celery and salt water experiment

Celery Osmosis Experiment: A Guide to Understanding Plant Physiology

Exploring the wonders of plant biology through experiments can be both enlightening and engaging, especially when it comes to understanding osmosis.

The celery osmosis experiment is a classic demonstration of this process, showcasing how water moves through plant cells.

It’s an accessible experiment that can be conducted with simple materials like celery stalks, water, and food coloring, making it a popular choice for educators and students alike.

In the celery osmosis experiment, the changes in the celery stalk after being placed in colored water are not just visually striking but also serve as a practical illustration of osmosis in plant cells. As the celery stalk absorbs water up through its xylem, the food coloring allows observers to see the path the water takes. This visual representation reinforces the understanding of how osmosis works and demonstrates the vital role it plays in plant hydration and nutrient transport.

Key Takeaways

• The celery osmosis experiment is a practical demonstration of water movement in plant cells.
• It offers a visual representation of osmosis, enhancing understanding of plant physiology.
• This experiment is accessible, using common materials and yielding clear, observable results.

Background on Osmosis and Plant Physiology

Osmosis governs how plants manage water uptake and distribution, crucial processes facilitated by specialized tissues such as the xylem. This section explores the principles of osmosis and its significance in plant physiology.

Understanding Osmosis

Osmosis is the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from a region with a low solute concentration to one with a higher solute concentration. It aims to equalize solute concentrations on both sides of the membrane. In plants, osmosis is fundamental as it dictates how water enters through the roots and moves within the plant’s cellular structures.

Plant Water Transport Mechanisms

Plants rely on water transport mechanisms to move nutrients and maintain structure, which is achieved through capillary action and root pressure. Water enters plant roots due to the lower solute concentration inside the root cells compared to the external soil environment. Once inside, water travels through root hairs, moving upwards within the plant via capillary action , a process propelled by adhesion and cohesion forces. This action allows water to move against gravity through narrow tubes in the plant’s stem .

Role of Xylem and Capillaries in Water Movement

The xylem is a specialized tissue composed of hollow tubes that facilitate water movement from roots to leaves. Xylem’s effectiveness is due to capillary action, aiding the upward motion of water. These tubes are not just passive pathways; they actively support water movement through the stem . This movement is essential for photosynthesis and nutrient distribution, showing why plants absorb water and how they remain hydrated to survive and grow.

Preparing for the Celery Osmosis Experiment

In this section, readers will gain a clear understanding of the materials needed and how to set up a celery osmosis experiment that visually demonstrates how plants absorb water.

Materials Required

• Celery : One or more fresh stalks with leaves intact
• Food Coloring : Multiple colors for varied observations
• Clear Glass Jars : Enough to hold the celery stalks and for multiple color experiments
• Knife : To trim the celery stalks if necessary
• Water : To create the colored water solution

These materials should be readily available in a standard kitchen, making the setup process straightforward. Organizing them beforehand ensures a smooth experiment.

Setting Up the Experiment

Preparing the Celery :

• Trim the ends of the celery stalks using the knife to expose a fresh surface that will absorb the colored water effectively.

Creating Colored Water :

• Fill each clear glass jar with water at least halfway.
• Add 15 to 20 drops of food coloring to the water. Stir to mix if needed.

Submerging the Celery :

• Place the celery stalks in the jars with the cut end submerged in the colored water solution.
• Ensure that the stalks with leaves are stable and fully immersed, but not so deep that they touch the bottom of the jars.

By preparing these components, experimenters can anticipate fascinating observations as the celery stalks begin to show the effects of osmosis over time. It is recommended to observe the process at regular intervals to note the progressive change in coloration, teaching the principles of science experiments through visual representation.

Conducting the Experiment

This section outlines the essential steps of the Celery Osmosis Experiment , providing clear instructions for execution, key points for observing and recording data, and a breakdown of variables to consider for a successful science project.

Instructions for Execution

Participants should prepare a stalk of celery with leaves intact and a clear glass filled with water dyed with food coloring. The celery is then placed into the colored water, and the setup is left undisturbed for several hours. It’s crucial that the instructions are followed accurately to ensure the experiment’s success.

Observing and Recording Data

As the experiment progresses, participants should notice the color moving up through the celery’s vessels. These observations should be diligently recorded in a science notebook, including time intervals and any visible changes in the celery. Recording data is essential for comparing results before and after the experiment.

Variables to Consider

Several variables can affect the outcome of the experiment. The amount of food coloring used, the type of water (tap or distilled), the freshness of the celery, and even room temperature can all influence the results. Precise measurement and note-taking of these variables help in making valid observations and ensuring the reliability of the experiment’s data.

