Colour Changing Leaves Experiment

Have you ever wondered why leaves change colour in the fall? Try this experiment to learn more!

What you will need: 

• 3 Glass Jars 

• 3 Coffee Filters 
• Leaves 
• Rubbing Alcohol 
• Notebook and Pencils to Write Down Observations 

What to do: 

• Grab a handful of leaves from outside. Then sort the leaves based on their colour into the three glass jars. 
• Cover the leaves in rubbing alcohol and grind them up in the jar.  
• Make a cone shape out of the coffee filters and place the tip of the filters in the glass jars 
• The coffee filter will start to absorb the rubbing alcohol. Then wait 12 hours and record the results of the experiment in your notebook! 

What does this experiment show us? 

• You will see the leaf/rubbing alcohol liquid separate by colour as it moves up the coffee filter. All these colours were inside the leaf! 
• In the winter the leaves get less sunlight causing them to go into a resting state. 
• In this resting state that plants go into in the winter, they live off the glucose they collected in the summer. 
• As the leaves go into this resting state, all the green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves leaving behind the orange and yellow colours, but all these colours have been in the leaves all along we only see them in fall because the green colour has disappeared! 

For more information and pictures please visit https://www.123homeschool4me.com/2015/09/why-do-leaves-change-color-science_52.html ​