 |
Bonus Activities
Thanks to the Arbor Day Foundation for providing these classroom activities—they're perfect for extending fall learning.
Project #1
You Can't Beat the Colors of Autumn…Or Can You?
This fun experiment is a great way to prove that to students that chloroplasts give leaves their green color.
Please note: This experiment might get a little messy!
What You Need
• A solid piece of wood, 3" square is the best
• White cotton fabric to place over the wood
• Thumb tacks
• Fresh, green leaves
• Hammer
What You Do
1) Tack the fabric to the wood by two corners.
2) Place a leaf under the fabric on top of the wood.
3) Use a hammer to gently beat the outline of the leaf under the fabric.
4) Ask students to observe that, as the cell structures in the leaf are broken, the pigments in the leaf will stain the fabric. You'll see how beating can actually "trace" the leaf on the fabric with pigment.
Project #2
Fall Colors to Dye For
A terrific way to show students that leaves can contain several different color pigments.
What You Need
• Leaves, preferably different kinds
• Small bowls or jars
• Acetone (found in some nail polish removers)
• White construction paper or paper towel cut into strips
• Pencil
What You Do
1) Gather the leaves.
2) Crush each different kind of leaf in its own bowl or jar. Be sure to "crush" the leaf! Just tearing it up won't have the desired effect.
3) Pour acetone over the crushed pieces.
4) Lay a pencil across the top of the bowl or jar.
5) Hang a strip of white paper over the pencil so that at least one tip of the paper rests on the surface of the acetone.
6) Wait for an hour or more. When you look, you'll see horizontal lines of soft colors spreading up the tip the strip of paper. When there is no more spreading of color, remove the strip and let it dry.
Explain to students that the "dyes" that changed the color of the strips were the pigments from the leaf.
Tell students they are now amateur chromatologists. Chromatology is the study of pigment.
|
|
|
|
