Fun Science Experiments for Children!

During the summer, I provided input into STEM activities to my local rec center. I wanted to volunteer with Parks and Rec to give back to my community and allow younger children to explore their interest in science! I am excited that my ideas are being used for a summer camp at my local elementary school. Last week, I helped children with an ice cream experiment (see 4) and it was rewarding to see children having fun and enjoying their treat! Since I have not posted in awhile, I figured this post would be a great start to showing what I am currently up to. I hope to post more because this blog is a great way to spread messages to others and have this site be a representation of myself. For now, here are some science activities that children will enjoy and are easy to do at home!

1. Grow a Paper Towel Rainbow (link)

• Materials: Paper towels, Water, Washable markers, Clear Plastic Cups
• Short Description: Students can choose what colors they want for their ‘rainbow’, submerge the colored paper towels ends in water, and watch the rainbow appear!
• What they learn: Alongside this activity, there can be a lecture on capillary action and connect it to nature/everyday life (roots of trees, etc.)

2. Rain Cloud in a Jar (link) 

• Materials needed: Plastic clear jar, Shaving cream, Food coloring, Pipettes
• Short description: Like the name suggests, students can create their own ‘rain cloud’ using shaving cream and learn how they work using food coloring and seeing what happens in the water!
• What they learn: Students can understand how clouds work. The shaving cream represents the clouds and water, and the colored water represents rain. The colored water eventually saturates the cloud, so the rain falls through the air.

3. Learn What dissolves in water (link)

• Materials: Various substances that are soluble/insoluble in water (Salt, Sugar, Flour, Oil, Coffee), Water, Clear Cups, Utensil to mix
• Short Description: Each student can have their own cup and predict if the substance will dissolve!
• What they learn: Alongside this activity, there can be a lecture on solubility and why some substances didn’t dissolve and what is happening on a molecular level, as to why these substances are dissolving.

4. Bags of ice cream (link) 

• Materials needed: Milk/Half and Half, Vanilla extract, Salt, Ice Cubes, Small Ziploc Bags and Gallon, Small towel, Sugar, Sprinkles (optional)
• Short Description: Each student can make their own ice cream using ice-cubes and salt, shaking the milk for a couple minutes
• What they learn: There is a lot to talk about in this experiment, but a brief description is phase changes, freezing, heat transfer, etc.

5. Sink of float (link: hot cocoa version)

• Materials needed: Clear cups, different objects, water
• Short Description: Each student can have their own cup, or perhaps each group, and drop various objects into the water and predict if they will float or sink! There is also a hot-cocoa version where the “water” is hot cocoa, and the objects are candies, so that could also work as well since the children can enjoy a sweet treat too.
• What they learn: Alongside this activity, there can be a reflection on what density is, why certain objects float and why some didn’t. 

6. Salt Dough Fossils (link)

• Materials Needed: Salt, Flour, Water, Plastic Bowls, Utensils to mix, small toys for imprinting (dino toys, flowers, leaf, etc) 
• Short Description: Students can make their own salt dough with a toy of their choice to create a ‘fossil’ to bring home!
• What they learn: Alongside this activity, there can be an educational reflection on what fossils are, how they are formed, how long they take to form, and the importance of fossils.

7. Make own lava lamp (link)

• Materials Needed: Clear bottle (can be plastic water bottle), Baking Soda, Water, Food Coloring, Vinegar, Vegetable Oil
• Short Description: Students can make their own lava lamp to bring home!
• What they learn: Alongside this activity, there can be an educational lesson on: 
  • Density; Oil, being less dense than water, floats on top of the water
  • Polarity; Oil (a nonpolar substance) does not mix well with water (a polar substance)
  • Chemical reactions; Production of CO2 when baking soda and vinegar react and CO2 bubbles rise through the oil, carrying some colored water, reach the surface, pop, and the water/vinegar droplets sink back down, creating the “lava” effect. 

8. Skittles Experiment (link)

• Materials needed: Skittles, water, plate
• Short Description: Students can examine a rainbow circle forming as the food coloring diffuses into the water!
• What they learn: Diffusion; The dye and sugar of the skittle travels to a place with lower concentration of sugar dnd dye. There can also be a separate experiment on what will happen when there is sugar in the middle of the plate, which will take longer for the dye to reach the middle. 

9. Baking soda balloon experiment (link) 

• Materials needed: Baking soda, vinegar, empty water bottles, balloons, measuring spoons, funnel
• Short Description: Students can examine the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar as the balloon begins to expand!
• What they learn: Production of CO2, what would happen if more baking soda was added, and how to make the balloon expand more

10. Oobleck (link) 

• Materials needed: Food coloring, water, corn starch, plastic bowl, measuring cup, plastic spoon
• Short Description: Students can create their own oobleck to bring home!
• What they learn: Alongside this activity, we can examine the chemical reaction occurring with cornstarch and water, what oobleck is, and the mystery behind non-newtonian fluids. 

11. Salt painting (link) 

• Materials needed: Salt, paper, Syringe/Pipette, Glue (or flour and water paste), food coloring, water
• Short description: Students can make their own salt painting by laying out the general shape with glue, before it is covered in salt. Students can drip colored water on the glue to ‘color’ their painting!
• What they learn: Students can examine salt’s physical and chemical properties, its hygroscopic properties. This experiment also touches on capillary action.

12. The Penny Experiment (link) 

• Materials needed: Old Pennies, clear cups, dish soap, water, salt, vinegar
• Short description: Students can try to predict which liquids will most effectively clean the penny! Each group of students will be in charge of a certain liquid mixture and they can ‘compete’ to see which will be the best cleaner!
• What they learn: Alongside this experiment, there can be a lecture on what is occurring on a chemical level, what reactions are occurring, and why one of the mixtures was the most effective at cleaning. 

13. Baking soda Art (video link) 

• Materials needed: Water color, baking soda, cups, pipettes, paint brushes, water, paper
• Short Description: Students can create their own art masterpieces using baking soda and water color!
• What they learn: Alongside this activity, there can be a lecture on the chemical reaction between baking soda and water, explanation on the physical reaction occurring, and what is happening on a molecular level.