Pour 1 cup (8 ounces) of tap water in a quart size zipper-lock bag. Add 1 or 2 drops of food coloring to the water to make the experiment more colorful. Place 1/4 teaspoon of the Water-Keep polymer water crystals in the bag. Seal the bag and observe what happens to the crystals after 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1 hour. How has the polymer changed? Will the crystals get any bigger if you add more water?

Repeat the previous experiment, but this time try distilled water in place of regular tap water. Distilled water is similar to rainwater, so the experiment will show how much rainwater the crystals will absorb in the ground.

Will the polymer crystals absorb anything other than water? Try any of these liquids in place of water: Koolaid or juice - Vinegar - Vegetable oil - Milk - Soda pop - Rainwater or melted snow - Salt water. What did you find?

Try hot water and see how fast the crystals grow now. Try ice-cold water and see how slow the crystals grow.

Watching Polymer Crystals Shrink

Use the polymer from the previous experiment for this one. Remove the jelly-like polymer crystals from the zipper- lock bag and spread them out on a piece of wax paper. Using a ruler, measure and record the size of the crystals. Allow the crystals to sit in the sunlight for several days. As the polymer sits in the warm sunlight, the water will evaporate, and the crystals will shrink. After several days, measure and record the size of the same polymer crystals. If you previously added food coloring to the water in experiment #1, did the polymer crystals retain their color after the water evaporated?

A great science fair project for elementary school or a great activity for home schooled kids!