Water Drops That Love to Hug!

Hello, future scientists!

Have you ever seen water drops on a leaf or a window, rolling together like they’re giving each other a big hug? That’s because water likes to stick to itself! This sticky trick is called cohesion, and it’s like water drops holding hands.

Water is made of tiny bits called molecules, and they love to stay close. When you see a drop roll into another drop and make a bigger one, that’s cohesion at work—it’s like the drops are best friends who don’t want to let go! This is why water beads up on a leaf instead of spreading out flat, and why raindrops stick together as they fall.

Cohesion helps plants too—it pulls water up from their roots to their leaves, like a teamwork tug! Water’s stickiness is everywhere if you look close.

Try This Water Hug Experiment!

Want to see water drops stick together? Let’s play!

What You Need:

A small cup of water
A dropper or spoon (or just your finger if you’re careful!)
A waxy leaf (like from a houseplant) or a piece of wax paper
A flat spot to work (like a table)

What to Do:

Put your leaf or wax paper on the table.
Use the dropper, spoon, or your finger to put one little drop of water on it.
Add another drop close by—not touching yet!
Watch the drops. Now, gently tilt the leaf or paper so the drops roll toward each other. Do they hug?
Try adding more drops. Can you make one big drop from lots of little ones?

What You’ll See: The water drops will roll together and join up into a bigger drop—like a water hug! On the waxy surface, they’ll stick to each other instead of spreading out.

Why It Works:

Water’s tiny molecules pull on each other with cohesion, like friends linking arms. That’s why the drops merge instead of staying apart. It’s water’s way of sticking together!

You’re a water scientist now! Next time it rains, watch drops team up on a window or leaf. How many can you get to hug in your experiment?