Have you run out of ideas to keep your children engaged at home? Are you looking for ways to entertain your kids? Here are a few easy fun science activities/experiments that are easy and super fun in addition to being educational.
Some of these experiments may require safety goggles and adult supervision depending on the age of the kid.
1. Make an Unbreakable Bubble
You will need:
- Water
- Liquid dishwashing detergent
- White corn syrup/dark corn syrup/glycerin
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients together.
- Blow!
- FYI – You can add more glycerin and/or corn syrup to increase the strength of your bubbles. Let the bubble mixture sit overnight for best results.
2. Inflate a balloon
You will need:
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- a Bottle
- Balloon
Instructions
- Add half cup of vinegar to an empty bottle.
- Fill half of the balloon with baking soda.
- Carefully stretch the balloon over the nexk of the balloon taking care not to spill the baking soda into the bottle
- Once you are all set, lift up the balloon and allow the baking soda to fall into the bottle.
- Fizz!!! Watch the balloon inflate.
How does it Work?
This is a classic example of an acid-base reaction. Baking soda is a base. Vinegar is an acid. When you combine the two, the resulting chemical reaction produces Carbon dioxide gas that causes the fizz and inflates the balloon. For a fun version of this experiment, check out how to make a bottle rocket.
3. Build a model Volcano
- A volcano mold of plaster, paper mache, or clay. You can also make a mold using salt dough. Make a dough with equal parts of flour and salt. Shape into a volcano around a container.
- Colours
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
Instructions
- Place a small container in the volcano mold
- Add 2 spoons each of baking soda into the container. You may add drops of food colours or other colourants for a colourful volcano.
- Carefully pour some vinegar into the container and watch the action!
How does it Work?
This experiment physically mimics the overflowing of lava from the volcanic core. The chemistry behind this experiment is the production of Carbon dioxide from the acid-base reaction which together with the lather from the soap mimics volcanic lava.
4. Make a Lava Lamp
You will need:
- A clear bottle
- Water
- Vegetable Oil
- Antacid tablets/salt
- Food colour
Instructions:
- Mix water with a few drops of the desired food colour. Break the Antacid tablets into 3-4 pieces.
- Fill 3/4 of a glass with vegetable oil.
- Pour in the coloured water.
- Add the one piece of Antacid tablets.
- Now watch blobs of oil move up and down the glass.
- To keep the effect going, add another teaspoon of salt
How does it Work?
The oil floats on the water because it it lighter than water. When you add the antacid tablet, the carbon dioxide gas bubbles produced attach with blobs of coloured water and lift them to the top of the glass. When the bubbles pop, the denser colored water will again sink to the bottom of the glass.
5. Write a secret message – Make an Invisible Ink
You will need:
- Paper
- Baking soda/lemon juice/milk
- Water
- Light Bulb
- Paintbrush
- Purple grape juice
Instructions:
- Mix equal parts water and baking soda. This is your ink.
- Write a secret message with this ink using a paintbrush/toothpick. Let it dry.
- Hold the paper to a heat source like a light bulb to read the message. Or just iron it. An alternate method is to paint some purple grape juice over the paper. The message will appear in a different colour.
How does it Work?
Paper is made of cellulose. These cellulose fibres are weakened by the Baking soda solution or the acidic lemon juice, which damages the surface. When you apply heat, these disrupted fibers darken and burn first. Take care not to apply too much heat, as there is risk of ignition. We recommend using grape juice whose chemical reaction will reveal the message. More info
6. Can you mix Oil and Water?
You will need:
- Bottle
- Water
- Food colour
- Oil
Instructions:
- Mix equal parts of coloured water and oil.
- Pour this mixture into a bottle. Close and shake the bottle.
- Watch as the oil-water mixture separates
How does it Work?
Oil and Water are immiscible. Even if you shake the bottle very hard, the two liquids will always separate.
7. Fun with Borax-free Fake snot
You will need:
- Boiling water
- 3 teaspoons Gelatin
- 1/4 cup Corn syrup
Instructions:
- To a bowl of boiling water add gelatin and stir.
- Add 1/4 cup of corn syrup. Stir until long strands start to form.
- You may add food colouring and glitter for some fun variation.
- Cool the mixture. You may add small amounts of water until you get the required texture.
How does it Work?
Mucus is made of protein and sugars. Gelatin is a protein. When you mix gelatin in hot water, it crosslinks to form a polymer. Addition of corn syrup (Sugar), results in the incorporation of sugar into the interlinked protein structure. This gives the final product a chemical structure similar to that of real mucus. This is a great experiment to teach your kids about polymers and polymerisation.