Analyzing the Results

When conducting the celery osmosis experiment, interpreting the changes in the celery’s appearance is crucial. These changes provide a visual representation of osmosis and transpiration.

Understanding Color Changes

The celery’s color transitions are indicative of the dye being transported through the plant’s vascular system. If colored water is used in the experiment, typically the stalk and leaves will exhibit coloration. The speed and extent to which the color changing celery occurs can vary depending on several factors such as the concentration of the dye and the celery’s health.

Interpreting the Movement of Water

Identifying the direction and rate of water movement reflects the process of osmosis within the celery’s tissues. The dyed water serves as a visual aid to track the water’s path. Observable patterns, such as the uniform distribution of color in the stalk, confirm the water’s movement from areas of lower solute concentration to higher concentration. This movement through the plant’s structures, assisting in nutrient distribution and waste removal, is part of the celery’s transpiration process.

Scientific Concepts for Kids

When introducing scientific concepts to kids, it is essential to break down complex ideas into simpler terms and engage them with activities that encourage observation and curiosity. Here are ways to introduce fundamental science to young minds.

Simplified Science for Young Children

For preschoolers and kindergarteners , the world of science begins with simple concepts that appeal to their innate curiosity. Science activities such as the celery osmosis experiment provide an ideal platform for introducing the idea of how plants absorb water . Preschool science is more about sparking interest than delving into detailed processes.

• Predictions : Before beginning the experiment, adults can encourage children to make predictions about what might happen when the celery is placed in colored water.
• Observations : Throughout the experiment, kids should be asked to observe the changes, noting how the color moves through the celery stalks.

This hands-on approach not only makes science tangible for young children but also lays the foundation for the scientific method.

Interactive Learning Through Observation

Osmosis might be too complex a term for toddlers , but they can still grasp associated concepts through interactive learning . With the celery osmosis experiment, children witness firsthand how water travels through a plant, which can be quite intriguing for young minds.

• Colors : Using vivid food coloring makes the process visibly striking and more engaging for preschoolers .
• Journaling : For older children, documenting the experiment with drawings or writing can enhance learning.

A practical experiment like this encourages children to observe changes over time and see real-world applications of science.

Further Experiments and Variations

Building upon the basic celery osmosis experiment, one can explore how different fluids influence the process of osmosis and how variations in the experimental conditions affect the results.

Testing with Different Fluids

The standard celery experiment typically uses water dyed with food coloring to demonstrate how osmosis occurs within the plant’s xylem . One can alter the experimental conditions by introducing different fluids, which will impact the process of osmosis in unique ways. Using salt water , for instance, makes the external solution hypertonic, leading to water being drawn out of the celery, oftentimes causing the celery to become limp and soft. On the other hand, introducing vinegar might introduce acid-base effects in addition to osmotic changes.

• Concentration of salt in the salt water
• Acidity level of the vinegar

Varying Conditions to Observe Effects

One can vary environmental conditions to observe their impact on celery during an osmosis experiment. For example, altering the gravity can inform about its effect on the directional flow of water through the plant’s cohesion and adhesion properties. Exposing the celery to different soils, such as clay or sandy soil, can affect the osmotic balance due to soil’s water retention capabilities.

• Type of soil used: sandy, clay, loamy
• The angle at which the celery is placed, simulating changes in gravity

By systematically changing these variables and conditions, researchers can gain a deeper understanding not just of osmosis, but also other plant physiology aspects such as response to differing osmotic pressures and the physical principles like cohesion and adhesion that govern water movement within plant tissues.

Conclusions and Applications

The celery osmosis experiment yields insightful revelations in plant physiology and the movement of water through osmotic processes. It serves as a practical application of scientific concepts and methods.

Summarizing Key Findings

1. Osmotic Movement: The experiment conclusively demonstrates that water moves from an area of lower solute concentration to one of higher solute concentration within the celery’s tissues, showcasing the principle of osmosis. 2. Visualizing Xylem Function: They can distinctly observe colored water traveling up the celery’s xylem, offering a visual understanding of how plants transport nutrients and water.

Applying the Experiment’s Concepts

Scientific Method: This activity reinforces the scientific method by engaging experimenters in generating a hypothesis, conducting the experiment, recording observations, and validating predictions. Communication and Education: In terms of communication, the experiment provides a compelling visual tool to explain complex concepts in biology, making it an excellent candidate for educational purposes in both physics and earth science. Engineering: They can apply the underlying principles to various engineering fields, such as designing more effective water transport systems.

