Jonathan reflected upon and explored the question, "what kind of leaf stays wet in the desert?" He participated in a STEM hands-on experiment. Jonathan explained that he thinks the experiment is going to prove that cacti has leaves that stay wettest because of their ability to store water. We discussed how cacti survive without water because of the structure of their leaves; the skin's waxy coating helps retain moisture. Cacti have developed what's known as 'succulent' tissue and waxy skin, a very developed root system that allows it to take every advantage in their harsh ecosystems (the desert). We discussed how succulent plants (so named after their tissue and waxy skin) can survive for long periods without water. In addition, the stem acts as a reservoir; the plant will expand and contract depending on the amount of water it holds. We performed a hands-on experiment in which Jonathan helped gather required materials and followed guidelines that required him to moisten paper towels, to represent leaves, ,and note how they react under different conditions. One moistened towel was left as is, one was rolled up loosely, and one rolled up in wax paper with its ends tied with paper clips. He was asked to make predictions about which 'leaf' he thought would remain the wettest under warm conditions. With assistance, Jonathan typed up his experiment on a data sheet, and made his predictions. He predicted that the leaf that would remain the wettest would be the one rolled in wax paper as it was most like the leaves of a cactus, with its ability to retain and store water.