Elephant toothpaste
Create a beautiful explosion of this colorful elephant toothpaste with a few simple ingredients!
- 2 tablespoons of warm water
- 1 tablespoon of yeast
- ½ cup of peroxide 6 % or more
- 4-5 drops of food coloring
- Squirt of dish soap
- Empty water bottle
Instructions: Put your empty bottle on a plate to avoid spills. Mix together the water and yeast in a separate bowl, combine the peroxide, food coloring and dish soap into the empty bottle. Add the mixture of water and yeast and observe the reaction! Guaranteed fun for all ages, and bonus, the foam is non-toxic so the kids can have fun exploring the texture without danger.
Rain in a bottle
Your children have been asking you why it rains sometimes? Here is how to show them the process easily!
- Glass bottle
- Plate
- Water
- Ice cubes
Instructions: Boil water and pour into the bottle to fill about 1/3 of the bottle. Put a plate on top of the bottle and wait a minute or two. Put the ice on a the plate and see what happens: water droplets fall down the sides of the bottle, like rain!
Tornado in a bottle
Tornadoes are awesome according to kids! Here is an original, safe and easy way to create a small tornado in a bottle!
- Bottle with airtight lid
- Water
- Dish soap
Instructions: Fill the bottle with water and put several drops of dish soap. Close the bottle tightly and shake vigorously to create a tornado. You can use small plastic bottle so the children can walk around with their mini-tornadoes!
Static electricity
A really interesting activity to do with the younger ones to explain to them how lightning happens in the sky!
- Plastic comb
- Confetti or small pieces of paper
- Pieces of felt
- Balloon
Instructions: Ask the kids to experiment with the different items. They can put the confetti on a non-metallic surface while they pass the comb through their hair for 2 minutes before putting the comb near the confetti. They can also rub the balloon on their head or with a piece of felt before ‘sticking’ it to the wall!
Plants need water
Show your children how plants absorb water through their roots and distributes the water all the way to the end of their leaves with this fun experiment!
- Celery sticks with leaves
- Transparent glass
- Water
- Food coloring
Instructions: Pour about ¾ cup of water in each glasses. Add food coloring of a different color in each glass and mix with a celery stalk. Observe the difference in coloring as the time goes on!
Plants and light
This unique experience shows the kids that plants need light to survive and will always be attracted to the light, no matter the obstacles!
- Shoe box
- 2 pieces of cardboard
- Scissors
- Tape
- Small potted plant
Instructions: Cut a large hole on one end of the shoe box. Make sure to block any other light source with heavyweight tape. Cut the 2 pieces of cardboard half the width of the box and the same height. Stick these pieces of cardboard on the sides of the shoe box to separate the box in 3 levels. Place the plant at the bottom of the box, make sure it has enough water, and close the box well before putting it in the sun. Wait 4 to 5 days before opening the box to see the impressive results!
Density
Here is an original and fun way to teach children about the principles of density by creating a nice 7 level column of different liquids!
- Light corn syrup
- Water
- Vegetable oil
- Blue Dawn dish soap
- Rubbing alcohol
- Lamp oil
- Honey
- Graduated cylinder
- Food coloring
- Baster
Instructions: Measure 8 ounces of each liquid. If desired, you can color the different liquids using food coloring to get a more impressive result. Pour the liquids slowly, one at a time, in the graduated cylinder using the turkey baster. It’s important to carefully pour the liquids and to make sure not to touch the sides but keep the slow squirts in the center of the cylinder for the experiment to work.
Invisible ink
Show the children how heat affects certain foods and makes it change color with this really fun top secret activity!
- White paper
- Tooth pick or cotton swab to write invisible messages
- 3.25 % milk or lemon juice
- Candle, lighter or matchers (for parents)
Instructions: Soak a tooth pick or cotton swab in the liquid of your choice and write an invisible message on the paper. Allow the message to dry and gather the kids around you. Pass the sheet of paper in front of a flame and wait until the message magically appears!
Oxidation
A special experiment that visually shows to the kids the effects of oxidation on metal objects!
- Tarnished penny
- Shiny pennies to compare
- Transparent glass
- Soap and water
- Lemon juice
- Paper towels
Instructions: Have your child try to clean the tarnished penny with soap and water. You can observe that the penny is still dirty and explain the process of oxidation. Now dip the tarnished penny in lemon juice for 5 minutes before drying it: the penny is now shiny again! You can explain to your kids that it is thanks to the acidity in the lemon juice which removes the oxidation layer!
What dissolves
A simple way to show them that things can be dissolved is to let them experiment with different textures themselves and draw their own scientific conclusions!
- A selection of foods to dissolve (flour, salt, couscous, rice, sugar, coffee grounds, sugar, cocoa powder, etc.)
- Large clear jars filled with water
Instructions: Encourage your child to try to predict which foods will dissolve and which will remain intact. Let him experiment and record the results like a true scientist!