The experiment’s outcomes carry significant implications across multiple scientific disciplines, simplifying complex theories into tangible observations.

Supplementary Resources

Understanding the process of osmosis in plants is greatly enhanced by accessing a range of educational materials. The following resources have been carefully selected to provide comprehensive guides and engaging learning experiences through interactive content such as ebooks and videos.

Guides and Videos

For a straightforward guide that outlines the steps to observe osmosis using celery, the website Little Bins for Little Hands offers a user-friendly walkthrough. Those seeking visual aids will find a selection of instructive videos that elegantly demonstrate the osmosis process in action, allowing for practical application of the theory.

Recommended Ebooks and Articles

Educators can deepen their understanding of the experiment and its implications for teaching science concepts by consulting a variety of ebooks and scholarly articles . For instance, a detailed Teacher’s Guide is available via Planting Science , offering insights into osmosis and related plant physiology topics suited for the classroom. Further reading material can extend a student’s knowledge regarding water movement in plants, with the Celery Challenge Student Packet providing questions and structured activities for exploration.

Frequently Asked Questions

This section addresses common queries related to the celery osmosis experiment, providing focused insights to enhance understanding of the process and observation techniques.

How does the addition of food coloring to water affect the observation of osmosis in celery stalks?

When food coloring is added to water, it doesn’t affect the osmosis process itself but makes it easier to observe. The dye travels through the celery’s vascular system, allowing one to see how water is distributed throughout the plant.

What is the purpose of using a worksheet during the celery osmosis experiment?

A worksheet serves to guide the experimental process, ensuring that observations are systematically recorded and hypotheses are properly tested, leading to a clearer understanding of the experiment’s outcomes.

Can you explain the process of osmosis in the celery osmosis experiment?

Osmosis in the celery experiment involves the movement of water through the plant’s semi-permeable cell membranes. This natural process moves water from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration within the stalks.

How do you document observations in a lab report for the celery osmosis experiment?

Observations in a lab report should be noted with precision, including descriptions of the celery’s appearance and any changes over time, as well as measurements of variables such as time elapsed and color intensity of the solution.

What are the visible changes in celery when placed in different types of water solutions?

Visible changes in celery can include softening and mushiness when placed in a hypertonic solution like salt water, or a firm and crisp texture when in pure water, demonstrating different outcomes of osmotic pressure.

What are the various solutions used to demonstrate osmosis in celery sticks?

Different solutions, such as salt water or plain water , are used to demonstrate osmosis. The concentration gradient in each solution determines how water will move into or out of the celery’s cells.

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The Celery Experiment and How Plants Absorb Water from their Roots

Description.

Clear glass jars, cups or small clear vase

Fresh Celery stalks with leaves. Preferably the lighter leafier stalks near the center.

Food Coloring

• Explain experiment. We are going to find out how plants absorb water and grow. See Educational note for more.
• Separate and select stalks of celery with leaves. Cut about a quarter inch off the bottom. The lighter stalks near the center will show the most color.
• Put about 8 ounces of water into glass jar or vase.
• Drop 3-4 drops of food coloring into jar.
• Place stalks into the water and using stalk stir very gently until food coloring is dispersed evenly.
• Have child/class make predictions about what will happen. Write it in a simple sentence and "point and read" together.
• Make 2-3 observations and write them down. Check at intervals depending on availability, you will see slight results after 3 hours, significant results overnight and again at 48 hours.
• Cut the bottom of the celery and you can see where the water was transported up into the celery stem.

If you plan to do only one color, consider selecting blue. We found blue to have the most vibrant results. The colors we tested were purple, red and blue, green and orange. The blue was significantly brighter. After trying this three times, we noted the blue water level goes down the quickest.

Use the lightest, innermost stalks for this experiment. The darker green did not show the colors as well and were less healthy in comparison with the lighter green stalks.

Be sure to trim the bottom of the stalks with a knife or shears (adult step). Examine the bottom after 24 hours to see where the water is being drawn up into the stem. Blue showed this the most clearly of all the colors.

• Select either the loop or the hook side to place on the board. If you select the hook side, you will always use the loop side for your cards.
• Place a dot at the top for the title and 3-5 more dots in a row under it. You may want two rows of dots
• Glue pictures of the experiment onto cardboard or construction paper and stick on a velcro dot on the back of each. Remember to use the opposite piece as the one you put on the board for the pictures to stick.
• Have your child place the pictures in the correct order. For older toddlers you can print a simple sentence about each picture as well, cut out and mount on cardboard and match the sentence to the picture.

