This simple, absorbing activity is a hands-on way to learn about the different flags of the world and can be turned into a colourful science investigation. The idea is that washable felt tip pens are used to draw a flag on one half of a kitchen towel ( kitchen roll ) sheet. The kitchen towel is then folded in half so the colours cannot be seen until the kitchen towel is placed in water. When the towel gets wet, the ink dissolves into the water and is absorbed by the kitchen towel’s top layer, revealing the flag’s colours!
We used the idea behind this activity to learn about flags for Euro 2024, but any drawing will work.
You’ll need
Washable felt tip pens
Kitchen towel/kitchen roll
A plate or shallow tray.
Water
Instructions
Fold one sheet of kitchen towel in half. Decide which flag to draw.
Use a sharpie to draw the outline on the front fold of the kitchen towel.
Open up the kitchen towel and colour the flag on the inside.
Fold the kitchen towel again so the black outline is on the front.
Pour a small amount of water onto a plate or tray.
Carefully place the folded kitchen towel into the water and watch the colours rise to the top, colouring in the flag outline.
If you enjoyed this activity, don’t forget to take a look at my 10 football themed STEM challenges!
Last Updated on June 25, 2024 by Emma Vanstone