8. Make a Rubber Egg
You will need:
- An egg
- Glass
- Vinegar
- Food colour (optional)
Instructions:
- Place egg in a glass
- Fill the glass with vinegar. You will see the formation of bubbles on the egg surface. Leave it for 2 days.
- Rinse off the vinegar.
- The egg will be squishy. Please note that poking this egg with a sharp object or applying too much pressure will break it.
How does it Work?
This is commonly known as the naked egg experiment. Egg shell is made of Calcium carbonate. Vinegar is acetic acid. The chemical reaction between them produces Carbon dioxide gas, which can be seen as bubbles on the egg shell. The vinegar will remove all hard covering of the egg shell, leaving only the inner membrane behind, which makes the egg feel soft and rubbery.
CaCO3 + CH2COOH –> Ca2+(acetate ion)2 + H2O + 2CO2
9. What is Osmosis?
This fun twist on the classic naked egg experiment demonstrates the concept of osmosis.
You will need:
- 2 naked eggs
- Water
- Salt
- Weighing scale
Instructions:
- Make a hypertonic solution by dissolving salt in water. This is your hypertonic solution.
- Weigh the eggs
- Place the naked egg in glass a containing salt solution. Place another egg in plain water. Water will be your hypotonic solution.
- Remove the egg from the water and weigh. You will note that the egg is now has a bright red colour, but is much bigger in size.
How does it Work?
This is due to Osmosis. Water will pass through the semipermeable membrane depending on the solute concentration inside and outside the cell. The inside membrane of the egg is semi-permeable. When the naked egg is placed in hypertonic solution, water will pass from inside the egg through the membrane to the outside. This will decrease the weight of the egg considerably. While the weight of the egg placed in water will increase only slightly.
10. Do a Candy Paper Chromatography
Separate pigments in coloured candies. This experiment will be more suited to older kids. Details
You will need:
- Different Coloured Candies
- Coffee filter paper
- Glass
- Salt
- Foil/Plastic plate
- Toothpicks
- Beaker/Jar/Wide Glass
- Stick/pencil/straw
Instructions
- Cut the coffee filter into a square shape.
- Draw a line 1 cm above the edge of one side of the paper using a pencil.
- Make pencil dots (the number of dots depends on the number of different coloured candies, ie, ‘n’ drops for ‘n’ candies.) along the pencil line about 0.5 – 1 cm apart. Label each dot to differentiate between them.
- On a foil or a plastic plate, place ‘n’ number of drops for each candy and label. Place one candy each on these drops and allow the colour of the candy to leak into the water for 1 minute.
- Dip a toothpick into the colour and place it on the pencil dot in the filter paper. Try to make each dot as small as possible. Allow the paper to dry and repeat this step for two more times. Allow to dry.
- Prepare a salt solution with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 3 cups of water. This is a 1% salt solution. Pour this salt solution, in a beaker so that the liquid level is about 0.5 cm. The liquid level should be lower than the pencil line in the filter paper.
- Roll the filter paper around a stick with the colour dots on the bottom. Place this in a salt solution making sure that the salt solution is lower than the pencil line. The bottom of the paper will be wetted by the salt solution.
- The salt solution will soon climb up the filter paper via, capillary action and soon pass through the coloured dots. The dyes will start to separate depending on the affinity of the dyes to the salt solution. You can see bands of different colours depending on the colour composition of each drop.
- When the salt solution is 0.5 cm from the top edge of the filter paper, remove from the glass and place it on a clean flat surface
You can also do this experiment with markers and using water as the eluent. For a fun twist do with different coloured vegetables and leaves.
11. Write on a Recycled Paper
You will need:
- Different kinds of Paper
- Blender
- Materials for decorations – yarn/food colour/flower petals/or others of your choice
- A frame to act as a mold.
- 2 teaspoons liquid starch
Instructions
- Tear the paper into small pieces and blend with warm water. Make into a smooth pulp.
- Add 2 teaspoons of liquid starch and blend again.
- Pour the blended mixture into the mold. At this stage, you can now sprinkle the mix-ins at this stage. Shake the mold to level out the mixture.
- Let it sit for some time and remove the excess water using a sponge.
- Air-dry the paper on a flat surface. Your recycled paper is now ready.
12. Make a Rainbow
You will need:
- A bowl of Water
- Mirror
- Sunlight/bright light
Instructions
- Place the mirror in the bowl containing water.
- Place the mirror in the bowl making sure that sunlight is striking it.
