Spring break is almost here for students, but as a parent, you can teach your kid that learning doesn’t have to stop for the Easter bunny. The cool thing about science experiments is that they can be super fun for kids….and adults! Here are some simple but awesome ways to teach kids how the world works!
1. Make a leak-proof bag.
Fill a plastic bag with water and stick pencils all the way through both sides. If done correctly, there won’t be any leaks! This is because the bag is made of polymers, which are long chains of molecules that separate instead of breaking.
2. Create “elephant toothpaste.”
Ask your kids if they want to see how elephant’s brush their teeth. Just pour hydrogen peroxide into a bottle, add food coloring, and dish soap. In a separate cup, add yeast and warm water together. Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle and MAKE WAY for the foam!
3. Learn about buoyancy with ketchup packets.
Fill a one or two liter bottle three quarters of the way up with water. Now throw a ketchup packet in there and see if it floats to the top. Change it up by putting a mustard or soy sauce packet in to see if the results are the same.
4. Make your own goo.
Oobleck, quicksand, slime, whatever you call it, this classic experiment can get a bit messy, but it’s always a good time. Just mix together cornstarch, water, and some food coloring, and you’ve got yourself some bona fide muck to play in.
5. Create art with milk and food coloring.
Simply pour some milk onto a plate, add a few drops of food coloring, and one drop of dish soap. Suddenly, you’re on a trip to swirl town!
6. Learn why sunscreen is important.
Sunblock is extremely unpopular with kids (and some adults) but it’s important for your skin’s health! Prove it by having your kids spread sunscreen onto a black piece of paper. Put it in the sun and see what happens. The bare parts will fade, while the protected spots will remain dark.
7. Make gummy bears grow.
When you place them in a little salt water, gummy bears grow right before your eyes!
8. Watch what happens when you throw Ivory soap into the microwave.
Be careful — this one is hot, but it’s very cool! Throw a bar of Ivory soap into the microwave for one to two minutes and watch what happens!
9. Turn celery different colors.
Show your kids how cool celery actually is by placing stalks of it in cups filled with water and various drops of food coloring. After a few hours, the celery should absorb the water, causing them to turn colors (hopefully) making them less “icky” to children.
10. Watch lemons “erupt.”
This is a much better-smelling alternative to the classic vinegar volcanoes. Cut open a lemon and add baking soda. If you want to jazz things up, just add food coloring!
11. Play with bendable candy canes.
No matter how far from the holiday season it is, there are bound to be some candy canes lying around your home. Unwrap them, place them on aluminum foil, and stick them in the oven at 350 degrees. When you take them out after two or three minutes, your kids should be able to bend them like a toy!
12. Blow up balloons with vinegar and baking soda.
Place vinegar into a bottle and baking soda into a balloon, then stick the balloon on the bottle. When the baking soda falls into the vinegar, the ballon slowly inflates!
13. Make your own bouncy balls.
Create a mixture of glue and cornstarch, add food coloring, and pour your mix into a container of borax and water. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, take it out and form the goo into a ball. Let it dry and you’ve made yourself a bouncy ball!
14. Learn about the buoyancy of oranges.
Did you know that oranges float, but when they’re peeled, they can’t? Show this to your kid by placing two oranges — one peeled, one unpeeled — into a bucket of water.
15. Make your own butter.
This is a pretty fun (and delicious) way to get kids into cooking. Just pour some double cream into a jar and shake until it becomes the good stuff!
Most of these experiments can be done in far less than an hour, so your kids will have plenty of time to soak in that spring weather before and after a healthy dose of knowledge!
