Try this fun and easy desert science experiment using a simple household item and find out fantastic facts about cacti.
Deserts are some of the most fascinating places on Earth. They may look dry and empty at first glance, but they’re full of amazing plants and animals specially designed to survive extreme heat and very little rain.
One of the most incredible things to not only survive but thrive in the desert is the cactus.
Even though months may pass without a drop of rain, cacti can stay alive and healthy because they have a secret ability…to store water deep inside their thick, sponge-like stems.
I have an easy and fun science experiment that lets kids see how cacti absorb and hold water using an everyday object you already have at home -a sponge
This experiment is an excellent way to introduce younger learners to biology topics like plant structures, habitats, and adaptation.
BOOKS ABOUT THE DESERT FOR KIDS
Next, look at these books about the desert.
18 Desert Books & Resources for Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To
Add some of these living books and references books about the desert to your library.
Children's reader on the subject of deserts and what lives there Large book with very large kid friendly illustrations
It is another hot day in the desert. Birds and other animals scurry about looking for food. When they get tired they stop to rest at a giant cactus. It is their hotel in the desert!Many different animals live in the cactus hotel. It protects them; and they protect it, by eating the pests that could harm the cactus.The cactus grows larger and larger and will live for about two hundred years. When one animal moves out, another moves in. There is never a vacancy in the cactus hotel.This story--about a desert, a giant cactus, and the animals who live in it--is one that even the youngest child will understand and enjoy.
A venerable saguaro cactus stands like a statue in the hot desert landscape, its armlike branches reaching fifty feet into the air. From a distance it appears to be completely still and solitary--but appearances can be deceptive. In fact, this giant tree of the desert is alive with activity. Its spiny trunk and branches are home to a surprising number of animals, and its flowers and fruit feed many desert dwellers. Gila woodpeckers and miniature elf owls make their homes inside the saguaro's trunk. Long-nosed bats and fluttering white doves drink the nectar from its showy white flowers. People also play a role in the saguaro's story: each year the Tohono O'odham Indians gather its sweet fruit in a centuries-old harvest ritual.
Imagine over three million square miles of sand dunes that are as tall as a ten-story building. That place is real -- it's the Sahara Desert! Vast, yes! And home to fascinating creatures such as ostriches and fennec foxes as well as amazing plant life. The shallow roots of the mesquite tree can grow almost 200 feet across to absorb water. Readers will also learn about the famous trade routes of the past with caravans of up to 10,000 camels, European explorers to the region (some very unlucky ones), and native populations like the Berber and Tuareg, the faces of the men are blue from the dye in the veils they always wear.
Antarctica, the earth's southernmost continent, was virtually untouched by humans until the nineteenth century. Many famous explorers journeyed (and often died) there in the hope of discovering a land that always seemed out of reach. This book introduces readers to this desert--yes, desert!--continent that holds about 90 percent of the world's ice; showcases some of the 200 species that call Antarctica home, including the emperor penguin; and discusses environmental dangers to the continent, underscoring how what happens to Antarctica affects the entire world.
In the early morning hours, an artist stirs. Gathering her paints and notebook, she heads into the Arizona Sonoran Desert to explore its treasures. Sketching, painting, and writing, she records all that she sees and as night falls, she spreads out her pictures to make this scrapbook of her day, from dawn to dusk.
Surveys the living conditions in Arizona's Sonora Desert for the people and unusual animals that live there. Also describes the engineering accomplishment of Hoover Dam.
In Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey recounts his many escapades, adventures, and epiphanies as an Arches National Park ranger outside Moab, Utah. Brimming with arresting insights, impassioned arguments for wilderness conservation, and a raconteur’s wit, it is one of Abbey’s most critically acclaimed works. Through stories and philosophical musings, Abbey reflects on the condition of our remaining wilderness, the future of a civilization, and his own internal struggle with morality. As the world continues its rapid development, Abbey’s cry to maintain the natural beauty of the West remains just as relevant today as when this book first appeared in 1968.
While the rest of the animals hide from view from a group of rambunctious coyotes, the fearless gang takes full advantage of the open space of Cactus Canyon and participates with great zeal in an array of nighttime activities, but an unexpected encounter with a rattlesnake quickly puts an end to the coyotes fun as they are sent running for cover, too!
Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.
n this latest installation of the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library, the Cat takes Sally and Dick to explore different kinds of deserts around the world, from the hot, dry Sonoran and Mojavi to the bitter cold Gobi and Antarctica. Young readers learn why deserts are dry, and how plants and animals—including cactus, kangaroos, camels, penguins, roadrunners, and many others—have adapted to survive the unforgiving climate. Also included: how sand dunes are formed; the reason we see mirages, and how shallow water beneath the surface of the ground can create an oasis. Fans of the new PBS preschool science show The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (which is based on the Learning Library series) won't want to miss this hot new addition to the series!
