Have you ever wondered how plants drink? Get ready to turn your kitchen into a science lab as you try this fun hands-on experiment.
In this experiment you will see how plants move water around inside them!
What you need:
- Stalk of celery with leaves
- Half a glass of water
- 1 teaspoon (tsp) of food colouring
What you do:
1. Ask an adult to cut the bottom of the stalk of celery so that it is fresh.
2. Fill a glass of water halfway.
3. Add a teaspoon of red food colouring or a color of your choice.
4. Stand the stalk of celery in the water.
5. Wait 24 hours and see what happens!
Explore: What do you think will happen?
Let’s Talk Science!
The celery stalk is the stem of the celery plant. It absorbs water and minerals from the soil through root hairs by means of osmosis. Osmosis is a process by which some liquids and gases pass through a kind of skin called a membrane. The water passes into nearby cells and is carried up to the plant’s stem and leaves.1
Challenge 1
What do you think will happen if you try this experiment with a piece of lettuce?
Challenge 2
What would happen if you divided the celery stalk into two jars using different colours?
References
- Judy Breckenridge, Muriel Mandell, Anthony D. Fredericks, Louis V. Loeschnig (1998). 365 Super Science Experiments with Everyday Materials. Scholastic Inc., p.101.