You only need a few kitchen items to set this experiment up at home, and kids of all ages will delight in checking on their cabbage jars each day. Read on to see how you can make a cabbage rainbow!
This science project visually illustrates how plants consume water. As the leaves of cabbage drink up the colorful water they will transform right before your eyes!
Pretty cool, right! My kids thought so! Are you ready to make a cabbage rainbow?
Cabbage Rainbow Experiment
Materials- Cabbage leaves
- Glasses or jars
- Food coloring
- Spoons
- Paper towels
Method
- Begin by filling a glass or jar 1/3 of the way with cold water, using one glass for each color of cabbage that you wish to make.
- Add several drops of food coloring to each glass and stir until combined.
- Then, have kids place individual leaves of cabbage into the glasses.
- It is now time to observe.
Cabbage Experiment for Kids
- Have kids observe the glasses over the next few days and record any changes.
- As kids observe the jars they will notice that the leaves of cabbage begin to change color.
- And after just a few days your cabbage leaves will be vibrantly colored just like a glorious vegetable rainbow!
My kids thought this was so cool and couldn't wait to try this experiment using other forms of plants and vegetables!
Extend the Fun
- Try this experiment with other plant varieties.
- Will this work with other forms of lettuce?
- What about flowers?
- Try this experiment with white flowers and see!
The Science Behind the Fun
- Cabbage, like most plants, thrives by pulling water through it's "vein system".
- This colorful project allows kids to see the cabbage plants inner workings by coloring the path in which the water travels.
- As the plant drinks the colorful water the stem system and plant leaves are transformed!
Read more on the science behind this experiment:
If your kids enjoyed this colorful bit of science give these other science rainbows a try:
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