Learn about how water flows through plants with this easy celery food dye experiment! Best part, this science activity uses basic kitchen supplies including celery, water, and food coloring.
A fun science experiment you can do with your kids at home or in a classroom setting. An hands-on way to learn about transpiration in plants.
Make sure to download your free celery dye experiment activity sheets within the post.
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Looking for more science fun? This cloud in a jar science activity is super easy and so much fun!
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Age Range
- Preschool
- Kindergarten
- Elementary
You can do this science activity with a wide range of ages. A perfect activity to do when learning about plants.
The set up is pretty quick, then you leave the celery in the water for several hours. It would be fun to have one on display at a science center or to do this activity in small groups!
Of course, adult supervision is required for all parts of this hands-on activity.
Skills to Practice
- Communication
- Following Directions
- Making Observations
- Making Predictions
- Measurement
Why You will Love this Activity
Super easy to set up and within a 2 hours you can start to see the celery stalks changing color!
Science Topics
- Capillary Action
- Transpirational Pull
- Xylem
- Water Molecules
This hands-on activity pairs well with lessons about the parts of a plant and how water moves through a plant.
Because the water is dyed a color, your kids will be able to see it as it reaches the top of the celery stalk. If you have a few stalks with leaves, the leaves will also change color.
Vocabulary words to explore include: transpiration, capillary action, water molecules, adhesion, cohesion, and xylem.
You can learn more about how plants absorb water in this article from the Royal Horticultural Society.
Supplies
- Celery Stalks - I used 6 pieces
- Food Coloring - 10 drops of any color you like including red, blue, green, and yellow
- 8 oz jar per color plus 1 for plain water
- 1-2 cups of water
- Knife
I found this activity works best with light green celery stalks. The first time I did the activity, I used dark green stalks and it made it very hard to see the food coloring.
Directions
First, decide how many colors you want to use. Then pour a few inches of water into each jar.
Drop 10 drops of food coloring into each cup. I used red, yellow, green, and blue. Gently swirl the jar to mix the food coloring. To make it easy for kids to see the difference between plain celery and colored celery, I like to keep one jar of water uncolored.
Next, prepare the celery by cutting the top 4 inches off of the celery stalks using a sharp knife. Then cut the bottom part of the celery off leaving about a 7 inch long piece of celery in the middle. An adult is required to cut the celery!
Tip
It is important to cut the end of the celery that is going to go into the water. This will make sure that the plant easily takes up water.
Now, place one stem of celery into each jar. If you have any tops with leaves you can also add those into the jars. I ended up with two celery tops with leaves, so I added one to the plain water and one to the red dyed water.
If recording, have your child predict what will happen after a few hours. Kids can also record what the celery and water looks like at the beginning of the experiment.
Wait at least 2 hours then observe the celery stalks. Do you see any changes? I began to see some color change at the top of the stalk.
After 12 - 24 hours make another observation. You should see the tops of the stalks changing color along with any leaves.
Tip
Observe after 2 hours then again 12 hours later. Discuss the changes you see each time you make an observation!
It is fun to compare the celery placed in dyed water to celery placed in clear water. This lets kids clearly see how much the celery has changed during the activity.
Additional Activities
Explore science with these additional hands-on activities! All of them require basic supplies.
| Make a Cloud in a Jar Activity |
| Tulip Exploration - Parts of a Plant |
| Rainbow Flowers Experiment |
Activity Sheets
Kids can record observations with in a nature journal or science notebook. If you want a guided activity sheet, make sure to download the ones below.
Young children can color in the celery and write down what they saw during the demonstration. I also included space for a prediction and materials list.
Download
PDF downloadable activity sheets to use when conducting your own celery experiment!
Celery Food Coloring Experiment
Observe how plants take up water in this color changing celery experiment!
Materials
- Bundle of Celery
- Food Coloring
- Clear Glass Jars- 1 per color plus 1 for plain water
- 2 Cups of Water
Tools
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Instructions
- Add 2 inches of water into each clear glass jar. Use 1 jar per color along with an extra jar with just plain water without food coloring.
- Add 10 drops of food coloring into each jar. Swirl the jar to mix the food coloring.
- Cut the celery into 7 inch long pieces by cutting the top 4 inches off of the celery stalks. Then cut the bottom off the bunch of celery.
- Place 1 stalk of celery into each jar. If you have any pieces with leaves or tops with leaves, you can also add one per jar.
- Leave in a sunny spot and observe after 2 hours.
- Observe again after 12 hours.
Notes
- Adult supervision is required for ALL parts of this activity. An adult is required to cut the celery using a knife.
- I like to make one jar with just plain water to let kids see the difference between the dyed celery and regular celery.
- Very light pieces of celery show color change easier than dark green celery.
- Always cut the end of the celery that is going into the water. This makes a clean cut and allows the water to quickly enter the plant.
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