St.Patrick's Day Activity (Make a Skittles Rainbow)... with free printable tags

There is no reason you can't add a little learning to a fun holiday celebration. I love the idea of giving kids a "Make a Rainbow" kit for St.Patrick's Day. You are not going to believe how simple and fun this "cause and effect" science experiment is. I've even created a free downloadable tag that you can attach to a bag of Skittles for easy gifting.

The tag explains exactly what to do to make a rainbow, and you can see the fun results below!

Here's the reaction...

And here's a video showing the entire process. :-)

To download the "Make a Rainbow" tag: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Once you have the tags printed, just hole-punch the corner, and use ribbons to attach them to bags of Skittles.

Isn't this a fun St.Patrick's Day activity? Do you have a child that enjoys science? I think people of all ages would enjoy making a Skittles Rainbow on March 17!

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find MORE St.Patrick's Day ideas here.

Making a Bouncy Egg... a fun and simple science experiment for kids

My boys love science, so it's always fun to spend a rainy summer day doing simple science experiments. This year, we decided to make a bouncy egg. Today, I am sharing the super-simple instructions and the super-cool results!

All you need to make a bouncy egg is a glass, an egg, and vinegar. Fill the glass with vinegar, drop in the egg, and wait for the vinegar to dissolve the shell. The process starts immediately, and it will take about 24 hours to complete. (If the shell isn't completely dissolved after 24 hours, change the vinegar and let it sit for another 24 hours.)

After the shell has completely dissolved, rinse the egg in cold water, and dry it off. Children will be amazed by the "rubber" egg they have created.

Check out this little video we made to show the show the finished product.

This really is a fun way to explore science with children. My boys loved playing with the bouncy egg, shining a flashlight into it to see the yolk, and poking it with a knife to see the inside. Is there anything better than feeding the curiosity of a young mind?

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

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Simple Skittles Science Experiment

Teaching kids about science is really about encouraging questions and making observations. I love simple science experiments, don't you? Today I am sharing a fun Skittles science experiment that my sister shared with me. My boys loved it, and I am sure your little ones will enjoy it too.

To make a Skittles rainbow:

1) Line the Skittles on a plate.
2) Add warm water to the middle of the plate.
3) Watch the rainbow appear.

Check out this time lapse video that shows the cool effect.

If you enjoy exploring science activities with your kids, you can check out 15 simple science experiments for kids here. If you have never done an experiment with your kids, I guarantee they will love creating a Skittles rainbow. Have fun!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

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Easy Summer Science Experiment for Kids

In the mood for something fun and easy that will entertain and educate your children? Check out this simple science experiment, which is perfect for a sunny summer afternoon.

All you need to do is: fill a Ziploc bag with water, seal the bag, and then stick sharp pencils (slowly) through both sides of the bag. My boys were delighted to discover that no water leaks from the bag! (Note: You'll want to hold up the top of the bag so that bag doesn't get wider than the pencils when the water settles at the bottom.)

When my boys were finished, they pulled out the pencils and watched the water squirt out from the holes. It was a fantastic way to cool off on a warm afternoon.

My boys had so much fun, that we decided to finish the day with another classic experiment. We filled a bottle 3/4 full of vinegar, added some baking soda, and quickly capped the bottle with a balloon. My boys loved watching the baking soda/vinegar reaction blow up the balloon.

I love a simple science experiment, don't you? We might have to squeeze in a few more before the boys head back to school.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

10 {Simple} Science Experiments for Kids

Kids are naturally curious, and my boys are no exception.  I believe that fostering childhood curiosity is very important, and science experiments are a perfect way for kids to explore their surroundings and the way things work.  Today I am sharing 10 simple science experiments that are easy, inexpensive, and tons of fun!

1) Baking Soda Magic Trick - With a little help setting up this simple science experiment, the kids will love performing this trick for their friends.  All you need for this simple experiment is baking soda, vinegar, some food coloring, and the instructions that you can find here. 

2) Coloring Carnations - With a few carnations and food coloring, the kids can learn all about plants and how they absorb water.  It's a simple and cheerful little experiment, and you can find all the instructions here. 

