Three 1-quart jars with lids
Measuring cups
Three small plotted plants you have permission to use
A bottle of lemon juice or vinegar
Six short strips of masking tape to use as labels
A pen or marker
What to do:
1. Write “a little acid” on two pieces of masking tape.
2. Measure 1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon juice and pour it into one jar, and fill the rest with cold water from the tap.
3. Place one of the labels that read “a little acid” on the outside of the jar you just filled up. Then put the other label on one of the pots, you will be using the mixture to water this plant.
4. Put “a lot of acid” on two pieces of masking tape. Do steps two and three again, but when you do the vinegar or lemon juice put a full cup in!
5. On the last two pieces of masking tape write “tap water”. Repeat steps two and three but when you put the lemon juice or vinegar in just use tap water and fill the jar.
6. Put the plants somewhere where they get the same amount of sunlight.
7. Every two to four days water the plants with the matching jar.
8. Observe if it changes color, dies sooner, or anything else.
The more acid the water has, the sooner the plants die. This shows what happens when acid rain falls on plants. There was more acid in your water than there is in the rain that falls in the U.S., but rain is becoming more acidic and we need to stop it from getting worse!