Overview:
In this project, students will be able to experiment with ink chroma, or colorful chemicals, and water to see how capillary action takes place. Using coffee filters, colored markers, and a few other materials, students will be able to create chromatography butterflies
Time: 24 hours
Lesson Materials:
*You can use the document in the link below to either: tailor the experiment to your needs or to have a printable version of this lesson plan*
Printable Chromatography Butterflies Lesson Plan
The plan is editable and printable. Copy the Google Doc in your own drive and make edits or you can just print.
Chromatography Butterflies Lesson Video:
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this experiment, students will be able to:
- Create their own chromatography butterflies by using simple materials
- Observe how ink dissolves in water.
- Observe how ink travels through paper by diffusion.
- Identify how water plays a role in ink transfer.
- Make connections to the real world how water plays a role in nutrient transfer through the plant from areas of high nutrient density to areas of low nutrient density.
Materials Needed:
- Non-permanent markers
- Ex:Crayola, Dry Erase
- 2 or more white coffee filters
- 1 cup or bowl (small amount of water)
- 1 small spoon
- 1 Pipe Cleaners
- 1 String
- Scissors
- String (optional)
- Tape (optional)
Experimental Methods:
Day 1
Step 1: Prepare a flat surface for artwork. For example, cover the surface with a cookie sheet, butcher paper, or a plate.
Step 2: Take two coffee filters and lay them flat on the surface.
Step 3: Next, fill a cup or bowl with a small amount of water.
Step 4: Then, grab the desired marker(s) and draw anything the student desires over the coffee filter(s). Students can color and fill as much space as they can.
Step 5: Now, predict what will happen when the colorful filter gets wet.
Step 6: Grab your short cup of water or bowl and spoon. Add 1 scoop of water from the cup or bowl and place water over the coffee filter.
Step 7: Once colors transform and seem done, please set coffee filters aside and let them dry.
Step 8: Observe changes that are occurring in the filter, water, and ink.
Step 9: Repeat the process with different colored markers.
Day 2:
Step 1: Cut the pipe cleaner in the middle.
Step 2: Pinch the coffee filter in the middle.
Step 3: Wrap the pipe cleaner around the center of the filter and twist to tighten.
Step 4: Make sure pipe cleaners are in the form of antennas(just like how butterflies have antennas).
Step 5: Optional: Tie a string to the center of the butterfly to hang/tape up the butterfly.
Questions to Think About:
- When you colored the filter, did the ink move or stay in place?
- What helped the ink move?(water)
- Do you think this would happen with oil? (ink does not dissolve in oil)
- What happens to the colors when they move in the filter? (the colors get separated)
Chemistry:
In this experiment, they will see how ink (“nutrients”) can move through the paper (Diffusion). Again, paper is made from plant materials (cellulose). The ink will continue to move through the paper until there is either no more ink or every part of the paper is covered in ink. The same thing for plants, the nutrients will continue to move through the plant until every part of the plant has the nutrients or there are no more nutrients left.
Society:
This project is related to society because children can recreate beautiful butterflies they see when they play outside. Students can also be taught that plants absorb water when needed to get the plants desired nutrients.
Logistics:
STEAM Subjects:
Science (Chemistry) and Art
Science Vocabulary:
Nutrients- food
Dissolve- when something like ink or food gets mixed into a liquid and becomes part of another liquid (like water)
Diffusion- The movement of something into an area that does not have as many nutrients
References:
https://www.tigtagusa.com/film/parts-of-a-plant-PRM00096/
Funding:
CSU Internal Funding Sources:
- IRA (Instructionally Related Activities Fund)
- Faculty Small Grant
External Funding Sources:
- Adobe
