Simple experiments

Freaky flowers

What you need :
A jar
Food dye
Water
White flower such as carnation

How to do it :
1. Pour some water and several drops of food dye into the bottom of a jar. Put the flowers in the jar.
2. After a day or so, you will see flecks of colour on the tips of the petals. In about 2 or 3 days, the flowers change colour completely.

Why do the flowers change colour?
Flowers suck up water through their stems into their leaves and petals. You can't usually see this but food dye shows through white petals.


Celery experiment

Change flowers with a stick of celery.

Cut the celery into slices to see veins more clearly. The spots of colour show the ends of the veins.


Bursting bottle
Things you need :
Bicarbonate of soda
Funnel
Small jug
Vinegar
Food dye
Dessert spoon
An empty litre size bottle

How to do it
1. Put 4 dessert spoons of bicarbonate of soda into the bottle.
2. Measure out 10 dessert spoons of vinegar into the jug. Add a few drops of food dye.
3. Pour the vinegar into the bottle.
4. Stand well back and wait for the explosion.