1.
Baking soda and vinegar science experiment
A classic experiment to do with your young child
that will also give them a basis on chemical reactions and chemistry is the
baking soda and vinegar reaction. When mixing the two together, a fizz similar to
opening a shaken pop can will take place. If you are interested in taking it a
step further you can also make a papier-mâché volcano and color the vinegar red
with food coloring
2.
The potato battery
Teach your kids that all living thing have electricity
in them by using a potato as a battery. This is done by sticking something made
of zinc (a galvanized nail or screw) and something made or copper (a penny or
copper wire) into the potato. If you have a volt meter you can measure the
electricity output by the potato. You can also get creative wiring potatoes in
series to get enough voltage to power a led or spin a motor. Lemons are a substitute
for potatoes
3.
Make plasma with a grape
Show your kid the 4th element,
plasma using 2 household things, a microwave and a grape. Do this simply by cutting the grape almost
fully in half but leaving a small piece of skin attaching the two halves
together. Then face the two cut ends of the grape facing upwards. Place it in
the microwave and set it to a normal setting, and after a few seconds you will see
a brief spark of plasma exit the grape. Occasionally you will get a “defective”
grape and I also recommend NOT eating the grape after finishing with it.
4.
Make a card tower
A fun way to teach your child about structures
is to make a card tower. Use a deck of cards and carefully place the card in
triangles (they work best). Then connect sets of two triangles with a
horizontal card then stack on top of that and so on. See who can stack the
tallest card tower. It is easiest to do it on a carpet if you don’t need the setoff
card you can also fold them and bend them
5.
Have a bride building competition
Using popsicle sticks and a hot glue gun (works
best because it dries fast) build a bridge. Establish rules such as the amount
of popsicles stick you can use and the distance the bridge must span. 50 Popsicle
sticks and 30cm works well but you can adjust the rules depending on your
resources and time. Once complete test the bridges with weights such as books
to see whose bridge hold the most weight. Or work as a team whatever works best.
6.
Egg drop
You can do this as one big team or make it
a competition. The goal is to build a contraption that will protect your egg
from a fall. Using material like plastic bags, newspaper, cotton balls, egg
cartons and string make an older for your egg. To protect it from the impact of
falling you may want to make a parachute or put cushioning around the egg. Once
everyone is done drop the eggs from a ladder or staircase, make sure to cover
the ground in newspapers to avoid having to clean up broken egg, and see whose
egg survives
7.
Mousetrap car
Learn about kinetic and potential energy
with your child by making a mousetrap car. Remove the spike from the mousetrap,
make a car with the mousetrap on it. Once you attach the axle to the mousetrap
by a string. Fold the mousetrap back and watch the car use the potential energy
stored up in the mousetrap to travel forward. You can modify the size of the
wheel and length of the arm attached to the mousetrap to make it travel more
distance
8.
Coke and Mentos
A simple experiment that demonstrates
chemical reactions. All you need is a 2L bottle of coke and a pack of Mentos.
When doing this experiment make sure you are doing it outside and don’t mind
getting wet. Open the bottle of pop and let the Mentos slide into the bottle. Make
sure to stand back because as soon as they drop in, the pop will shoot into the
air
9.
Boats down river
Using recycled materials like pop cans and
water bottles and popsicle sticks or skewers to hold it all together, make a
boats to race down the river. Consider adding a sail to make your boat look
cooler. Once everyone makes their boat, launch it down the river. Be sure to
have someone waiting further down to collect the boats. Judge the boats on aesthetics,
performance and design to determine the winner.
10.
Birdhouse
Do research to find common birds that are
found in your area. Determine which birds
you would like to see in your backyard. Look on YouTube to find how to build a
birdhouse fit for that type of bird. Once complete place it in your backyard
and watch as hopefully a new family of birds will move in!
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