- Programs
Monthly STEAM Challenge
This month’s featured activity: Color Changing Flowers
This activity is from the following site. For full instructions, visuals, etc., visit here:
https://newhorizonacademy.net/kids-science-color-changing-flowers/
Materials:
- Food Coloring
- White Flowers (we used daisies!)
- Several glasses, test tubes, or cups
Instructions:
- Fill each cup with water.
- Add food coloring to each cup (the more you use, the deeper the color will be in the flowers)
- Cut the stems of the flowers so they will fit into the cups.
- Place flowers in each cup and leave for 24 hours.
- Observe the change in colors in the petals. (If your flowers haven’t changed colors in this time, add more food coloring to each cup.)
- Let the flowers sit and continue to watch them change. (See questions below to ask your child while waiting to see the results.)
- Enjoy your beautiful, colorful flowers and discuss your observations!
As you wait to see the results, make some more predictions:
- Which color will be soaked up first?
- How long will it take?
- Which color will create the darkest shade in a flower?
- Which color will create the lightest shade in a flower?
Scientific Explanation
Flowers are living things that need nourishment to grow and thrive. Using their roots, flowers “drink” water up into their stems, leaves, and flowers to make food. Eventually, the water evaporates from the plants—very similar to a human sweating. This is called transpiration. Even when you cut a flower and it has no roots, it can still do this!
More water is pulled up from below to fill the empty space left by transpiration. This cycle is called capillary action. This happens because water sticks to itself, which is called cohesion. The food coloring does not harm the plant at all, it just allows us to watch the journey of the water traveling through a plant.
Read all about “The Secret World of Plants”!
Featured book: “The Secret World of Plants” by Ben Hoare
Amazon.com Synopsis:
Plants are found almost everywhere on Earth, but to many people their lives are a mystery. Learn how seagrass flowers underwater, how the Venus flytrap counts to make sure it catches its prey, and why some tulips used to cost more than a house! This fascinating book for kids explores the vast plant kingdom and explains how plants work, as well as the weird and wonderful relationships they have with animals.
Children can discover the secrets of more than 100 amazing plants in this treasury of fascinating flora, as well as the essentials of plant science, including photosynthesis, pollination, and germination. Each species is shown with remarkable photography and beautiful illustrations, all brought to life by Ben Hoare’s writing, filled with charm and infectious enthusiasm.
This nature book for children ages 7+ features:
– An eye-catching holographic cover, gilded edges, and stunning photography and illustrations, making it the perfect gift
– A wide range of incredible plants and trees from all around the world
– Illustrated diagrams to support definitions of different types of plants
– Introductory reference pages that explain key topics such as photosynthesis
This book is a must for any child interested in the natural world and the plants that grow in it. Plants provide us with food, fuel, and medicine, and without them, life as we know it would not exist. From orchids that grow vanilla pods to leaves that look like stones, and from bamboo that can be made into clothes to moss that soaks up vast amounts of carbon dioxide, plants shape our world in an endless variety of ways.
Find it in the Kid’s Non-fiction section under Dewey number J580 HOAR.