• Take pictures of the major steps in this toddler science experiment, glue onto construction paper and add a sentence for each by printing on a computer or handwrite neatly. Have your child tell you the sentence or phrase if they are able to. Your child is more likely to be able to "read" something he or she says. This is also a great way to help reinforce and build comprehension skills.
• Another example of osmosis can be used with carnations. Use the same materials and steps above. You will have very pretty results!
• Take pictures of the entire process Dropping coloring into glass, placing the stem into the colored water, Glue onto separate pieces of cardboard. Have your child place in the correct order on a flat surface. Or cut out the pictures, have your child arrange them and glue them onto a single sheet of construction paper and display.
• A book is a great way to introduce a toddler science activity. Go to the library or a bookstore and find a book on plants.
• Plants absorb water through their roots through a process called transpiration. The water travels up tubes in the stems to all parts of the plants, and is used during photosynthesis to make food for the plant. When food coloring is added to the water, it travels with the water into the celery's stem and then into the leaves. Plants also absorb nutrients from the soil through the roots and up through the phloem in the plant's stems. The food coloring illustrates how nutrients are delivered to all parts of the plant.
• Seeing the color of the celery leave change and the level of the water going down.
• Hearing and listening to directions given.

Communication

• Oral Explanation of how plants absorb water
• Pictorial Showing pictures of plants in a book

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Science Project Ideas

Celery Experiment

This easy science project is as good to be done with preschoolers and kindergarten kids, as with grown up children in the lab, or at science fairs. It is a great activity to make the concept of how plants get their nutrition from the soil clear to the young, ever-inquisitive chaps. Remind them to keep their worksheets ready before starting.

Celery Food Coloring Science Experiment

The leaves and trimmed ends of celery stalks get dyed when placed in colored water.

• A tall, clear jar or glass
• Red food coloring (or eosin dye)
• Large celery stalk with leaves
• Half fill the tall glass with water.
• Add 4-5 drops of red food color and mix nicely.
• Trim the bottom of the celery stalk neatly.
• Place it in the glass. Leave it overnight.
• Make your observations. You may record the data carefully in a chart if you are making observations every 2-3 hours.

You will see that the leaves get a red tint. When you take the stalk out of the water you can watch small dots of red color at the trimmed end. You may rip the stalk open to observe a pronounced coloring effect. If you want, you can mark the initial level of water with a chalk and later you will find that the level has gone down.

Celery Experiment Video

Explanation.

Plants draw water and minerals from soil through the capillaries or tiny tubes in their stems known as xylem. This is known as capillary action that is nothing but the pulling of the water up to the leaves and other parts of a plant, just like you suck on a straw. Another important phenomenon that is responsible for the upward movement is osmosis due to which the dyed water enters the cells of the celery, giving rise to turgor pressure that eventually draws the liquid up. This action is facilitated by the transpiration (the slow, continuous loss of water from the leaves of a plant) of the water molecules that are already present in the leaves.

You can also try

• Put the celery stalk in salt water and check the changes after 4 hours
• Put it in freshwater and report the results after the same time period as above.

Since the salt water is a hypertonic solution (less of water and more of salt), due to osmosis, the water from the celery cells passes on to the solution making the plant soft and mushy. On the other hand, the opposite happens in the second case making it rigid and stiff.

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How to Do a Celery Science Experiment

Science Experiments With Plants for Kids

Science is never easy but it can certainly be fun. The "Celery Science" experiment is a classic demonstration in the primary classroom. It clearly demonstrates how water moves though plants and teaches the students what a "control" is in any experiment.

Get into character. Before I teach any science experiment I leave the room and re-enter as "Dr. Science." I put on a lab coat and some glasses to get into character. The kids think it's hilarious.

Lab coats are not diffucult to acquire. Walk into a hospital or doctor's office and they will probably give you one if tell them you are a teacher. Show credentials if necessary. Or, try a medical uniform store.

Explain to the students that just as people have veins to make our blood flow though our bodies, plants have veins that water flows through. The plants "sucks up the water" from the dirt and the water flows through the plant.

Ask the students, "How can we tell the water is going through the plant?" They will probably not come up a viable way so ask them, "What if we put colored water in the cup with a piece of celery sticking out? Would we see the water flow through the celery?"

Give each student a cup and a piece of celery. I usually let them choose the color of their water.

Place a piece of celery in a cup with regular (clear) water and explain to the kids that this is the "control." We need to see what happens to celery when we just put it in clear water. Let's make sure that the leaves do not turn different colors on their own."

