How do plants drink?

For his 6^th birthday, my son got a science kit and one of the experiments was about how plants get their liquids. We had so much fun I thought I would share with you so you can do it too!
 

First you need celery (preferably with leaves.) Cut off the bottoms and place a few in water with food color. We used red because that is my son’s favorite color but feel free to use which ever color your kid loves. Leave them sit over night (or longer if you get busy.)

When we had time, we pulled out the celery and “dissected” it. Yes, I know my son has a utility blade in his hand and YES we discussed how to use it before I let him do the experiment. If you do not feel safe letting your children do this step, then DON’T let them. As a parent you need to use your judgment and step in if they need help. The last thing any of us need are stitches!

So what did we find after cutting up the celery? The canals in the plant that carry the water had been turned red!! At this point my son stated “that’s why the leave have a red tint mom!” Yup, he got it!!

And I must admit, I had no clue that the canals were only on the back side of the celery stalk. I guess we all learned something with this experiment!