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Make a colorful flower bouquet for mom using science

With water and food coloring, you can customize the colors of a bouquet for your mom!

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Mother's Day is the day to show mom how much she is appreciated and often that is done with the gift of flowers.

With this experiment, you can make one-of-a-kind flowers for mom and learn a little about science, too!

Items you'll need:

  • White flowers (carnations work well!)
  • Food coloring
  • Warm water
  • Small cups

Procedure:

  1. Fill cups with about half a cup of warm water.
  2. Add 15-20 drops of food coloring to each cup.
  3. Cut stem of each flower at a 45 degree angle. The stem should be just long enough to fit in the cup.
  4. Watch the flower petals change color over time!

How it works:

There are several processes going on between the food coloring, water and plant in this experiment.

Plants require water in the process of photosynthesis and the water is transported up the flower stem via the xylem tissue (think of water going up a straw). Once the water is in the plant, it is evaporated out of the flowers and leaves. This process is called transpiration.

When molecules of the same kind are attracted to each other, this is known as cohesion. Water molecules have a strong cohesive force. This force keeps the water molecules moving together through the flower.

Not only are water molecules attracted to each other, but they are attracted to the xylem in the stem of the plant. This is capillary action – the force that defies gravity and pulls the water molecules up through the stem. We explored this idea in the Walking Water experiment.

Be sure to tune into 13 ON YOUR SIDE Mornings every Friday to see Meteorologist Laura Hartman share more kid-friendly science experiments! 

RELATED VIDEO:

Check out these other experiments Laura has shared with us!

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