Our readers have told us they are half looking forward to time at home with their kids, and half nervous for entertaining them all day long, for an extended period of time.
To keep the learning going, try one of these science experiments each day. They each take about 30 minutes, and use super simple ingredients from around the house.
1. Dancing Raisins / Sink & Float
Fill one glass with clear soda, and another glass with water. Place the raisins in each glass, and watch how they dance in the glass with clear soda. Then collect items from the around the house and predict if they will sink or float in each cup. How many did you get right?
2. Shiny Pennies
All you need are some dirty pennies, vinegar, and dish soap for this fun experiment. To make it even more fun, see if other liquids will clean the pennies.
Website: https://www.highlights.com/parents/family-activities/what-cleans-old-penny
3. Color Changing Celery
Got some celery in the fridge? Put some into a cup of water and add food coloring. Watch how plants change color!
Website: http://www.teaching-tiny-tots.com/toddler-science-celery-experiment.html
4. Mixing Impossible
Learn about why oil and water don't mix with this simple and fun experiment.
Version for younger kids: https://www.metrofamilymagazine.com/simple-science-experiment-oil-water-and-food-coloring/
Version for older kids: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mix-it-up-with-oil-and-water/
5. Exploring Colors With Baking Soda / Vinegar
How fun does this look? One reader said this kept her kids busy for an hour.
Website: https://buggyandbuddy.com/exploring-colors-with-baking-soda-and-vinegar/
6. Science activities on ABCmouse.com
Go to ABCmouse.com >>
ABCmouse's science curriculum starts by exploring things that children can see in their own environments or tend to be interested in, such as weather, plants and animals, and the sun and moon. They are offering a FREE 30 day trial! Check it out >>
7. Mini Volcanos
This is a real crowd-pleaser, and your kids will be begging to do it over and over again! All you need is baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring.
Version for younger kids: https://preschoolinspirations.com/easy-baking-soda-and-vinegar-volcano-eruption-for-kids/
Version for older kids: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/kids-activities-and-printables/activities-for-kids/math-and-science-ideas/mini-volcano.html
8. What's that smell?
Gather some everyday household scents and little containers for this fun mystery game.
Website: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/experiment-smells.html
9. What's the object?
Put scraps of different cloth, like velvet, wool, cotton, or leather; metal objects, wooden spoons/toys, pieces of aluminum foil, and any other interesting objects into a "feely bag", invite students to place hands inside, feel & describe different textures
10. Sugar Water Rainbows
With some water, food, coloring, and sugar, your kids can learn about solutions and mixtures in a colorful new way.
Website: https://www.rookieparenting.com/sugar-water-rainbow-density-and-air-pressure-experiment/
11. Painted Nature
Have students search for natural objects in nature and bring them into the classroom to closely observe and paint. Discuss the natural colors and features of these objects. They'll be closely observing natural phenomena, looking for signs of life and growth, and using their senses to experience natural materials.
12. Magnet Fun
Dump out a selection of metal objects onto the table and ask your kids to help you “clean up” by using the magnets to pick up different objects and sort them into containers. They'll learn which objects are attracted to a magnet and which are not. They will also practice skills of classifying and sorting.
13. Will it melt?
Gather a range of materials (within reason) and put them in a muffin tin. Ask your kids about how temperatures can get high, especially on hot days. Ask students to hypothesize about what will and won’t melt. Then put it to the test!
14. Traveling rainbows
Use test tubes or cups, thin strips of kitchen paper towels, water, and food coloring to create a chain that looks like a traveling rainbow. Kids learn about absorbency and color mixing.
Website: https://parentingchaos.com/crawling-colors-color-mixing-science-experiment/
15. LEGO Boats
Challenge your kids to build their own boat out of LEGO bricks. It's a great way to get them thinking about engineering and design. For an added challenges, only give them a certain number of pieces. Once everyone has finished building, put the boats to the test in a tub of water. Add pennies a few at a time to see how many each boat can hold. Talk to students about how weight and design matter. Reflect on good designs and help them understand why they worked well.
Want more science activities? Try ABCmouse.com for free!