3) Boats and Buoyancy - Building boats and learning about buoyancy is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon, and you can find all the information you need to know here.

4) Mentos Geyser - Messy experiments are always a big hit with kids.  Grab some soda and Mentos, head outside, and create your own fountain of fun.  You can find the full tutorial here. 

5) Making Ice Cream in a Bag - The result of this science experiment is a yummy snack.  With a few simple ingredients, kids can make their own ice cream in a bag. It's simple and delicious, and you can find everything you need to know here.

6) Exploding Sandwich Bag*

7) Balloon Magic*

8) Playing with Density*

9) Making Butter*

10) Film Cannister rockets.

* Experiments #6 to #10 are all great hands-on experiments for little ones, and you can find instructions for all of them here.

Exploring science with children can be a great way to foster their curiosity for learning. Which of these 10 simple science experiments will be most popular with your kids?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Bonus.... This Skittles experiment is super easy and fun. Read all about it here.

March Break Science Fun {Color Changing Carnations}

A break from school doesn't need to mean a break from learning... especially when simple science experiments are so much fun. Check out this fantastic experiment I recently did with my boys - coloring carnations.

This is an easy experiment that teaches kids about how flowers/plants absorb water.  It's also fun for the kids to watch the flowers magically change color.

To do this experiment, you'll need: plain white carnations, glass containers, and food coloring.

1) Fill the glasses with water, and then add several drops of food coloring to each glass.  We added about 15 drops of food coloring to each container.  (We used blue, red, and green food coloring, and we found that the red food coloring had the best results.)

2) Then, make a fresh cut to each of the flowers, and put them in the containers.

After a few days, the flowers will start to change color.  The kids will be able to see how the water (and the food coloring) travels up the stem of the flower and into the pedals.

I love simple experiments that make kids curious about "how things work", don't you?  Have you ever done this colored carnations experiment with your kids?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Science Inspired by "Wreck it Ralph"

My boys love the movie "Wreck It Ralph".  In the movie (in case you haven't seen it) there is a scene where Mentos "mints" fall from the sky into a "soda" pond.  There is a fun reaction that occurs, and I told my boys we would recreate the experiment in our yard.  So, today I am sharing how we made a Mentos geyser.

All you need is a 2L bottle of diet soda and a package of Mentos. (Make sure it is diet because the reaction is a lot better.)

Then, open the soda, drop the Mentos in as quickly as possible, and stand back.  (If you have a tube that allows you to slide them all in at once, it would be ideal.  However, I just gave two to each of my boys and told them to drop them in as fast as they could!)

Please note... if you have a 5 year old that steps back from the geyser too slowly, he will likely get soda on his clothes... and there is a good chance he will cry.  :-)

Aside from a little soda on my 5 year olds clothes, the experiment was a success, and a lot of fun.  Have you ever made a Mentos geyser with your little ones?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Boat Science Experiment

I believe it is important to expose my boys to science and nurture their curiosity for why things work the way they do.  With this in mind, we always do a science experiment during our summer vacation.  This year, we built boats and tested their buoyancy.

First, I let my boys design and build their own boats.  They started with a layer of craft foam and used hot glue to add popsicle sticks.  Then, they added a straw mast, and a craft foam sail.

Once the boats were finished, I asked the question, "How many rocks will it take to sink your boat?"  My boys came up with their own guesses (hypotheses), and then we tested the hypotheses to come up with a conclusions.  (In case you are wondering... it took 9 rocks to sink this boat.)

We had a lot of fun building our boats and testing their buoyancy. Then, when we were finished, we took our boats down to the river, and floated them there.

Do you ever do simple science experiments with your little ones?  If you are looking for some more ideas, I have a collection of another five simple science experiments here.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Making Ice Cream in a Bag

One of the things on our summer checklist is "make ice cream in a bag".  It is really easy, requires no special equipment, and is lots of fun on a warm summer day.  Want to make ice cream with your kids?

First, gather your supplies.  You'll need:  big ziploc bags, small ziploc bags, salt, ice, sugar, vanilla, and coffee cream (18%).