Expect the kids to spill if you are letting them pour and mix their own cups of water.

Place each child's cup on a 3x5 card with their name on it. Do this for the "control" cup also.

Observe the celery the next day. If the celery was in red water the tips of the leaves should be turning red. You can the cut into the celery and see that the veins are filled with red water.

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Water transport with celery experiment

• June 27, 2022

If you’ve taught plant biology at elementary or KS2, chances are you’ve tried a water transport experiment. One method for this is to use white flowers like chrysanthemums or carnations. However, celery is also a popular choice as it’s cheap and easy to find. I tried the water transport with celery experiment and here’s what I discovered!

Choose your celery carefully

In my experience, this investigation gives the most noticeable results for children to observe when the celery is leafy. Leafy celery can be tricky to find as often the stalks have been trimmed to remove the leaves. Sometimes the leaves are hidden inside a bunch so look closely before purchasing.

Setting up the experiment

There are so many options for making the colored water for this investigation. I know lots of people have success with food coloring but on this occasion, I tried both fountain pen ink cartridges, and the crushed insides of felt tip pens.

For the ink, I cut 2 cartridges and added both to a couple of inches of water. For the pens, I broke open washable felt tips, took the stick out of the middle and added it to water. I popped a stem of celery in each glass and waited…

What happened?

The leafy celery in blue fountain pen ink was the quickest change. The leaves were starting to go blue in less than an hour! Interestingly, the celery in purple cartridge pen ink showed a more subtle change.

After a day, the blue celery leave had an even more intense color. Celery without leaves showed a hint of color running up the stem but the results were less dramatic than the leafy stalks.

For the non-leafy stems, it can be interesting to remove them from the water, and cut them into sections to observe the xylem (tubes that carry water). The color from the water will make them obvious and children could count how many they can see.

The science

Water is transported in plants by tubes called xylem. These run down the stalk or stem of a plant from roots to leaves. So, how does the water move up? As water leaves the leaves via transpiration, it draws more water up in a chain of molecules, through the xylem.  

Use leafy celery

Cut the bottom ends of the celery before you place them in water.

Darker colors give the most dramatic results but use a range – it can make an interesting discussion point.

If you use fountain pen ink, wear protection on clothes and hands to avoid stains!

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Celery Food Coloring Experiment

Capillary action, the fascinating phenomenon of liquids moving through narrow spaces without external forces, can be easily demonstrated using celery and food coloring. In this simple science experiment , we observe how water, dyed with food coloring, travels up the tiny vessels in the celery stalks!

By immersing celery in colored water, we can witness firsthand how this natural process drives fluids against gravity! Get started below and see for yourself. Explore biology easily at home or in the classroom with our science experiments for kids .

More Easy Experiments That Demonstrate Capillary Action

• Color Changing Flowers
• Walking Water
• Leaf Veins Experiment
• Broken Toothpick Experiment
• Grow A Rainbow

Celery and Food Coloring Experiment

Explore the process of water moving upward through the plant’s stem and into the leaves. It defies gravity!

• Celery Stalks (choose as many as you like to color and one extra if you choose to set up a science experiment. too) with leaves
• Food Coloring

Instructions:

STEP 1. Start with nice crisp celery. Cut the bottoms off the celery so you have a fresh cut.

Don’t have celery? You could try our color changing carnations experiment !

STEP 2. Fill the containers at least halfway with water and add food coloring. The more food color, the sooner you’ll see results. 15-20 drops, at least.

STEP 3. Add the celery sticks to the water.

STEP 4. Wait 2 to 24 hours. Make sure to observe the process at regular intervals to note the progress. Older kids can make drawings and journal their observations throughout the experiment.

Notice how the food coloring moves through the celery’s leaves! Water is making its way through the cells of the celery, as indicated by the color.

Note the red food coloring is a bit tougher to see!

How Does It Work?

How does water travel through a plant? By the process of capillary action! We can see this in action with the celery.

The cut celery stalks take up colored water through their stem, and the colored water moves from the stems to the leaves. Water travels up tiny tubes in the plant via the process of capillary action .

What is capillary action? Capillary action is the ability of a liquid (our colored water) to flow in narrow spaces (thin tubes in the celery) without the help of an outside force, like gravity. Plants and trees couldn’t survive without capillary action.

As water evaporates from a plant (called transpiration), it pulls more water up to replace what has been lost. This happens due to adhesion forces (water molecules are attracted and stick to other substances), cohesion (water molecules like to stay close together), and  surface tension .

