Unlock pinecone secrets with this science activity

Depending connected wherever you live, during colder months the crushed mightiness beryllium covered successful snow, crystal and astir importantly — pinecones! Some of america spot pinecones everyplace during the winter: successful wreaths, connected trees and successful our yards. But did you cognize that pinecones person a captious job? They support conifer histrion seeds harmless and support them from the freezing temperatures during the winter.

To support their precious seeds, pinecones tin adjacent their “scales” tightly, keeping retired acold temperatures, winds, crystal and adjacent animals that mightiness devour the seeds.

In this activity, we volition observe however pinecones respond to antithetic temperatures by mimicking changes successful weather, each from the information of our ain kitchens. As an added bonus, aft this enactment your pinecones volition beryllium acceptable to beryllium added to your location arsenic a vacation decoration oregon arsenic a beauteous reminder of the plants of the season.

Background

Did you cognize that pinecones tin enactment connected conifer trees for implicit 10 years earlier falling to the ground? During that time, seeds for caller conifer trees turn nether the scales of the pinecones. The scales support the seeds from atrocious upwind and from animals that mightiness devour them. However, yet the seeds request to beryllium released truthful that they tin grow into caller conifer trees.

To marque definite that the seeds person the champion accidental of uncovering fertile ungraded and increasing into trees, the pinecone scales enactment tightly closed erstwhile the upwind is inhospitable to caller effect growth. For instance, erstwhile it’s precise acold and damp outside. In contrast, erstwhile the upwind is blistery and dry, the seeds volition person an easier clip uncovering bully ungraded and increasing into trees. In these conditions, the pinecone scales volition open, allowing seeds to flight and drift away, to find caller crushed to turn into caller trees.

As you volition observe today, aft pinecones autumn from the tree, they tin inactive unfastened and close. In this activity, we volition trial the conditions that origin pinecones to unfastened and close, each from the warmth of our ain home!

Materials

• Pinecones (at slightest 3)
• An oven
• A ample wide solid jar oregon bowl, ample capable to clasp ~2 cups of water
• A measuring tape
• Cold h2o (adding crystal to the h2o volition marque the effect much dramatic)
• A timer
• Tin foil
• A portion of insubstantial and pencil/pen
• A baking tray
• A spoon oregon fork
• Permanent marker
• An big helper

Preparation

1. With the assistance of an adult, preheat the oven to 120° Celsius (250° Fahrenheit).
2. Cover your baking tray with tinfoil.
3. Fill up the solid jar with acold h2o (including a fewer pieces of crystal if available).
4. Use your imperishable marker to statement your pinecones. On the archetypal one, constitute the missive A. On the 2nd pinecone constitute B, and connected the 3rd constitute C. 
5. On your paper, marque 3 rows. Label the rows A, B and C. Draw six columns. Label the columns “Initial Length,” “Initial Circumference,” “Cold Water Length,” “Cold Water Circumference,” “Final Length” and “Final Circumference.”

*For each measurements successful this activity, usage centimeters (cm)

Instructions

1. Measure the magnitude of each pinecone. For each pinecone, constitute down the magnitude successful the file “Initial Length.” 
2. Measure the circumference of each pinecone astatine the widest point. For each pinecone, constitute down the circumference successful the file “Initial Circumference.”
3. Place pinecone A successful the acold water. Use your spoon to clasp the pinecone nether the water. Keep it determination for 2 minutes. What bash you announcement astir the pinecone successful the water? Does it descend oregon float? Why bash you deliberation this is true? Do you announcement immoderate changes arsenic the pinecone sits successful the acold water?
4. Remove the pinecone from the acold water.  
5. Measure the magnitude of pinecone A. Write down the magnitude successful the file “Cold Water Length.” 
6. Measure the circumference of pinecone A astatine the widest point. Write down the circumference successful the file “Cold Water Circumference.” Compare the magnitude and circumference of pinecone A successful each column. Did the magnitude oregon circumference of the pinecone alteration aft you enactment it successful acold water? If so, what benignant of changes did you notice?...