Capillary Action for Kids

Capillary Action in Plants

Song:

https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/songs/hello-hello-hello

We know that plants need water to survive but have you ever thought about how the water moves within the plant? They use water to keep their roots, stems, leaves and flowers healthy and prevent them from drying. Most of the time, they get the required water from the ground. Water moves through the plant by means of capillary action. It occurs when two forces, cohesion and surface tension which bind a liquid together and the adhesion force that attracts that liquid to another surface are greater than the gravity force. Through these bindings and forces, a plant sucks up the water.

What do we need for the experiments?

water

food colouring (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

paper towel 1 pack (white colour)

1 pot with a flower

colourful pencils

printable cards (if it is possible to print on thick paper)

glass jars

scissors

plastic spoons