How does celery “drink”


Knowing where your food comes from is important. It is also important to know how your food grows. It is one of those interesting mysteries of life. I believe there is no better way for children to learn about the world around them then by being hands on.
For his 6th birthday, my son got a science kit
and one of the experiments was about how plants get their liquids. We had so
much fun with this experiment, that I thought I would share it with you so you can do it too!
 

First you need celery
(preferably with leaves.) Cut off the bottoms of the stalks and place a few in water with food
color. We used red food color because that is my son’s favorite color (and it showed up very well) but feel free to use
which ever color your kid loves. Leave the celery sit over night (or longer if you get
busy.)

When we had time, we pulled out the celery and “dissected” it.
Yes, I know my son has a utility blade in his hand and YES we discussed how to
use it before I let him do the experiment. If you do not feel safe letting your
children do this step, then DON’T let them. As a parent you need to use your
judgment and step in if they need help. The last thing any of us need are
stitches!

We cut the stalks up in many different angels and directions looking at the structure of the stalk. And of course we needed a magnifying glass to get up close and personal with our cuts. So what did we find after cutting up the celery? The canals in
the plant that carry the water had been turned red!! At this point my son stated
“that’s why the leave have a red tint mom!” Yup, he got it!!


 
And I must admit, I had no clue that the canals were only on the back side of
the celery stalk. I guess we all learned something with this experiment!
 
 
 

3 thoughts on “How does celery “drink”

  1. We have done a similar experiment in our homeschool. Isn't it fascinating? Thank you for sharing!!

  2. Hi Mindie! I can remember doing this as a kid ~ fun. Thank you for sharing this at the HomeAcre Hop! Look forward to seeing you again tomorrow; http://blackfoxhomestead.com/the-homeacre-hop/

  3. We LOVE planting drinnking experiments!! Thanks for sharing your post with us! I hope you join us again (yeah I know it’s a day late… linky issues) at Eco-Kids Tuesday!!

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