What is the difference between capillary action and osmosis?

The process of osmosis also involves the movement of water. However, capillary action is driven by surface tension and the interactions between the liquid and solid surfaces, while osmosis is driven by differences in solute concentration across a semi-permeable membrane.

Capillary action is often observed in the movement of liquids in narrow tubes or capillaries. At the same time, osmosis is a process commonly observed in biological systems involving water movement across cell membranes.

Capillary action can occur in both upward and downward directions, depending on the specific conditions, while osmosis generally occurs from an area of lower solute concentration to higher solute concentration.

Check out fun ways to explore osmosis here.

How To Apply The Scientific Method

Extend this celery and food coloring experiment by applying the scientific method for older kids ready to delve deeper into the scientific realm. This structured approach to inquiry involves formulating hypotheses, conducting experiments, collecting data, and drawing conclusions.

Start by encouraging students to ask questions such as “What factors could influence the movement of water through the celery?” Some examples are the concentration of food coloring, the amount of time the celery is immersed, or the temperature of the water.

Ask kids to make predictions about how changing the variables might affect the results. For instance, they can predict what will happen if they use more food coloring, leave the celery in the colored water longer, or change the water temperature.

Have them develop a hypothesis based on their initial observations and then design an experiment to test it.

Older kids can better understand the scientific principles by altering variables, recording measurements, and analyzing results. This extension challenges them to think critically and apply analytical thinking.

Learn more about applying the scientific method with examples and how to choose variables.

Free Printable Science Process Pack

Extend the learning opportunity by creating a science journal with our free science process pack for kids!

Helpful Science Resources

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• 8 Science Books for Kids
• All About Scientists
• Free Science Worksheets
• Science Supplies List
• Science Tools for Kids

Why Is Science Important For Kids?

Kids are curious and always looking to explore, discover, test, and experiment to find out why things do what they do, move like they move, or change like they change! Indoors or outdoors , science is definitely amazing!

We are always eager to explore chemistry experiments , physics experiments , and biology experiments ! Biology is fascinating for kids because it’s all about the living world around us. Activities like this celery experiment show us how water moves through living cells.

Explore how water travels through a plant with a simple demonstration you can do in your own kitchen with just a few items! We love kitchen science that is not only easy to set up but frugal too! Learn about capillary action with a couple stalks of celery and food dye.

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• Walking Water Experiment
• Drops of Water On A Penny
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Celery Science Experiment

• Elementary , Everyday Materials , Experiment , Pre-School , Science Experiments

36 Comments

While I’m an art educator by trade, having small people pull at my pants has turned me into a mini-alchemist who’s suddenly found herself reading books to her kids about Galileo and brewing all sorts of concoctions in our kitchen (vinegar and baking soda, anyone?). Preschoolers are simply curious and see no boundaries between art and science, making this celery experiment a wonderful early STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) activity for young children.

The celery science experiment is easy to achieve with basic kitchen materials and it’s embedded with all sorts of opportunities for introducing the scientific method (in short: asking scientific questions, making predictions, and conducting an experiment).

• Celery with leafy tops
• Clear glasses
• Food coloring

The Celery Science Experiment

N poured water into three glasses. about 3/4 cup in each.

Then she added a few drops of food coloring — 5-8 drops, but who’s counting! — into the glasses and stirred with a piece of celery, which was left in the glass. And then we talked about what might happen if we left the celery in the colored water for a while.

We oohed and ahhed over the lava-lamp effect of the food coloring as it hit the water.

The Scientific Method: Make Predictions

We started off with red, yellow, and green, but N really wanted to mix colors and added blue and red to the green water (far right). We revisited our earlier discussion and made predictions about how the celery might change.

While waiting for something to happen, I chopped the celery heart off the bottom of the stalk and set up a printing activity.

N humored me by making a few prints and then asked if she could play with colored water. Totally!

While I only have one photo of this, it was probably the highlight of the afternoon.

When we checked the celery a couple hours later, this is what it looked like. I put a leafy top next to it so you can see how subtle the change is. Hmmm. While I could see the change, I wasn’t sure it would make a big impact on my daughter. And then I realized that I should have just put the leafy parts in the water for a more dramatic result. Done!

A few hours later the blue/green had the most pronounced shift, but the red and yellow were visibly different too.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the red and blue-green died celery tops, about 16 hours after the stalks had been sitting in the water. N seemed to appreciate the difference, but wasn’t nearly as impressed as her dad and I were.

Why does celery absorb food coloring?

