Growing Water Beads – 250g

Like all our favourite educational toys, these Growing Water Beads perfectly combine learning and fun. They can grow to a hundred times their own size when placed in water. Watch the beads transform into beautiful, glass-like spheres. They would also make a creative bedroom decoration.

Get the most out of the beads by exploring them scientifically

Before you place beads in water:

1. Tell your child that these beads might look ordinary, but that they have a special quality. What do they think it is? How can you best explore them?
2. If they do not suggest it, propose putting the beads in a container of water. What will happen to them?
3. What they guess will happen is their hypothesis.

After the experiment, ask you child this to spark their curiosity:

1. What happened to the beads? Why did they grow?
2. Why do they shrink when we take them out of the water?
3. What happens if we hold a water-filled bead over letters on a piece of paper?
4. What would happen if we put a seed into the bead?

Answers:

1. The Growing Water Beads contain a substance called a polymer. Polymers are hydrophilic, which means that they love water. They have the ability to absorb impressive amounts of water, and this is why they grow. This is also the reason why we find polymers inside diapers, where they are incredibly useful.
2. The water evaporates and the beads shrink back to their original size.
3. The beads are tiny magnifying glasses.
4. You can watch a seed sprout by inserting it into a water-filled bead.

The beads go perfectly with our Water Absorbing Polymer Cubes.