Hobbies And Interests
Plant Growth
A greenhouse helps a farmer to regulate temperature and grow crops that require warm weather. Create your own greenhouse for a science fair project to show how a plant grows in a temperature-regulated environment. Secure a piece of plastic wrap over the planter in which you grow your plants or lay a piece of glass or plastic over the top. This allows the area beneath the plastic or glass to warm up when placed in the sun, creating a greenhouse for your plants.
Temperature
The main purpose of a greenhouse is to create a warm environment despite what the weather is like outside. This can be done naturally by taking advantage of sunlight. Conduct an experiment to show how the sun affects the temperature inside a greenhouse. Fill a couple of fish tanks with enough soil to cover bottom about half an inch deep and place a thermometer with its tip buried under the soil's surface inside each tank. Secure the thermometer to the side of the tank with tape. Cover each tank with a sheet of glass or plastic. Place one fish tank where the sun can reach it throughout the day and the other in the shade. Record the temperature each hour for three days to track temperature changes.
Plant Comparison
Compare the progress of two different plants, one in a greenhouse and one outside. Plant two identical seeds in two separate containers. Cover one of the containers with a piece of plastic wrap and secure it. Place both containers in the same place so each gets the same amount of sun. Measure the height of each plant daily to compare which one grows faster.
Material Comparison
Different colors reflect and absorb different amounts of light. This can be used to demonstrate how the greenhouse effect works. Take two shoe boxes of equal size and glue cardboard into them to create insulation. Use the same amount of cardboard in both boxes. Line both boxes with aluminum foil and paint the inside of one of the boxes black. Cover the top of both boxes with plastic wrap and secure it with duct tape. Create a small slit in which you can insert a thermometer. Place both boxes in direct sunlight and record the temperature in each box each minute for 20 minutes. Record your observations.
Watering Your Plants
A greenhouse experiment typically involves covering your plant to keep the heat in. Therefore, watering the plant may seem like a problem as you would need to remove the cover to water the plant, thus letting the heat out. Place a few drops of water into the container before covering it. The greenhouse will then water the plant for you if the cover is secured tightly over the plant container. When the air at night cools down, condensation occurs within your makeshift greenhouse, supplying water to your plants. Therefore you do not have to open your greenhouse to water the plants. Keep your greenhouse indoors -- especially in areas that experience very dry weather -- to keep the greenhouse from drying out.