In terms that preschoolers can understand…

Plants need water to survive and they draw water up from their roots through their capillaries. The capillaries are hollow and act a lot like a straw. Adding color to the water helps us visualize this usually invisible process.

I did this activity with my boys using Queen Anne’s Lace, and this year it’s probably good timing to repeat it with my daughter. Queen Anne’s Lace has small, delicate white flowers in a cluster, so the effect is noticeable and pretty. (Also, another name for Queen Anne’s Lace is Wild Carrot–the scientific name is, I believe, Daucus carota–and if you pull one up by the roots you can see how the root resembles a carrot–it smells a little carroty too).

A big hit with my boys when they were younger was comparing the melting rate of ice cubes. We put one on the counter, one on the fridge, and one on the deck, and then we observed them and wrote down our observations, every ten minutes or so.

LOVE the idea to use this flower!! Thank you for that tip!

Queen Anne’s Lace would be an incredible way to do this activity — so rewarding and bright once it soaked up the color.

Your ice cube melting idea reminds me of a chocolate melting experiment I did in the 6th grade – put one bar in the trunk of the car and one on a hot sidewalk. I lived in LA, and I think they melted at the same rate! Ha.

Good idea ! I have old celerys and we move in 1 week. Time to use them !

Good thought — no need to cart celery along on the move. Good luck with that! I hope it’s smooth and stress-free.

This is one of our favorite things to do! You have to be sure to use A LOT of food coloring to turn them faster. 🙂 One of our favorite things to do is to make rainbows! We actually enjoy doing it so much and with so many different mediums that my daughter made this her Science Fair project. She entered at her school (she is only in Kindergarten, but she takes some 2nd grade courses so she had the option to enter if she wanted) and she took 1st place in the K-2nd grade category!!!! All these little projects instill in them a desire to learn, and grow! So many people think I am wasting my time doing these things every day and yet she remembered our foray into rainbows so much that she turned it into a prize winning project! (all of which she did at school under the watchful eye of her teachers so that it couldn’t be said that anyone’s parents did their projects for them!!)

Oh, Michelle, this is so fabulous. When we create an environment that supports creativity and critical thinking at an early age, we set children up for a future of independent thinking. It’s awesome that you helped your daughter follow her interests from such a young age. Do people really think you’re wasting your time? Send them my way if you’d like 🙂

Looks like your daughter N had great fun! You are setting your daughter up to be a great scientist/artist! Love to see how you make everything look so amazing to do! You should write a book with all these experiments and great photography! I would buy it!

Hi Melissa ~ You’re the best! I’ll direct all potential publishers to this post to read your comment 🙂 I’ve always been a visual communicator, and find that sometimes pictures tell a better story than the words I might choose.

It can be a bit tricky with science experiments sometimes to know which ones are going to impress your children. My kids’ favourites are ones where you mix things together – like seeing what things will dissolve in water, bicarb and vinegar volcanoes and different kinds of slime. I wrote about our most recent science experiment, using marbles to explore inertia, this week at http://adventureskids.blogspot.com/2011/04/inertia.html

That is SO cool. I’ll be bookmarking that for when my little ones are a bit older. Your blog is great — thanks for sharing!

Thats a fantastic idea… love such fun learning tips:)

Thanks Roopa 🙂

thank you help me with my science project thank you.

Next time I buy celery, we are going to have to try this. I think my son would really enjoy seeing the change in the celery.

I bet he would! I always buy it for a stalk or two, and find that I usually have too much left over. Very frustrating, and clear that I need to find more celery-rich recipes!

Who woulda though celery? I always have leftovers from the bunch – no one seems to like to munch on them over here. I guess a science experiment will be in the future.

Aren’t the simple parts of the activity always the funnest, the ones that you didn’t plan?

Thanks for supporting It’s Playtime this week, I hope to see more of your ideas, as I always do, next Thursday too!

Jamie @ hands on : as we grow

it’s so true that the unplanned parts are almost always the most enjoyable…probably because they’re spontaneous! Look forward to your next Playtime 🙂

I did this experiment with my nearly-3-year-old daughter last week. The Usborne book I got the idea from suggested cutting the bottom of the celery stem in half and standing each half in a different colour food colouring. This leads to a lovely 2-colour-effect stem, with the leaves on each side of the stem being a different colour – it even interested my daughter!

Angela! That is such a cool idea…and now I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it 🙂 We will have to try that next time. Thanks for sharing1

Love the concentration on N’s face as she is pouring the coloured water. Gorgeous 🙂

Thanks, Christie! The concentrated looks always help us know when a project is going well, no?

