The Summer Science Club is a collection of fun kid friendly science experiments and STEM projects explained.
As school ends millions of kids are released from a strict schedule of learning and innovating. As a kid who grew up with a science teacher mom and an engineering dad I spent my summers doing science experiments and STEM projects. I came out of every summer with many new skills and knowledge of the world around me. Now, working with young kids at the library and babysitting kids, I teach these experiments to others.
In the spring and summer flowers bloom. All sorts of colors and kinds of flowers appear in people's backyards, gardens, and on the side of the road. All of these flowers have beautiful colors that attract the bees, bugs, and birds that use them for food. THe flowers need them as well. The birds, bees, and bugs help pollinate all the flowers and plants by carrying the pollen to different genders of plants. All these plants are beautiful and need water and nutrients from the ground and soil to keep growing.
Flowers and plants' ability to absorb substances is the reason that the use of CHemicals and pesticides are discouraged in gardens. Flowers get water and nutrients from the ground and when they absorb it they absorb other things in the ground, some of which can be harmful to the plant and to the people or animals that eat it. Plants of all kinds absorb nutrients through their roots and through their leaves. This process is called osmosis.
Plants need nitrogen (for photosynthesis), phosphorus ( for root development), and potassium( for reproduction). Fertilizers contain these in high quantities but the soil contains them naturally too. Osmosis is the process that makes sure these nutrients reach the right spot. Thousands of root hairs in dense networks have a lot of surface area to absorb everything they come in contact with.
We can recreate this with some water, food coloring, and light colored flowers. When you cut flowers to put them in a vase you have to keep them in water. After a while you have to replace or fill the water back up because the flowers absorb them. When you add food coloring to the water you can see exactly how the water is being used in the flower.
The Steps
Cut some light colored flowers from YOUR garden or someone's garden that you have permission from. DON'T CUT RANDOM FLOWERS FROM SOMEONE'S YARD!!
Carnations, Hydrangeas, Roses, Daisies, and Chrysanthemums are the best flowers to use. Make sure to use fresh flowers.
Cut the stems of the flowers in half at the very end.
Fill up a vase with water and a few drops of food coloring.
Put all the flowers in the vase
Now wait for the color to travel up the flower and show its color in the petals. Each flower will absorb the dye in different ways, but it might take a little bit for the dye to become noticeable. Now you have fun colored flowers. Try all sorts of colors and mix your food coloring to make different colors!
Works Cited
Guide, Step. “Step by Step Guide to Dyeing Flowers and the Blooms to Use - Article onT...” Thursday, https://thursd.com/articles/how-to-dye-your-own-flowers. Accessed 13 June 2024.
“How plants absorb nutrients.” RHS, https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/understanding-plants/how-plants-absorb-nutrients. Accessed 13 June 2024.
Hsu, Agnes. “How To Dye Flowers Rainbow - Create Multicolored Roses.” hello, Wonderful, 16 February 2021, https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/how-to-dye-rainbow-flowers/. Accessed 19 June 2024.