Then, 
1) put 1/2 cup of course salt and a bunch of ice in the big bag, and 
2) put 1/2 cup coffee cream, 1 tsp vanilla, and 3 tsp of sugar in the small bag.  
3) Seal the small bag, place it in the larger bag, seal the larger bag, and shake it until ice cream forms (approximately 10-15 minutes).

Once the ice cream has formed, you can add some fun toppings, or you can eat it plain.

Eating it right out of the bag is half the fun, but try not to get salt from the outside of the bag into the ice cream.  You might want to give it a quick wipe with a cloth before you give it to the kids to eat.

Yummy, right?  Enjoy your treat!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

5 {Easy} Science Experiments for Kids

My six year old loves science, so I promised him that we could do a few {easy and fun} experiments during his summer vacation.  I have put together a small collection for you here. 

I am not a science whiz, so I promise you can easily do all five of these simple science experiments with your little ones.  :-)

1)  Exploding Sandwich Bag - Here is a great little experiment that I found at Come Together Kids.  {Her tutorial has a fun little video that shows the reaction taking place.  You should check it out.}  Want to give it a try? 

• First, gather your supplies {baking soda, a square of toilet paper, vinegar, water, and a Ziploc sandwich bag}.  
• Then, take 1 tbsp of baking soda and wrap it in a square of toilet paper.  
• Next, pour 1/4 water and 1/2 white vinegar into the baggie.  Partially zip the baggie, but leave an opening for the baking soda packet.

• Finally, head outside {because this part is messy}.  Drop the packet into the water/vinegar mixture, seal the baggie, put the baggie down, and wait for the "pop"!

Be prepared to do it again and again... it is pretty fun.

2)  Balloon Magic - We originally did this experiment last summer, and it is super-easy.  Basically, we used a baking soda and vinegar solution to blow up a balloon.  You can find the full tutorial here.

3)  Playing with Density - This is a fun "will it sink or will it float" experiment we found in a book we got at the library (Kitchen Science by Chris Maynard)

For this one, I put 1/4 colored water, 1/4 oil, and 1/4 corn syrup in three different glasses.  Then, my six year old tried to guess what would happen when he poured each of the liquids into the same glass.

As the liquids started to settle, we talked about how the more "dense" liquids sank and the less "dense" liquids rose.  The boys were all mesmerized by this one.  They even started adding different things to the mixture {like salt} to "see what would happen".


4)  Making Butter - Watching butter transform from a liquid, to fluffy cream, to a yellow blob of butter is a fun science lesson {and a yummy one too}.  You are essentially shaking the droplets of butterfat until they collapse and rejoin into one big blob.  You can find the full tutorial here.

5)  Film Canister Rockets - This is a fun one, but requires close supervision and safety goggles {or swimming goggles if you are the little boys who live in my house}.  lol

For this experiment, you will need an old film canister, some water, and some Alka-Seltzer tablets.  

Half fill the canister with water, add 1/4 of an Alka-Seltzer tablet, quickly replace the lid, and stand back.  It is really fun to watch the lid "popping off" because of all the pressure from the Carbon Dioxide gas.

Do you have a "little scientist" living at your house?  Which one of these experiments do you think he/she would like most?

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

* You can find me on facebook here.

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SIMPLE Science Experiment - Cause and Effect

Last week, my son (who is in Grade Primary) had a "Scientist" visit his classroom.  He was fascinated, and since then, he has been asking to do a science experiment at home.

Because the other two boys (3 and 22 months) were involved, we decided to keep it simple.  I explained that we were going to put vinegar in a bottle and add some baking soda, and when they mixed together, they were going to create gas/air.  I asked them what they thought would happen.  Then, we did the experiment.

We used:

• a plastic bottle
• vinegar
• baking soda
• a balloon
• funnel (to fill the balloon with baking soda)

What we did:

1. We poured about 1 1/4 cups of vinegar into the bottle.
2. We filled the balloon (about 3/4 full) with baking soda.
3. We attached the balloon to the top of the bottle -- making sure there was a tight seal.

 4.  We carefully dumped the baking soda into the bottle and watched as the balloon filled with air.

Fun, eh?  I thought it was a great, simple lesson on "Cause and Effect", and the boys LOVED it.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

** If you haven't already "liked" me on facebook, I would love to have you join me here.