Science Experiment: Celery & Food Coloring

We did a little science experiment with celery and food coloring.  It’s actually one of the first we’ve done at home.  I’m excited to start incorporating this into our weekly routine.  Having curious children in the home makes science experiments so fun.

SUPPLIES:

• Celery
• Clear glasses or vases
• Water
• Food coloring (if you’re only doing one color, blue works best)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Fill the glass with a couple inches of water.
2. Add a few drops of food coloring. (We added about 10)
3. Cut the celery about an inch from the end, separate and place in the glass.  Be sure to leave the leaves on as they show the food coloring the best.
4. Let it sit overnight to see what happens!

Caden woke up in the morning and quickly realized that the blue celery was turning blue.  I asked him, “why do you think it’s turning blue?”  He said, “it’s in blue water.” I then talked to him about what happens when we water plants, and how the water gets to the end of the leaves.  If you look really close, you can see the food coloring reaching the end of the celery stalk.

It was fun to see Caden draw conclusions and talk about how plants absorb water.  Do you do science experiments in your home?