Walking Water

On a sunny day in quarantine, I decided to complete the Walking Water Experiment. It was super easy to do and I already had all the materials I needed at my house! If you’re looking for a new activity to try with your kids, then look no further!

In addition to being fun, this activity also addresses many skills we work on in OT such as fine motor skills (squeezing food coloring bottles, folding paper), bilateral coordination (pouring with one hand while stabilizing the cup with the other) and executive functioning skills (organization of materials, planning, sequencing, time management)! It’s also fun to ask kids to make predictions about what they think is going to happen!

All you need is 7 clear cups, water, food coloring (red, yellow, and blue), and 6 paper towels. That’s it!

To set it up, I filled every other cup with water and food coloring. Then I folded in the paper towels into thirds and placed it between two cups, as pictured above.

Once it's set up all you need to do is wait and watch! The water may take some time to travel, but there are things you can do to make it go faster. Make sure the cup is completely filled with water, use paper towels with more absorbency, and make sure the paper towels rest along the lip of the cups.

Hope you and your family enjoy this activity as much as I did! Be sure to share your photos with us on social media with #bacanywhere!

Stay healthy,

- Nicole Boudreau, OT