It's to Dye For!

This experiment is very messy, so be sure that you have an adult's permission to do it, and that you spread lots of plastic, newspaper, or other kind of protection. It's also a good idea to wear rubber gloves, because these dyes can stain your hands. The dye will eventually wear off, but it may take a few days!

What You'll Need:
6" x 6" square pieces of plain white cotton cloth (an old white sheet works well)
Plastic zip-top bags (sandwich size)
Hammer or mallet
Plastic cups
Strainer or cheesecloth
Tongs or tweezers
Pot holder
Rubber gloves
Microwave oven
Water
Deeply colored plant materials, such as tea leaves, coffee grounds, spinach, red cabbage, berries, carrots, onion skins, turmeric (a spice), nut shells, or flowers

Put each plant matter into a plastic bag, zip the top, and mash the material with the hammer or mallet. Carefully open the bag, and pour the contents into a plastic cup. Don't fill the cup more than one-quarter full with plant material. Add water so that the cup is one-half to two-thirds full (use more water, the more plant material you have).

Put the cup into the microwave oven and heat on high for 10 minutes. The water should take on the color of the plant matter. Carefully remove the cups from the microwave (they will be VERY hot!). Using the tongs or tweezers, slowly place a piece of cloth into the solution. Make sure that it sinks down below the surface. Put the cup and cloth in a safe place and let it sit overnight. Repeat this process for any other plant materials you want to experiment with.

Put on your rubber gloves, and remove the cloth from the dye solution. Take the cloth to the sink and squeeze it. Then rinse under cool water. Has it taken on the color of the dye solution? How dark is it? Place the cloth somewhere that it can dry without getting too hot (don't put it in the clothes dryer). Does the color get darker or lighter when the cloth dries? Store your dyed cloth pieces where they are exposed to light. Does the color stay the same, or does it change?

How to Cook Your Veggies

You know that you have to eat your vegetables, even though you may not like to. Did you know that how you cook vegetables affects how they look? Here's a simple experiment that you can do!

What You'll Need:
3 small, micowave-safe bowls
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Vinegar
Baking soda
Water
Microwave oven
Oven mitt
Spoon
Frozen green vegetable, such as peas

Pour 1/4 cup of water into each bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to one bowl, and add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to another one. The third bowl should only have water in it. Add about 1/8 cup frozen vegetable pieces to each bowl (about 20 peas, if that's what you're using). Cook all three bowls in the microwave using high power for about 5 minutes. It doesn't matter whether you do them one at a time or all at once. When they're done, carefully remove the bowls from the microwave with the oven mitt. They will be very hot!!! Compare the vegetables - look at their color and mash them with a spoon to check their texture. What do you see?

You'll immediately notice that the vegetables cooked in vinegar (an acid) look grayish and very yucky. Who would want to eat them? The veggies cooked with baking soda (a base) look nice and green, but they are disgustingly mushy when you mash them with a spoon. Why do they turn out so different?

The green color is due to a molecule called chlorophyll, which has a magnesium (Mg) atom in the middle. Cooking in acid removes the magnesium and puts two hydrogens (H) in its place. The H-containing version of chlorophyll is a dull, ugly green color, and that's what you see. Cooking in a base doesn't remove the Mg, but it does break down the walls of the plant cells that keep the vegetable nice and firm. Without those strong walls, you can easily smoosh the cells together using a spoon. Vegetables cooked in water only keep a pretty good green color, and don't get mushy. Which one would you like to eat??