Pine Cone Experiment: How Do They Open and Close?

Have you ever wondered How pine cones open and close? Try this experiment to find out more!

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What you need: 

• 3 Jars 
• 3 Pine Cones of the Same Size 
• Warm Water 
• Cold Water 
• A Ruler 
• A Timer 

What to do: 

• Sketch and write down your observations about each pine cone. Then place one pine cone in each jar.  
• Label each jar. Then fill one with warm water, one with cold water and leave one jar for comparison with no water in it.  
• Write down what is happening in each jar and your other observations about the pine cones.  
• Leave the pine cones in the water over night to see if anything else has changed.  

What does this show us? 

• This experiment shows us that pine cones open more when they are in dry and humid environments, but when they are in cold and wet environments the pine cones close.   
• The pine cones release their seeds when they open in warm and dry environments but close so that seeds aren’t released in cold and wet environments.  
• This is because when pine cones are wet their cells expend and when dried up pine cones shrink up and open. To see an example of this try wetting a sponge to see how it expands when wet in comparison to when dry.  

For more information and pictures please visit http://parentingchaos.com/why-do-pine-cones-open-and-close/