With so many beautiful flowers blooming, now is a great time for some science exploration. Start by going on an observation walk. Walking through your garden, what colors do you notice? With permission, select a few flowers to pick and dissect. (You’ll want to stay clear of some that might be harmful to kids. Regardless, be sure that after the experiments, you and your child wash your hands well.)
Once you’ve made your choices, head inside. Pull together your supplies and begin exploring.
Supplies:
- small bowls or jars
plastic bags
rolling pin
warm water
paper and paint brush
Begin by sorting your flowers into different containers. Ask your child, what color do they think each flower will produce. Carefully pour slightly cooled boiling water over the flowers.
Some of the flowers will immediately produce color. Others need a little help. Take your time and talk about this with your child.
When the water has cooled slightly, put a flower along with a little water into a bag. Once it’s sealed, use a rolling pin to crush the flower. You might notice that some flowers release more color when this happens and some don’t.
We tried to paint with our colors but had a surprise. Even the very vivid colors didn’t show up on paper!
You could experiment by putting white fabric in the jars to see if they can be dyed. This is such a great reminder that even when things don’t work out the way we think, we can adjust, ask questions and have fun.
Give it a try and see if you have any luck. Share your family’s observations in the comments!