking Water.
- Lastly, see HERE a video of how we “made” hydrogel beads.
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