‘A wounded mountain lion moves from his mountain habitat to a Papago Indian hut in Arizona’s Sonoran desert during a record-breaking July day. All creation adapts to the blistering heat until a cloudburst causes a flash flood. With a measured yet vivid style, this introduction to desert ecology makes a memorable impact."
This intriguing yet simple description will captivate young readers who have an interest in the unfamiliar.
Take a walk through the desert. This hot, dry biome of the southwest is full of life. How do plants and animals of the desert live? As you wander through the desert, discover how each and every plant and animal relies on the others to live and grow.
Learn about the fascinating creatures of the desert Southwest including: Venomous Animals Insects and Arthropods Rattlesnakes, Lizards, Desert Tortoise The Roadrunner and other Birds Bighorn Sheep, Kit Fox, Coyote.
Now in its fourth edition, this is a beautiful book with both historical and contemporary images showing the most important plants used by Native Americans. Medicinal, food resources, tools and shelter are just some of the uses discussed. Plants shown and described are among the most widespread plants in the desert Southwest.
Learn all about desert snakes with the beautiful book by James W. Cornett.
An excellent introduction to the natural history of the Namib Desert of southwest Africa. At its heart, second only to the Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru as the driest place on Earth. Also, it is the oldest desert on our planet and the only desert with a megafauna including elephant, giraffe, and rhinoceros. The lofty orange dunes, highest in the world, are also shown and discussed.
Also, look at these facts about cactus.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF THE CACTUS
Cacti are the champions of survival in the desert. They live in some of the driest regions on Earth, places where rain might only fall once or twice a year. To thrive in such a harsh environment, they’ve developed special adaptations:
- Thick, waxy skin that prevents water from evaporating in the hot sun.
- Spongy inner tissues that can store large amounts of water.
- Shallow, spreading roots that quickly absorb water when rain comes.
- Spines instead of leaves, which reduce water loss and provide shade.
Our sponge cactus acts as a model for these adaptations. The sponge represents the cactus’s water-storing tissue, and the plastic spines show how it protects itself and collects moisture.
To make this more than just a quick experiment, ask your child some questions that make them think, and recall what you have already talked about.
- How does the cactus’s design show God’s wisdom in creation?
- How do the cactus’s spines help it survive in the desert?
- What would happen if a cactus had big leaves instead of spines?
- Why do you think a cactus stores water instead of using it all right away?
Next, look at these other desert activities.
DESERT ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
- How To Make A Desert Diorama With Free Printables
- How To Create An Engaging Desert Sensory Bin For Hands-On Play
- Check out these 8 Desert Craft Ideas | How To Make Egg Carton Cactus to focus a bit on the flora of the desert biome.
- 7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder
- Exploring Edible Cactus: Hands-on Learning (The Desert)
- Easy Desert Animal Crafts And A Scorpion Creation
- Explore 3 completely different desert habitats and learn How to Make A Desert Triorama About the Gobi, Sahara, & Antarctica to display the flora and fauna of each.
- While you are learning about snakes of the desert here is a fun craft Celebrate Snakes | How To Make A Fake Snakeskin Snake Craft Preschool to learn about this aspect of snakes.
- Make a Hygrometer: Day 1 Hands-on Learning (Humidity in the Desert)
Finally, look at how cacti drink.
HOW DO CACTI DRINK DESERT SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
You will need:
- Several clean sponges (green ones look most cactus-like)
- Scissors
- A shallow dish or tray
- Water
- toothpicks
- sand, small rocks
First, take a sponge and use a marker to draw the shape of a cactus. You can make a tall saguaro with “arms” or a short, round barrel cactus.
Encourage kids to be creative with their shapes; no two cacti are exactly alike in the wild.
Use scissors to cut it out of shape.
Insert small bits of toothpicks into your sponge cactus to simulate its spines. Talk about how cactus spines are not just for protection; they also provide shade and help collect moisture from the air.
To make it more realistic add sand and small rocks in the bottom of the shallow dish. Explain that most deserts have sandy or rocky soil that drains water quickly, which is why cactus roots must act fast when it rains.
Place your cactus in a shallow dish.
Now, pour a small amount of water around the base of your cactus. Watch as the sponge quickly soaks up the water. This demonstrates how cactus roots absorb every drop of rain the moment it hits the ground.
You can see the water line here as it draws the water up.
After a few minutes, feel the sponge. Although the outside may feel dry, the inside is still damp. Just like the sponge, a real cactus holds water deep inside its stem.
You can even gently squeeze the sponge to “release” the stored water—like a cactus would use its reserves during dry times.
