Vegetable Vampires Hands on Science Experiment perfect for Halloween
This is an easy to do, fun, hands on science experiment that is perfect for Halloween week! If you want a copy of this book, you can find it on Amazon here, Outdoor Science Lab for Kids. Liz Lee Heinecke also wrote another fun book, with tons of easy and fun kitchen experiments called, Kitchen Science Lab for Kids © 2014 by Quarry Books Text © 2014 Liz Lee Heinecke Photography © 2014 Amber Procaccini Photography
If you want to have some fun, grab a head of cabbage, some food coloring and your kids. Enjoy the Vegetable Vampires project from Outdoor Science Labs for Kids.
Vegetable Vampires: Make creepy cabbages drink fake blood to see capillary action at work.
Materials:
- 2 large cups, plastic containers, or jars, large enough to hold the base of half of your cabbage
- Warm water
- Food coloring
- Head of fresh napa cabbage
- Sharp knife
- Fruits and veggies, such as olives and pepper, for decoration
- Rubber bands or string
- Toothpicks
Protocol:
- Step 1: Fill your containers or jars two-thirds of the way to the top with warm (not hot) water. Add two or more drops of blue food coloring to one container and ten or more drops of red food coloring to the other one.
- Step 2: With a sharp knife, cut the cabbage in half vertically, from the bottom up, leaving the top 4 inches (10 cm) or so intact, so the two sections are still attached at the crown. If possible, try to cut down the middle of one of the big leaves, so it will turn two different colors when you do the experiment.
- Step 3: Using rubber bands or string, secure the bottom of each side of the cabbage and make a fresh cut at the bottom, about an inch (a few cm) up from the old cut.
- Step 4: Put your two cups side by side and submerge half of the base of your cabbage in the red water, and the other half in the blue water.
- Step 5: Decorate your “vampires” with eyes and spooky eyebrows made from olives and peppers (or whatever you have in the refrigerator). Secure the decorations with toothpicks.
- Step 6: Check the cabbages every hour or so to see how much colored water they’re drinking.
Creative Enrichment: What happens if you use ice water for this experiment? Does adding sugar or salt affect your results? If you mix several colors together, are they all taken up at the same rate by the cabbage?
Safety Tips and Hints: Plan ahead. For the best result, your “vampires” will have to drink for 24 to 48 hours. An adult should help young children cut the cabbage.
The Science Behind the Fun:
- Like vampires, plants prefer a liquid diet. They survive by drawing nutrients dissolved in water up into their stems, stalks, trunks, branches, and leaves.
- Capillary action is the main force that allows the movement of water up into plants. In a narrow tube, on a surface that attracts water, the attraction between the surface and water, coupled with the attraction of the water molecules to each other, pulls water up. Plants are composed of huge numbers of tube-shaped cells that take advantage of these physical forces.
- In this experiment, you can observe colored water being taken up, via capillary action, into your cabbage.
- Imagine how high the water in giant redwoods must travel to reach the leaves at the top. In very tall trees, a process called transpiration helps the water overcome the forces of gravity.
I am the final member of an awesome blog tour, so please go and check out the other fun experiments that my fellow bloggers have posted!
10/17/16 April Noelle: http://www.aprilnoelle.com
10/18/16 Happy Healthy Hip Parenting: http://www.happyhealthyhip.
10/19/16 Mom of 2 Dancers: http://www.scrappyd.blogspot.
10/20/16 Just Joanna: http://justjoanna.com
10/21/16 Familylicious: http://familylicious.com
10/22/16 Say it, “Rah-shay”: http://sayitrahshay.com
10/23/16 Honey Badger Mom: http://honeybadgermom.com
10/24/16 The Life of a Home Mom: http://homemom3.com
10/25/16 Mom, Are We There Yet?: http://momarewethereyet.net
10/26/16 Bless Their Hearts Mom: http://blesstheirheartsmom.
