CU 5.05Water Travels Up a Stem

1. 1

   Invite the child. Pour water into both jars, about a third full.

2. 2

   Let the child add several drops of food coloring to one jar. Leave the other plain.

3. 3

   The guide trims the bottom of each stalk with a fresh cut. The child stands one in each jar.

4. 4

   Ask: 'What do you think will happen?' Write or draw the child's guess.

5. 5

   Look again after a few hours and the next morning. Point to the colored lines in the leaves or the colored edges of the petals.

6. 6

   Compare the two jars: 'The plain one did not change. The colored water traveled up the stem.'

7. 7

   The guide cuts across the celery. Look at the colored dots with the magnifying glass: 'These are tiny tubes that carry water.'

8. 8

   Compare the result with the guess and draw what happened.

What catches the child’s eye

• Colored lines appearing in the celery leaves or along the petal edges
• A ring of colored dots on the cut end of the celery

Extensions, easiest to hardest

1. The guide splits a flower stem partway up; stand each half in a different color
2. Try a leaf of napa cabbage or lettuce
3. Compare a stalk in warm water with one in cold water
4. Find the veins on a real leaf and remember the colored lines