Science Activities for Kids: Turn Flowers Green

I love science projects and this one is very satisfying and in the spirit of St. Patrick’s day – it’s green! Science activities for kids are fun because it lets them experience a little bit of science right before their eyes AND helps them learn the art of patience!

This is a neat project for adults too because it’s actually quite amazing to see. Carnations aren’t my favorite flower but it’s nice to see they can be put to good use! Once your kids see how easy and fun this project is – they’ll be using all sorts of flowers and multiple dyes. This experiment is a keeper!

You’ll Need

4 Cups
Water
Green food coloring
3 Carnations (with the stem)

Directions

Fill four of the cups one-half full with water.
Add about 20-30 drops of green food coloring to two of the cups of water. The second cup should contain just plain water.
Before placing the flower in the cups of water, trim the stem of each flower at an angle to create a fresh cut.
Place one freshly cut white carnation in the cup containing the uncolored water.
Place the other freshly cut white carnation in cup of colored water.
Now you’re going to do the next step called “Split Ends,” use a sharp knife to slit the stem straight down the middle.
Put one half of the stem into the second green cup of water and the other half of the stem in the plain water.
Check back every few hours to see how things are progressing and it may take as long as 24 hours for the colored water to work its way up to the white petals.