Watering | Evaporation | Leaves | Stems | Roots | Water movement | Soil | Breathing

Plants need water to grow. What happens if we don’t give our plants water? Observe potted plants and cut plants, give water to some, but not others. Record the results during a week.

• Stems of white carnation flowers, celery stalks (with leaves), cut leafy stems
• ​​​Water based food colouring
• ​Clear plastic container, bottle or glass
• Camera

1. Cut the stem of the carnation between 5-10cms from the bottom of the flower. Place the carnation in a clear container of coloured water (use water-based food colouring). Observe what happens over a period of 10-30 minutes - you should see the white petals slowly change colour. You could take a series of photographs, to track the changes of colour in the flower petals for pupils to refer to
2. Try the same activity with leafy celery stalks
3. Using the cut leafy stems of the celery and recycled small water bottles, can learners devise an experiment to measure how much water is taken up by the stem, in an agreed time period? What method will learners choose to conduct this scientific enquiry? What success indicators will they be looking for? How will they measure and record their results?

• Cut horizontally through a celery stem and observe the water transportation vessels called xylem
• Use a magnifier to look closer

• Identify the factors that have an affect on plants taking up water. Think about temperature, location and the amount of leaves