Turn Your Kitchen into a Science Lab with These Fun Plant Experiments

Kids are natural scientists, questioning the world around them and looking for answers. Tap into this curiosity by providing fun ways for kids to learn and experiment. Plants are a great way for kids to learn and experiment. Kids can get big results from performing simple experiments and will continue to question and explore the world around them. Early success in scientific endeavors will provide children with a life long confidence to question, experiment and learn.

Since most of these experiments can be done using items you already have, you can turn your home into a science lab for your children. Let the learning begin!

Seed Experiments

Each seed has with in it, the potential to become a plant and produce more seeds. How does a seed know how to become a carrot and not a marigold, or a sunflower and not a cucumber? Seeds will turn into plants that are just like the plant they came from, or their "parent." Each parent plant gives it's baby seeds all the information they need to grow into a plant just like them.

Seed Experiment #1

Seeds also know which direction is up. You can prove this by experimenting with germination. Here is what you will need for the experiment:

2 clear glass jars

Paper towels

Bean seeds or dried beans

Water

Line 2 jars with several layers of paper towel and fill the jar half-way up with water. Place 3 or 4 dried beans in each jar, next to the glass so you can see their progress as they germinate. Set one jar on it's side and leave the other one standing up. Keep the paper towel moist with water, and after about a week, your seeds should start to germinate.

The part of the plant that is growing up is called a "shoot" and the part that is growing down is called the "root." Notice the seeds in the sideways jar. Did the seeds get mixed up with their direction?

Some kids might like to keep a science journal where they can draw pictures of what their bean seeds look like every few days. After the beans have grown their second set of leaves, you can plant your bean plants in some soil filled pots and continue experimenting with them.

Light Experiments

Plants need light to grow. Kids can observe that plants will grow towards the light. When the plant is leaning towards a light source, like a window, have your child turn the plant and observe it over the next few days. They should notice the plant moving again to reach for the light. Here are a couple of fun experiments to see how plants use light to grow.

Light Experiment #1

A potato maze is a fun way to see how plants go towards the light. Here is what you will need to make your own potato maze:

A small pot filled with potting soil

Shoebox

Blocks, cardboard pieces, rings, small toys, spools, other obstacles

Tape

Sprouting potato (the kind you find in that bag of potatoes you forgot about in the back of the pantry. If you don't have a sprouting potato, you can make one by buying a potato and letting it sit for about six weeks.)

Plant the potato in the pot of soil. Make sure most of the sprouts are facing up and water the plant so that the soil is moist. Make a small round, 1 inch diameter hole in the end of the shoe box. Place your potted potato on the opposite end of the box from the hole. Place obstacles in the box, such as cardboard walls, blocks, and spools. Tape your obstacles in place so they won't move around.

Put the lid on the box and place it on a sunny window sill, with the hole facing the light. Make sure to water your plant ever 2-3 days and check it's progress. After about 4 days, your potato should have put out shoots and grown all around the obstacles to reach the light. Plants will always grow towards the light because they need light to make food.

You can also try this experiment with one of your bean plants, or another vine plant.

Light Experiment #2

For the next experiment, all you need to do is cover one leave with a piece of aluminum foil. Leave the foil in place for a week. After a week, remove the foil and see what you notice about the leaf. It should be yellow instead of green. The stuff that makes leaves green is called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is able to use the energy from the sun to make food for the plant. If the leaf doesn't have sunlight, it can't make food and it will turn yellow and die. Will your leaf turn green again when you remove the foil?

Water Experiments

Along with sunlight, plants also need water to grow and thrive. How to plants get water from their roots to their leaves? Gather some celery stalks, a jar and some food coloring and try this experiment to find out.

Water Experiment #1

Cut off the bottom inch of 1 or 2 celery stalks. Make sure you don't remove the leafy celery tops. Place your stalks in a jar filled about half way with water. Add a few drops of food coloring to the water (blue or red will work best) and leave your jar of celery near a window for a few hours.

When you check your celery after a few hours, you will notice that the leaves of the celery have been colored the same color as your water. You may even be able to see the veins in the leaves. Finally, cut another inch or so off the bottom of your celery and notice the colored dots that show the tubes which carried water up the stalk of celery, all the way to the leaves.

Water Experiment #2

To see what plants do with the extra water they don't need, simple tie a clear plastic bag around the top of a plant, securing the bag at the base of the plant. Let it stand in a sunny location for about four hours. When you check back, you will notice little droplets of water on the inside of the plastic bag. The plant has gotten rid of the extra water through tiny holes in the leaves.