What Happens When....

We keep celery in colored water?
We started this experiment last week to support our emerging interest in the plant life outside and our coming planting in the garden.

Everyone looked closely at the celery, which I found in the back of our refrigerator and was wilty.  We talked about the leaves and the stem.  The leaves were the most interesting.
We put the celery stem down in the water, which took a bit of concentration.  I added a bit of liquid water color and everyone was drawn to the paint as it swirled through the water.

By lunch time, something was happening.  The color could be see on the edges of the leaves!  How did this happen?  Through the week we kept checking, noticing the blue lines appearing on the stems.  We also felt the celery and noticed that it was getting tall and more sturdy!

On Monday everyone was very excited to see the leaves of the celery had changed color.  No thoughts were voiced out loud, but I talked about what I noticed: the leaves have a new color, there is less water, there is color on the stem.  We often take them down to look at during meals or at random moments during the day.  By integrating this science experiment into our environment, the boys are able come to their own conclusions about what is happening not just with the color and the celery, but potentially the plants outside as they drink the water from the soil.  Approaching science and nature in this very subtle and effortless way brings the skill of inquiry into the lives of the boys, encouraging them to be constantly aware, observant and curious about the world that surrounds them.