Needle vs Leaf: The Winter Water Test

What you need

• Evergreen sprig, 1 small
• Fallen leaf or lettuce leaf, 1
• Magnifying glass, 1
• Spoon, 1
• Water, a little
• Plate or tray, 1
• Paper, 1 sheet
• Crayons or markers, 1

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Pick a safe evergreen nearby (pine, spruce or fir) that kids may take a small sprig from, and set out a plate, a spoon, a little water and a magnifying glass on a table by a window.

1. Ask a grown-up first, then pick one small evergreen sprig.
2. Find a fallen leaf on the ground, or grab a lettuce leaf.
3. Look at the needle and the leaf through the magnifying glass.
   Ask: How are their shapes different? Which one looks thicker?
4. Roll one needle between your fingers, then give it a sniff.
5. Feel the needle, then feel the leaf. Which one feels waxy?
6. Drip a spoonful of water on the needle and the leaf.
   Ask: Where do you think the water will bead up and slide off?
7. Count how the needles join the twig to name your tree.
8. Set both on the plate by a window, then wash your hands.
9. Check them every day for a week. Which dries and curls first?
10. Show a friend or a grown-up your drawings and tell them the secret!
    Ask: Why do you think evergreens can stay green all winter? What will you test next?

Play it again

• Mystery bag: a grown-up hides the needle or leaf in a paper bag and you guess by touch and smell alone.
• Tree hunt: walk around the neighborhood and spot as many pine, spruce and fir trees as you can by their needles.
• Wax off: gently rub a needle with a paper towel and a drop of dish soap, then repeat the water test to see what changes.