- Adjust the angle of the mirror until you see the rainbow.
- FYI – This rainbow, though different from the naturally formed one, has the same general characteristics of colors and order and works on the same principle of refraction and reflection.
13. Make a Water Xylophone
You will need:
- Glasses
- Water
- Wooden stick
Instructions:
- Fill the glasses with varying levels of water.
- Line them in order.
- Hit the rim with wooden sticks and notice how each glass produces different sounds.
How does it work?
Sound waves travel differently depending on how full the jars are with water. The lesser the water level, the higher the pitch. The higher the water level, the lower the pitch.
14. What’s Static Electricity?
You will need:
- Balloon
- Cut a piece of tissue paper in the shape of a Ghost.
Instructions:
- Rub the blown balloons against the kids’ hair for a few seconds.
- Move the balloon above the tissue paper and watch the tissue Ghost move.
How does it work?
Rubbing objects together builds electrical charge, resulting in creation of a positively charged and negatively charged object. The balloon is able to attract the piece of tissue paper because opposite charges attract each other. A similar experiment is to rub a plastic comb through the your hair several times and see it bend a thin stream of running water.
15. Build a Catapult
You will need:
- Small and big Popsicle sticks
- Rubber bands
Instructions
How does this work?
This is a good experiment to teach kids about simple machines. You may ask them how to make the catapult launch farther/shorter distances. For a fun variation, you can ask the kids to catch the mini cannonballs that are launched.
16. Cook on a Solar Oven
You will need:
- A pizza box
- Aluminium foil
- Permanent marker
- Cling wrap
- Elmer’s Glue
- Tape
Instructions
Have fun melting cheese on pizzas or make your own s’mores.
17. Talk on a String Phone
You will need:
- 2 Paper Cups
- 2 paper clips
- String
- A sharp object such as a pencil
Instructions:
- Cut a piece of string about 2 – 3 meters in length.
- Poke a hole in the bottom of each cup and thread a string through each cup and tie a knot at either end to hold the string in place. You may also use a paper clip to hold the string from slipping out.
- Give one cup to your child and ask him to move until the string is tight (make sure the string is not touching anywhere else).
- Talk into your cup and ask your child to place his/her cup to his/her ear and listen.
- Can you hear each other?
How does it work?
The sound waves are converted into vibrations that travel along the string and are heard at the other end. To experiment, try speaking without the cup and see if your child can hear you without the aid of his paper phone. Ask your kid why its easier to hear with the paper phone than without one.
18. Make a Parachute
You will need:
- A plastic grocery bag/sheet
- Paper cup
- 4 numbers of 12-inch string
Instructions:
- Cut the handle of a plastic bag. and make a hole at 4 places equidistant from each other.
- Punch 4 holes in a paper cup.
- Tie one end of each string to the cup and the other to the plastic bag.
- Alternatively, you can make a parachute with a sheet of paper
19. Stir a Soap-powered motorboat
You will need:
- Foam tray or a non-corrugated cardboard
- A tray with water
- Liquid dish soap
- Toothpick
Instructions:
- Cut a foam tray or cardboard into the required shape
- Dip a toothpick in liquid soap and put soap on the sides of the notch at the back of the boat
- Place the boat on the tray with water and water it zoom across the water.
How does it work?
Soap lowers the surface tension of water, which creates enough force to push a lightweight boat across the surface of the water.
For a fun version of the same experiment, add some pepper powder to a water bowl. Touch the surface of the water with a cotton swab/toothpick dipped in soap and watch what happens!!! Repeat with a loop of string and place the cotton swap in the middle of the loop. Magic! This is the Maragoni Effect!!!
20. Make a Colour Wheel
You will need:
- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet colour pencils or paint
- Circular disc
- Skewer or kebab stick
Instructions:
- Divide the disc into 8 parts and colour each part in the order of the colours in a Rainbow. This will leave one area empty between red and violet.
- Once the disc is painted, place the kebab stick in the center of the disc.
- Spin the stick as fast as you can between your fingers.
How does this work?
White light is comprised of different colours that make up the visible spectrum. When you spin the disc, the colours of different wavelength mix and create white light. The faster disc spins, the whiter the disc will appear. You may also talk to your child about primary and secondary colours.
21. Demonstrate how fast Germs can spread
You will need:
- Glitter
Instructions:
- Place a little glitter on your kids hand and show how the glitter transfers to various surfaces easily. And use this example to demonstrate how fast diseases can spread with unclean hands.
22. Compare fingerprints
You will need:
- Ink pad
- White paper
Instructions:
- Press your kid’s finger on the ink pad.
