Activities on the Tissue of Leaves
Leaves are important organs in the photosynthesis process of plants. According to the University of Massachusetts, photosynthesis is how plants turn water, sunlight and carbon dioxide into glucose, which is essentially sugar, for their energy. Activities on the tissues of leaves demonstrate the importance of chloroplasts which are found in the green tissue of leaves. These activities include projects for young children, microscope activities, autumn leaf color changes and photosynthesis experiments.
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Young Children
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Activities on the tissue of leaves for young children start with a nature walk to collect different types of leaves for observation. Use a magnifying glass to examine their tissues and sort and classify all the leaves into categories based on characteristics, such as size and color. Explain simple parts of the leaves, such as veins and nodes, which is where the leaf blade connects to the stem. Create a leaf book by asking the children to draw the leaves and color them with colored pencils.
Microscope
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Slice a 1-inch section of the center of a fresh green leaf to observe its tissues under a microscope. Using a razor blade, cut off several thin slices of the uncut edge of the leaf section. Cut the central vein area carefully and place it onto a glass slide with the inner part facing upwards. Drop one drop of water onto the leaf cutting and place a cover slip over it. Observe it under a microscope at 10x objective and then at higher settings. Draw a diagram of it on a piece of paper, naming all the parts of the leaf's tissues.
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Autumn Leaf Color
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To understand how leaves change color in autumn, work on an experiment to separate the colors in green leaves. For this activity, collect leaves from different types of trees. Tear them up and place them into individual glass baby food jars with labels. Fill each jar with rubbing alcohol so the leaves are submerged. Chop the leaves again with a plastic knife inside the jars. Warm the jars in a pan of hot water for 30 minutes. Cut long strips of coffee filter paper and place one end into the jar. After 60 minutes the colors from the leaves, such as greens and yellows, should soak into the paper.
Photosynthesis
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Understand how photosynthesis works in the tissues of leaves with an experiment testing the starch in the leaves. Hold a leaf in boiling water inside a beaker using forceps for one minute. Remove the leaf and place it into a glass tube with ethanol and then place the entire tube into the boiling water. Green chlorophyll should become displaced from the leaf tissues. Using forceps, transfer the leaf into cool running water. Place the leaf onto a petri dish and drop iodine onto the leaf. Observe the leaf for any blue-black color to develop, which indicates whether or not starch is present.
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