Cone-Shaped Coffee Filter Experiments for Kids

Teach your child about chromatography, filtration, absorption and color mixing with simple cone-shaped coffee filters. Color experiments produce coffee filters to use in craft projects such as clothespin butterflies and pipe cleaner flowers so hang on to them for future use. Each coffee filter experiment will take about 15 minutes to complete.

  1. Chromatography

    • Chromatography is the process to separate the pigments that make up one color. Use water-soluble colored markers for this experiment. Black or brown will have the most dramatic outcome. Color the bottom 1-inch of the cone-shaped filter on both sides with a marker. Open the filter and suspend it from the top of a clear glass so the edge of the filter balances on the edge of the glass. Note where the bottom of the filter is positioned. Remove the filter. Add enough water to the glass so the bottom 1/4-inch of the filter is submerged. Watch as the water is absorbed into the filter. The pigment that makes up the color of the marker will separate. Remove the filter when the filter is completely wet. Set aside on a paper towel to dry. Try other colors to see what happens.

    Filtration

    • Experiment with filtration to see how long it takes different liquids to go through the filter. Place two clear glasses on a table. Open a filter and suspend it from the top of each glass so the edge of the filter balances on the edge of the glass. Pour one cup of liquid in each filter. Watch the glass as the liquid goes through the filter. Which one goes through the fastest. Any fluid will work to do this project as long as both fluids are different. Try water, milk, pop, fruit juice, syrup off a can of fruit to name a few. Try the same experiment with wet filters to see if the time frame is the same.

    Absorption

    • Learn about absorption with a cone-shaped coffee filter. Open a filter and suspend it from the top of a clear glass so the edge of the filter balances on the edge of the glass. Note where the bottom of the filter is positioned. Remove the filter. Add just enough water in the glass so the bottom 1/4-inch of the filter is submerged. Place the filter in the water and allow it to absorb the colored water. Watch as the fibers in the filter move the colored water from the bottom to the top of the filter.

    Color Mixing

    • Teach your son or daughter about mixing colors with cone-shaped coffee filters. Place a coffee filter on a covered work area. Use the red, yellow and blue colors of a watercolor set. Saturate each color with water. Dip a paintbrush into water and directly onto a saturated area. Lift the paintbrush and drip the color onto the coffee filter. Overlap the edges of the drips. The colors will mix to create green, orange and purple. Look at the opposite side of the filter to see what colors came through.

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