10/27/16 Central Minnesota Mom: http://centralmnmom.com
10/28/16 Cassandra M’s Place: www.cassandramsplace.com
10/29/16 My Silly Little Gang: http://mysillylittlegang.com
10/30/16 Houseful of Nicholes: http://housefulofnicholes.com
10/31/16 Me: www.cookwith5kids.com
While you are here, I have two great giveaways ending soon. Enter to win a case of autumn glory apples here, and also enter my huge healthy food giveaway here.
That sounds like so much fun! What a great way to get the kids interested in science. Great idea.
Kids are naturally interested in science. If you start doing experiments at a young age they become life long science lovers.
Oh this would be such a fun project for my son and his friends! I’ll have to remember to do this with them
I am so glad you like it! Enjoy.
These vegetable vampires are cute & I like how it is also educational! But more than that, it’s an awesome family bonding activity that parents & their children can do. Now who says that learning has to take a break even on Halloween?
No need to take a break from learning on Halloween. This project is so much fun!
I love the vegetable vampires science experiment for Halloween. These books would make for a great Christmas gift for my nieces kids for sure. Thanks for sharing the experiment and the books.
These books would make excellent Christmas gifts. Come back next month for all my awesome gift guides!
This is pretty cool, and would make for a great school project as well. Thank you for sharing we can’t wait to try this.
This would be an excellent school project or one to do at home. Thanks for visiting.
I love experimenting with the kids! This sounds like so much fun!
This project is so much fun. Experimenting with younger kids makes them excited for science as they get older.
This is a great science experiment for Halloween. My kids used to love doing all kinds of different experiments when they were younger.
Experimenting with kids is so much fun. Learning science can feel like play to kids, they barely notice how much they are learning.
This sounds like so much fun. I bet my kids would enjoy doing this type of project.
Yes, I bet your kids would love this fun project!
What a fun expieriment! My kids would love this!
Science projects at home can be so much fun! Kids do not even realize how much they enjoy science if it is done in a play based atmosphere.
That looks like a lot of fun. My son loves science and all those experiments that they do. He’d love that for sure!
Science projects at home are not too hard and are so much fun!
The grand kids love all things science and experimenting. I’d love to have a Halloween science experiment for them.
I think that makes a Halloween party so much more fun. Add in a cool science project! NEzt year you will have to do this.
Wow, this is so cool and creative. I would have never thought about trying something like this.
It is such a cool project. I think that science should be fun for kids. They won’t realize they are learning.
Great way to tie in a season and a holiday to a little learning. Best way to teach kids, they don’t even know they’re learning.
Learning should definitely be fun sometimes. When kids do not realize they are learning are the best opportunities.
This looks fun for kids. I love that you can do it outdoors and save the mess in the house.
We try to do as many messy projects as we can on our back porch. Thanks for stopping by!
This is an adorable experiment! What a great way to make a fun holiday educational!
Thanks, I am so glad you liked this experiment! There are tons more easy experiments to do with your kids in the two books that I highlighted.
That is pretty neat! I know my son would love to do something like this. I’ll have to keep this experiment in mind for next year!
You can try this experiment next year 🙂 It is never too late to learn a little science at home!
Hello, I log on to your blog every week. Your humoristic style is witty, keep doing what you’re doing!
Thanks so much! I will continue doing what I am doing. So glad you enjoy coming back each week!
Omg how awesome is this?!?! Perfect way to get little ones more into science!!! I bet my daughter would love it!
Isn’t this such a fun project? I know your daughter would love to learn about science with you!
This is so cute, I absolutely love it. I am printing it to share with my family next season. I’m all about joining learning with fun; especially when it comes to holidays. LOVE!
Thanks! I am so glad you liked it! It really is a fun and cute and educational project.
Okay, these are probably the cutest activities I’ve ever seen! Totally sharing!
Yay! SO glad you liked them. Thanks for sharing. Science can be so much fun.