A pH Cabbage Patch — STJ on the Move

Mrs. Courtney Whigham and a cabbage harvested from the Saint James School Community Garden

Mrs. Whigham’s Advanced 8th grade physical science class used cabbages grown in the STJ Community Garden to conduct an experiment to measure pH levels. Did you know red cabbage contains a pH indicator pigment called flavin? This water-soluble pigment is also found in other foods like apple skin, red onion skin, plums, blueberries, and grapes. Students boiled cabbage leaves in water to make a juice to indicate the pH levels of common household items.

Students made hypotheses about what household items would be the most acidic and basic. Items like lemon juice, vinegar, hand sanitizer, bottled water, baking soda, and milk were tested and recorded in lab journals. When mixed with the cabbage juice, very acidic solutions turned red in color. Neutral solutions result in a purplish color. Basic solutions make a greenish-yellow or yellow color.

At STJ, students make connections between their lessons and labs in the classroom with real-world applications. In this case, students harvested their own cabbages from the school’s Community Garden while also using natural and organic materials to conduct their lab.

Mrs. Whigham especially loves lab days, as relating lab experiments to everyday life and the world around us makes the classes more fun. The tools and equipment are excellent precursors to the types of experiments these students will conduct in high school and beyond. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool