Kid Science: Food-Coloring Carnations

Here’s a fun science experiment that shows kids how plants “drink” water—and you can even see how it travels through the petals! Water travels up the stem of the flower to the petals and eventually evaporates into the air. This is called transpiration – here’s how to see it in action!

The steps:

1. Add 15–20 drops of food coloring to a glass vase of water.

2. Trim a white carnation stem at an angle and place in the colored water.

3. Watch the flowers over the next couple of hours to a day to see how the water travels up into the petals and changes the flower’s color.

Allison Waken is a kids’ activity and craft guru always ready to try something new. See more on her blog, All for the Boys, where she features activities and crafts that inspire creativity, play and interaction.