Monday, September 27, 2010

How Trees Get Water to Their Leaves

This is a science experiment that Olivia did. She put a stem of celery into a cup filled with blue water.

Blue Celery in Glass Celery absorbing blue-tinted water.

After several hours, the leaves on the celery will turn blue to show where the stem brought water to the leaves. This experiment is suppose to represent how a tree pulls water through its trunk, limbs, and branches in order for water to reach each of its leaves.

Blue Celery Leaves
The blue-dyed water reached the very edges of the celery leaves.

This was a great visual image that brings to life what we were reading as part of her homeschool science lesson. Reading about plants and trees is one thing...seeing how they "operate" is a totally different thing!

(This was one of the experiments in the Sonlight curriculum that I'm using this year.)

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