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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