SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS FOR KIDS

What goes up, must come down. But why? You've probably been asked this question by your kids and have answered, "gravity." Or maybe you've answered, "Hang on, let me Google it."

Either way, this will be a fun experiment for your kids to experience gravity in action using paints and paper tilted at different angles. After they're done, they'll have a cool piece of art to put on the wall or lay on the floor depending on where gravity takes it.

GATHER THIS:

• Liquid tempera paint in various colors
• Cardstock or poster board
• Eyedroppers or small spoons
• Cups
• Newspaper or drop cloth

THEN DO THIS:

1. Pour a different color of paint into each cup and dilute to the desired consistency (make sure it's thin enough to "run" when applied to the paper).
2. Starting with your paper or board flat, use the eyedropper or spoon to drop a few drops of color onto the surface.
3. Tilt the paper in different directions, and see where the paint goes.
4. Prop your paper against a wall (have your newspaper or drop cloth ready to catch any spills), drop a few drops of paint onto the surface and observe the direction of the paint.
5. Continue this until your paper or board is covered with unique drips. You've now made a gravity painting!

ASK THIS:

• How does the thickness of the paint affect the flow of your paint drop?
• Where does the paint go when you tilted your paper in different directions?
• Does your paint drop pathway change with different surfaces (ex. paper vs. poster board)?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Gravity is a force that pulls all things with mass towards all other things with mass. The larger the mass, the greater force. Earth is huge, so its gravitational influence pulls all objects towards its center, which keeps us and everything around us planted on the surface. Thanks, gravity!