P13 - How Plants Drink Water?

Gardening is one of our hobbies, and understanding of plants, how they grow, what they need is what we learn though our balcony garden. This particular activity is about how plants drink water.

Before starting this activity, I told her that today I am gonna show you a magic. Magic where I will colour the flower without using brush. She replied, mumma you will use sponge or something else. I told no it will be a pure magic, you just watch. 

What we need:
        - Two glasses
        - Water
        - Two white daisy flowers
        - Food Coloring

I took two glasses, filled it with water and mixed different food colours in the glasses. Now, kept the flowers in the glasses and waited for water to go up.

After few hours, we observed the colour started to appeared in the flower. It was really like a magic to my daughter. 

The change in colour happen because the colourful water reached the flower petals. 

Then I explained to her that plants take water through the roots (she knew this one already) and seep it using stem to the leaves and flowers. Leaves use the water for making food for the plant. In this process, water evaporates from the leaves to make more space for other water molecules. In this activity, we understood how water reaches the leave and flower through the stem. Water seep up through the tiny tubes in the stem. This movement of water is known as capillary action. 

Capillary action (also known as capillarity, capillary motion or wicking) is the ability of liquid to flow in narrow spaces in opposition to external forces like gravity. 

The colour on the follower petals increased as the time passed.

She enjoyed the magic and was happy to share this with you all.