Kid Territory: Crafts: Oil Slick
Oil and water don't mix
You've probably heard that before, and have probably seen it, too. Oil floats on top of water, because it is lighter than the water. Even when you pour oil down into water, it gets pushed to the surface and spreads out in a layer. That's what happens in an oil spill–the petroleum oil spreads very fast on the surface of the ocean or lake, affecting many types of animals and plants. The same thing happens when oil from driveways and streets gets washed down the gutters–it comes out in streams, lakes, and the ocean and floats on top.
What you need
- White construction paper
- Aluminum roasting pan, like the ones they sell in grocery stores for baking turkeys
- Fork
- 3 plastic cups
- Cooking oil (get the inexpensive kind)
- Food coloring
- Apron to protect your clothes
- Newspaper
What
you do
1.
Measure one tablespoon of cooking oil into each plastic cup.
2. Choose three different colors of food coloring, and measure one teaspoon of each color into its own cup (each cup will have one color in it).
3. Stir the mixture in each cup with the fork (wipe it off between colors) until the food coloring is well mixed.
4. Put newspapers under the aluminum pan to catch any water that splashes. Fill the pan with water, but not all the way to the top.
5. Pour a little bit of one colored oil mixture onto one area of the pan. Then repeat this with the other two colors, on different areas of the pan. What happens? Why do you think this occurs?
6. To make your own artwork, lay a piece of construction paper on top of the water. After 30 seconds, carefully lift it off and see the effect of the colors on the paper.
7. Lay the wet paper flat on some newspaper so the colors don't run, and allow it to dry overnight. You can then use your artwork as a greeting card, wrapping paper, or to decorate your refrigerator door!
