MIDTERM LIBRARY OUTPUT

TERRARIUM LABORATORY INVESTIGATION

A terrarium is a miniature garden in a glass bowl or jar. In this lab, you will replicate the water
cycle by creating a terrarium. You will observe changes in your terrarium over the course of
one week.

Materials

• clear glass jar with a lid

• one or two small plants (small enough to fit in the jar)

• bottlecap

• soil

• sand

• small rocks

Note: the amount of soil, sand, and rocks depends on the size of your jar. See instructions
below.
 Procedure
1. Place a layer of small rocks in the bottom of your jar.
2. Cover the rocks with a layer of sand, and then a layer of soil. Each of these these
layers— rocks, sand, and soil—should be about the same thickness, and should fill
your jar about halfway.
3. Carefully transplant the small plants into the jar, digging a small hole in the soil and
making sure the roots are covered completely. You may have to add a little more soil,
depending on the size of your plants. If your plants reach above the lip of the jar, you will
have to trim them so they can fit completely inside.
4. Fill a bottle cap with water and place it on the soil.
5. Place the lid on the jar. Your terrarium is complete.
6. Put the terrarium in a sunny place.
7. Observe your terrarium for a week. Try to notice the different parts of the water cycle.
8. Record your observations on the data table below.
Data Table: Terrarium Water Cycle
OBSERVATIO
NS
Day 1 Soil is most and is getting sunlight. There are no changes in the water.

Day 2 Soil is slightly dry and there are no changes in the water. The plant is still standing firm
and there is no color change in the leaf.

Day 3 Soil is dry as it was exposed to sunlight. Plants are starting to bend over toward one side
of the container. There is less water inside the bottle cap.

Day 4 Soil is most and is getting sunlight. A small brown worm appeared and it stayed inside the
bottle cap. Plants are starting to increase height.

Day 5 Soil is dry as it was exposed to sunlight again. The color of the other leaf is starting to pale
while the other has no changes and is still increasing height. There is lesser water inside
the bottle cap.

Day 6 Soil is moist. Plants are getting healthier and are increasing in height. There are no color
changes in the leaf. There is no water inside the bottle cap.

Day 7 Soil is moist. The plant is now taller than the container and there are no color changes in
the leaf of the plant. The bottle cap is now empty.
 Conclusions
1. Summarize the results of this lab investigation.
The first day is when the plant in the container is at its healthiest. But as the soil started to
dry out and the water within the bottle began to decrease, a lot of changes occurred from
days 2 to 5. The plant finally grew taller and the water inside the bottle cap completely
evaporated on days 6 and 7.
2. Explain how this lab demonstrates the water cycle.
When a terrarium is exposed to the sun, the water inside warms up and releases water
vapor into the atmosphere. Evaporation is the term for this. Water becomes liquid again
when it returns to its original temperature. Condensation occurs when water droplets
adhere to the terrarium's cover. The soil will become damp if the drops grow large
enough to roll down the container's sides or drop from the lid.

Attachments:
*attached all pictures of all materials and step by step procedures in making your own terrarium this also includes
pictures of your observations (day 1 to 7)
* attached 1(one) published research article with a critique paper related to this experiment.

I. Step by Step Procedures

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

STEP 4 STEP 5
II. Observation
DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4

DAY 5 DAY 6 DAY 7