Kids are curious in nature. They like to taste food and stack things. Science experiments are a good way to have fun with your kid and have them discover many things with you guiding them through the whole process.
Getting your child interested in science may prove to be one of the best parental decisions of your life. Especially if it turns out to be a future passion for them. Below are some experiments that we recommend trying with kids with the supervision of an adult or parent.
Water Xylophone
This experiment will surely have the kids engaged as it has something to do with their sense of hearing. It might get kind of noisy, but this is a good kind of noise as kids will get to play with a makeshift xylophone using glass bottles, water, and a stick to produce some music.
You will need: • 3 or more glass bottles or jars • A stick • Water • Food coloring (to make the experiment even more fun and visually pleasing)
Before proceeding, it is recommended to let the kids gently tap the glass bottles or jars with the stick to understand how the glass bottles or jars sound without the water. Later on, compare how it sounds with varying amounts of water in it.
First, you need to line up the glass bottles or jars from left to right so that the kids can go from striking one glass to the other without too much hassle. This is ideal to avoid any accidents.
Then the glass bottles or jars should be filled up with different amounts of water going from left to right in terms of least to most amount of water. To make it visually pleasing and engaging for kids, add some food coloring to the water with different colors or the same color but with different shades.
This experiment might get kids interested in physics as it tackles things such as water and sound waves. Not only that, but you need household items, and it is relatively easy and quick to set up!
Water and Cornstarch Experiment
Here is an experiment that will get kids familiar with the three states of matter if they aren’t already familiar with them, as well as how one state of matter can change into another.
You will need: • Water • A Bowl • Cornstarch • Food coloring (optional, the kids may find it more appealing)
To get started, put some of the cornstarch into the bowl. If you decide to use food coloring, pour a drop in there as well. Lastly, add water to the bowl, then proceed to mix. If what you have mixed is too wet, you need to add more cornstarch but if it is too much powder because of the cornstarch, add some more water.
Let the children assess and play around with the water and cornstarch that is mixed. Tell them to punch it. The kids will be surprised to find out that it is solid. This may get kids interested in the science of biology, what with molecules, newtons, and whatnot.
Orange in Water Experiment
This one is one of the most intriguing yet straightforward experiments listed here. It will teach the kids about density and how water can be absorbed into an object, causing different effects for the varying density of an object.
You will need: • Orange • Bowl • Water • A knife or a fruit peeler
Fill the bowl with a good amount of water, then proceed to drop the orange in the water. The children should be fascinated to see that it floats in the water like a boat! Afterward, go take the orange and proceed to peel it with the knife or the fruit peeler, then put it back in the water. It should sink into the water.
People would probably think that the opposite should happen because the skin of the orange adds weight to the fruit. It should sink and then vice versa when the skin is peeled off.
But no, there is a part of the orange’s skin called the rind, an outer layer that is tough and has tiny pockets of air which makes the orange weigh less when it has the skin. When you remove the skin, the orange becomes a denser object and weighs more; therefore, it will sink in the water.
If the kids find this interesting, you can try doing the same experiment with different fruits! Citrus fruits will have the same result, but what about bananas or avocados? Kids will surely have fun finding it out for themselves!
Travelling Water
Unlike the previous experiments, this does not have an instant result, but the payoff is really worth it. Guaranteed to have the kids intrigued and even more interested in science as this experiment has a fun magic trick kind of feel to it.
You will need: • Two paper towels • Water • Three cups • Two different colors of food coloring • Ruler/Measuring tape • Scissors
First, you should take two paper towels and fold them so that they will be about eight inches long, then shape them into makeshift tubes. Now, take the two cups of water and fill them up with water and food coloring, with each cup consisting of different colors (e.g., cup 1 with blue and cup 2 with red).
Now, let us position the cups so that we can start the process stage of the experiment! Place the two cups on the left and right, respectively. The empty third cup will sit in the middle of the water-filled ones.
Grab the paper towels shaped into tubes and place one of the ends of the paper towel tube in the water-filled cup and the other end in the empty cup in the middle. Do the same thing with the second paper towel tube and the other water-filled cup.
Now all you have to do is wait for a few hours. A good idea would be to time-lapse the whole thing with a smartphone camera. The kids would certainly be amazed at the whole process if they could visually see what happened!
The end result will appear as the water has ‘traveled’ or ‘walked’ to the other cup. The science behind this is that water has an ability called the “capillary action” that makes it move from a certain place to another without any force exerted on it. Some factors in play are the water’s surface tension, cohesion, and adhesion.
This may prove to be a favorite among the children, given its magical feel. You can change some aspects of the experiment, such as using tissue paper, writing paper instead of paper towels, or hot water.
Rising Water Experiment
This one is quite interesting; however, you will need to be extra cautious as this involves matches.
You will need: • Bowl • Clear glass cup • A small candle that can fit inside the cup • Water • Food coloring (optional) • Children’s clay • An adult to light the candle
To get started: 1. Grab the candle and have it sit upright on the bowl. 2. Use the clay to keep it steady in place. 3. Once it is steady, pour some water into the bowl, then light the candle using matches. Strongly encouraged to have the adult light the candle to exercise caution.
To finish it off, cover the candle with a glass cup. Observe what happens to the water. What happens is there is increased air pressure from the heated air trapped in the glass, which creates bubbles that rise. If you used food coloring on the water, this would be more visually distinguishable.
Takeaway
These experiments may strike an interest in science in your kid/s but be sure to ensure their safety and yours. Most importantly, have a ton of fun as these experiments also serve as a time to bond with your kid, or if you are an educator, these kids will become fond of you.
Hi, my name is Elena Jones, and my full-time job is a teacher. Through teaching, I have discovered that children learn in many different ways, and have seen the positive impact both STEM and Montessori toys have on children.
Through this site I hope to educate parents and adults about these toys, providing them with useful information on how they can be used, and provide some in depth reviews of different toys to consider too.
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