Magic Paper

Children will have fun stumping their friends and siblings with this brain teaser activity. By using a few simple items found at home, children can demonstrate how paper can stay dry, even when surrounded by water.

What you need:
Plastic tub Water Sheet of paper Plastic cup
What you do:
Fill the plastic tub about ¾ full of water.

Crumple the sheet of paper and push it into the bottom of the plastic cup. Make sure the paper is secure in the bottom and won't fall out when the cup is placed upside down.

Holding the cup straight upside down, place the cup into the tub of water. Lift the cup straight up out of the water.

Take out the paper from the cup. Is the paper wet or dry?

What happened: The paper stayed dry in the water, even though the cup was surrounded by water. When the cup was placed in the water, the air that was in the cup was trapped.

This trapped air created a protective barrier for the paper. The paper stayed dry. If, however, you tilted the cup, the air barrier would have been disrupted, and the paper would have gotten wet.