Nature & Science II

OK, this one's easy. But it's fun, and the learning involved can be adjusted to any age level. Get yourself a piece of celery, some Queen Anne's Lace, or a white Carnation. Put it in a glass of water tinted with food coloring. Wait and see what happens...

Need directions? Check out "How to Stem Dye Celery" at eHow.com. Celery is probably your best choice for really studying the plant's cells, as they are large enough to be visible to the naked eye, but the flowers show more dramatic color changes. (C'mon, you didn't really think those green Carnations for St. Patty's were naturally that color, did you?)

While waiting for your results, talk to your children about how the xylem and phloem work in plants, or Google it to refresh the process for yourself. Doing an adult project? Don't worry, plant cells can be complicated enough to keep anyone interested. Have fun! Read more!

Nature & Science

One reason that I think people aren't always excited about getting into the world around us is that they just don't know how much it has to offer. I'd like to dedicate the next several blogs to a few fun ways for kids and adults to learn a little bit more about the world around them.

When I think of outdoor "science projects," the first one that comes to mind is building a scale solar system. One of my favorite memories as a child is of constructing a solar system to scale in my (very large) backyard. My mother made me do all of the calculations myself, but if you want to build a solar system model and you're not trying to practice your math skills, check out this website. All you have to do is enter the size that you want your "sun" to be, and go to it.

Maybe it's just that I'm a big nerd, but this project still holds a lot of appeal to me as an adult. It's a great way to get back that sense of wonder, if only for a few hours.

Cautionary note: after you enter the size of your "sun," be sure to check just how much space you'll be needing for this solar system... you may need to do this at a park! Read more!