Learn about capillary action with this simple and colorful rainbow celery experiment and craft!
Materials:
- leafy celery stalks
- mason jars or drinking glasses filled with water
- food coloring
- scissors (optional)
Instructions
Fill the jars or glasses about halfway with water and place them by sunlight. Then drop different colors of food dye into the glasses.- Cut or rip stalks of celery and place them in the cups of colored water.
- Let the celery sit. We started to see some faint color appearing in the celery after a few hours, and the next morning the leaves were tinted pale rainbow colors. After three days, we had these super bright and vivid colors! We also had some tired and wilted looking celery as the leaves dried out.
- Take it Further: Cut a single stalk of celery into three pieces and submerge each section into a different cup of colored water to see if the colors mix or blend in the leaves. Write down the reactions!
This experiment allows you and your child to talk about the circulatory system and “capillary” action. The small “vessels” in the celery stalks carry the water and color to the leaves, like the way blood travels through your body.
SOURCE:http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/rainbow-celery-experiment/