Hooked on science: color changing flowers

INGREDIENTS

• 2 White Carnation Flowers
• 2 Clear Drinking Glasses
• Water
• Red Food Coloring

INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1:  Fill each clear drinking glass half of the way with water. Add red food coloring to one of the clear drinking glasses and mix.

STEP 2:  Cut the stem of each white carnation flower at an angle. Place one of the white carnation flowers into the water without red food coloring and the other into the water with red food coloring.

STEP 3:  Wait 24-hours and observe the white carnation flowers. Using your observations, construct an argument that plants have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

EXPLANATION
The colored water moves up the stem into the petals, changing the color of the carnation from white to red. Go to www.hookedonscience.org for more experiments that might get you and your family “Hooked on Science.”