Ask Ollie
Waterproof Penguin Crayon Test
Here's one to try together!
Can a crayon coat keep a paper penguin dry? Drip, tilt and find out how real penguins stay snug!
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- Scissors are sharp: help under 5s with the cutting
- Crayons are not for eating: keep them away from babies and toddlers
What you need
- Paper, 2 sheets
- Kid scissors, 1 pair
- Crayons or markers, a handful
- Spoon or dropper, 1
- Water, 1 cup
- Plate or tray, 1
- Towel, 1
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Gather paper, crayons, scissors, a spoon or dropper, a cup of water, a tray and a towel. Keep the towel close for drips.
- Draw two penguin shapes on your paper, about the same size.
- Cut out both penguins. Ask for help if you need it
- Color one penguin all over, pressing hard with your crayon.
- Leave the second penguin plain, then guess what water will do. Ask: Which penguin do you think will stay dry, and why?
- Lay both penguins next to each other on the tray.
- Drip a few drops of water onto each penguin. Ask: What do the drops look like on the colored penguin? And on the plain one?
- Gently tilt the tray and watch which drops slide away.
- Color half of a new penguin, drip water, and find the wet line.
- Now show a friend your waterproof penguin, or make a whole colony! Ask: What else at home do you think could keep a penguin dry?
Play it again
- Coat challenge: try light, medium and heavy crayon layers and see which stays driest.
- Penguin race: tilt the tray and see which penguin sheds its drops fastest.
- Mystery penguin: a friend colors one in secret with white crayon, and you find the waxy part with water.
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