Oh gosh, this takes me right back to childhood – this was one of our favorite experiments at home growing up.  We could get the celery really bright red and thought it was sooooo awesome!

This is sooo cool, I will be doing this with my little girl for sure.  You can also do the same thing with daisies :D 

This is so fun because there are so many different things all in one! The color changing, te playing with coloured water and stamping with the base! I’ve only done this with carnations, which is fun, and pretty – you can even split the stem and put each side in a different cup and get a two-tone flower! I guess it’s similar to the queen Anne’s lace idea, we just don’t have that near us!

we did this, it was a hit in our house! http://alessandrahayden.blogspot.com/2012/06/celery-experiment.html

I did this experiment with my KG daughter today. I like your idea of using the cut off heart as a stamper. I usually pull my stalks off, but today, I decided to just cut the whole end off and it was so pretty – looked like a flower!

When I was in school, we did this with white Carnations. I also saw a similar experiment where you take the Carnation and split the bottom of the stem into four. You take each piece of the stem and put it in a differently colored cup of water, and it makes a rainbow-looking flower when it’s done. 🙂 Pretty sweet.

Organized content is the best way to display or post an article, thank you for making it easy to digest your

Saw a little one do this with a carnation. She split the stem into 4 parts and put each part into a different color and ended up with a rainbow flower!

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Celery transpiration

Follow FizzicsEd 150 Science Experiments:

You will need

• One bunch of Celery
• One cup of Water (roughly 400mL)
• Food Colouring
• One sharp Knife and chopping board (adult help please!)
• Somewhere to leave the experiment undisturbed

• Instruction

Use adult help when cutting the celery

Take one stick of celery off the bunch and cut the bottom 2 cm off of the stick. Careful; choose a length of celery that won’t tip over your cup of water when it’s placed in the cup.

Add some food colouring to the cup of water (make the colour quite dark).

The celery should be able to lean against the cup without tipping it over.

Put the cut end of the stick of celery into the cup of darkly coloured water.

Leave the cup and celery for at least half an hour. Check on the leaves regularly to see if there is any discolouration at the ends of the leaves.

The celery changes to a shade of blue…

Observe the differences in the celery.

How did this happen? Did the food colouring cause this?

Look near the outside of the cut celery stem…

Cut the celery stick around halfway up, and have a look at the inside of the stem. Can you see where the food colouring went?

Try testing different variables (different colours, different plant types, sugar or salt in the water etc).

Get the Unit of Work on Plant Biology here!

• Learn about the parts of a flower
• Discover how vascular tissue transports water & sugars around the plant
• Learn about plant pigments and adaptations to the environment
• From photosynthesis to transpiration & more, there’s a heap covered!

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Why Does This Happen?

You should have seen that the food coloured water travelled up the stem of the celery and into the leaves. How does food colour get up there? Gravity should be holding the water down, right?

Water is found all the way through the celery: in the stems, the leaves and the roots. The water in the leaves of the celery evaporates through the surface of the leaves, and this leaves space inside the leaves where the water was. This process is called transpiration. That new empty space inside the leaves creates a low pressure, and like a drinking straw, this low pressure allows water below the leaf to travel up the stem. You’ll see the little tubes the water travels up when you cut the celery stem, and you can see the colour up in the leaves. These tubes are called Xylem and are part of the plant’s vascular system. This how plants transport the water and nutrients from the soil up to the very highest leaves. By the way, the tubes that transport sugars from the leaves downwards are called phloem).

Variables to test

More on variables

• Does warm vs cold food colouring influence the speed of the experiment?
• Try flowers in food colouring
• Run this experiment on a hot vs a cold day
• Does cutting off the leaves at the top of the celery make a difference?

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2 thoughts on “ Celery transpiration ”

the experiment was fun and it was wicked

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed this science activity 🙂

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What Happens When You Put Celery in Saltwater?

When celery is placed in salt water, the portion of the celery stalk placed in the salt water becomes soft, limp and mushy. The celery loses its firmness.

Celery becomes soft and mushy when soaked in salt water because salt water is a hypertonic solution. In a hypertonic solution, the concentration of certain solutes is higher than in a living cell. Since the concentration of salt is higher outside the celery, it causes a net movement of water out of the celery’s cells. When the water moves out of the celery, its cells shrink, which causes the celery to become limp and soft. Conversely, if celery is placed in fresh water, a hypotonic solution, water moves into the celery’s cells and causes them to expand. Soaking celery in fresh water results in the celery becoming stiff.

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