Looking for a super fun experiment to do with the kids? Or perhaps you would like to do something more creative with them? With this activity you can do both! Stimulate logic and creativity at the same time by introducing the concept of Chromatography to kids.

What is Chromatography?

Chromatography can be used to separate mixtures of coloured compounds. ... A spot of the mixture is placed near the bottom of a piece of chromatography paper and the paper is then placed upright in a suitable solvent, e.g. water.

So, in essence, Chromatography is the process of separating mixtures. In this experiment we will separate a colour into all of the different colours it is actually made up of. Amazing right, who knew! After the experiment, you can use the results of the experiment to craft your own bright and beautiful butterflies, perfect for room décor to hang in trees outdoors.

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Science for Children: Chromatography Butterfly Craft

Drink a lot of coffee? Perfect, you should have all of the materials you will need for this nifty trick on hand. This activity can be done with little kids or you can adapt it to be more challenging for teenagers, perhaps by asking them to predict and then gather the results.

Here’s what you will need:

• Short beakers or glasses
• Water
• Different coloured markers (non-permanent)
• White coffee filters
• Pipe cleaners
• String
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Flatten a few coffee filters so that you have round pieces of paper in front of you.
2. Using a different coloured marker on each one, draw a thick circle in the center.
3. Write the name of the colour of each one in the center of each circle.
4. Fold the filter in half, and then in half again, to make a cone shape.
5. Fill your beakers or glasses half way, with room temperature water.
6. Place your cones into the water, to that just the tip of the filter touches the water (the circle you drew must not be in direct contact with the water).
7. Watch what happens as the filter soaks up the water!

THE RESULT:

As the water moves up the filter, it starts to separate the original solid colours into the colours that they were made up of. 

Instead of doing the common activity where kids can mix colours to make new ones, why not give this a go, where they use water to move through paper and separate the colours.

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Did you know?

Colors are made up of molecules! The coffee filter absorbed the liquid, and the color molecules get dissolved. Some of these color molecules are smaller and lighter than others, so they move at different speeds. That's why the colors look separate! - https://www.education.com/activity/article/Color_Science_kindergarten/

Butterfly Craft:

Once your filters have dried out, fold them so that the form a fan-like structure. Tie string around the sender and the spread the folds to for these very pretty looking butterflies!

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Source link: https://buggyandbuddy.com/chromatography-butterflies-separating-colors-in-markers/

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What fun right? Did you even realise this was possible? You are sure to widen those little eyes with this simple experiment. You can use your coloured filters for a whole bunch of other craft activities too!

Much love - @sweetpea

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