Carnation Experiment

At circle we conducted an experiment that was meant to explore what would happen to white carnations if they were placed in various colours of water and left in the classroom over the long weekend.

After filling 6 vases with water, the children used the primary colours of food colouring (red, blue, and yellow) to make the 6 colours we see in a rainbow. The children figured out that red and yellow mixed together made orange, blue and yellow made green, and red and blue made purple.

After each colour was made, the children placed the stem of carnations in each vase.

The vases were placed on a shelf. The children checked the carnations throughout the day to see if anything was happening to them. Hopefully we will return after the long weekend to find something has changed.

When asked to predict what would happen in our experiment, many children recalled our celery experiment where the stalks changed colour based on the water they were placed within. Children compared the carnations to the celery and made the same hypothesis. We were so impressed to hear this, as it means the children are calling upon their prior experiences to help them problem-solve and make predictions.

Stay tuned to see what happens!