- Press the inked finger on a piece of paper.
- Repeat for all five fingers.
- Repeat the process for other kids/adults.
Explain how fingerprint pattern is unique for each person and used in identifying an individual. You can also how these ridges helps us to hold things with our hands.
23. Can you turn a white flower red?
You will need:
- White carnation flower
- Red food colour
- Water
Instructions:
- Mix the red colour in water. Add enough colour to create a strong hue.
- Place the white flower in the coloured water.
- See the white flower turn red. It might take a few hours to a couple of days.
- For a fun twist, cut the stem of the flower into two and place each part in different coloured water. Will you get a flower in two colours?
24. Grow beans
You will need:
- Beans
- Water
Instructions:
- Soak the beans in water overnight.
- Wrap it in a wet cloth/tissue paper in the morning until the beans sprout.
25. Have your DNA and Eat it too
Follow this guide to build an edible model of DNA while learning basic DNA structure and learn about the base pairing.
26. Can you extract DNA?
You will need:
- Coffee filter/Kitchen cloth
- Strawberries/Banana
- Dish soap
- Salt
- Water
- Rubbing alcohol/Methylated spirit (if available)
- Zip lock bags
Instructions:
- Remove the stem of the strawberries and place them in a zip lock bag and mash the strawberries.
- Add soap, salt, and water into the bag. Mix. Don’t allow the water to foam too much.
- Place the coffee filter over a glass jar and filter the strawberry mixture. We need only the filtrate. You can discard the filer paper and the contents.
- Slowly add a layer (2.5 – 5 cms) of alcohol to the jar.
- Watch the fine white strands separate from the solution and float to the surface. Did you know that these white threads are strawberry DNA? Your kid will be fascinated to learn that these white strands holds zillions of information about the body.
How does it work?
DNA is present in the nuclei of strawberry/banana cells. Addition of the detergent breaks the cellular membrane. The salt makes it less soluble in water as it neutralizes the charge of the DNA making it less able to bind water. When you add alcohol/methylated spirit, the DNA precipitates out of the solution since DNA is insoluble in alcoholic solutions.
27. Can you keep a fruit from browning?
You will need:
- Apple
- Water
- Lemon juice
- 3 bowls
Instructions:
- Cut the apple into different piece and place a slice each in 3 bowls.
- In one bowl add water, and lemon juice into the other until it covers the apple slice. The third bowl should contain only the apple slice.
- Check the bowls after 30 minutes.
- Have they all turned brown?
How does this work?
The apple turns brown because of oxidation by oxygen in the air. Even though, the apple in water is not in contact with air, the dissolved oxygen in the water turns it brown slowly.
Lemon juice contains ascorbic acid/Vitamin C which is easily oxidised by oxygen. The apple will get oxidised once all the Vitamin C is oxidised (If kept for more than 30 minutes, you can see apple in lemon juice also turning brown). This experiment is a good way to teach your kids about preservative. Will Vitamin C tablet work in the same way?
28. Make a water filter
Follow this guide to make your own water filter and learn how soil acts as nature’s biggest filter.
29. How long can you keep flowers fresh?
You will need:
- 8 jars – plastic or glass
- 8 Daisy/Carnation flowers
- 8 0z. 7-up/or any soft drink of your choice
- 1 table spoon Sugar
- 1 table spoon Any Florist additive
- 1 table spoon Vinegar
- 1 Aspirin pill
- 1 tea spoon Salt
- 8 0z. Distilled Water
- 8 0z. Tap water
- Any other additives you might want to test
Instructions:
- Cut the flower stems at a 45-degree angle and place them in jars containing equal quantities of distilled water, tap water, 7-up, tap water with sugar, tap water with salt, tap water with florist additive, tap water with vinegar, tap water with aspirin. For more accurate result you can place more than one flower in each jar.
- The flowers should be re-cut and placed in fresh solutions after every 2 days.
- Record the condition of the flowers in each jar every day for 14 days, or until all the flowers are damaged.
- Kids may record the changes in a journal.
30. Tie a string to ice
You will need:
- Sting
- Ice
- Salt
Instructions:
- Put the ice in a bowl of water.
- Place a string on the ice
- Sprinkle salt on the ice. Carefully wash the salt and allow the ice to refreeze.
- Lift!!
How does it work?
Salt decreases the freezing point, which allows the ice to melt (This is why we use salt to melt the snow and ice on the roads). On washing of the salt, the water around the string freezes. The string will now stick to the ice and you can easily lift up the ice.