Creativity 521 #120 - Paper chromatography bookmarks

I know, it's been way too long since I did a Creativity 521 post. That's not to say that we have not been doing any art and craft sessions at home - okay, I admit we have been doing much less than before - but it's just that I don't get enough time or energy to jot it down. Crafting still remains as one of my biggest passions in life and I love being able to create something out of nothing.

That said, I was sharing about our recent experiment on social media and I received so many queries from you guys that I thought it might be better to share it all in a blog post. Here's sharing more about our PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY experiment and how we turned the end results into the most beautiful bookmarks.

Chromatography is a method using mixed substances that depends on the speed at which they move through special media, or chemical substances. It consists of a stationary phase (a solid) and a mobile phase (a liquid or a gas). The mobile phase flows through the stationary phase. (Source: Kiddle Encyclopedia)

One of the simplest ways to showcase chromatography and let the kids understand how it works is through a simple science experiment.

Materials we used to make our bookmarks include:

1) Kitchen towels
2) Container
3) Washable markers
4) Paper
5) Ribbons
6) Hole puncher
7) Scissors
8) Laminating machine

Firstly, cut the kitchen towels into strips. Next, use the washable markers do make some patterns on one end of the strip. Fill up the container with some water and we are ready to dip!


It looks pretty amazing, doesn't it? You can see the effect in just seconds and it is beautiful to watch. Some of you have told me that your colours don't work likewise and it's important to check that you have used non-permanent, washable markers, yeah? Ours was from Faber Castell but many other brands carry similar type of markers too - just try out all the ones you have at home to determine which can work.

We did over 20 strips because the kids were just so excited to try again and again. Let them feel free to do different kinds of patterns and see how the chromatography process differs. The best way to learn is to try, right?

We've realised that the best way to create a nice rainbow effect is to make a few vertical lines for each colour so that the ink can dissolve nicely and evenly when the water travels up the paper through capillary action.

Make sure you do not dip the paper for too long or the ink will be washed off entirely. Once you are satisfied with the final effect, leave the paper aside to dry. Remember to put some weights on the paper or they might fly away once they have dried.

After that, it's time to get creative and make your own design! We had this idea to personalise our own paper strips and eventually turn them into bookmarks because we love the colours and wanted to make these more lasting and useful. Quite a good idea, right? The kids were happy to get to write their names and draw anything they liked.

Since the paper towels were think and flimsy, to ensure that the bookmarks are sturdy, I used double sided tape on the sides to stick them onto paper before cutting them out. Laminate them carefully (make sure the corners are not folded), make a hole at the top, insert and tie a ribbon and VOILA - we are all done!

These look quite cool, right? We are definitely happy with the end results and can't wait to make more for our family, friends and teachers too. Have fun trying out this fun experiment too!

Till our next Creativity 521 session!