Science Experiments for Kids
As we raise creative kids, giving them ample opportunity to explore, innovate and express is quite imperative. And amongst this, Science experiments for kids do full justice to amaze them. You can expect my love for Science, being a science student throughout! For younger ones, it is like some magic (and yes they will also have some fun messing around. For the older ones, it is a perfect setting to learn the concepts practically, while they experiment!
As we are homebound during these days of #lockdown, we have been doing some fun experiments together. Though my son is too young to understand the concepts, for him it is like a play, which he is enjoying!
5-minutes DIY Science Experiments for Kids at home:
Watch this video for some easy 5-mins experiments which you can do easily while at home with kids.
1. Dancing Spiders/ Racing Snakes:
More than an experiment, it is a game!
Things you need:
- Aluminum foil
- Temporary marker (we used Camlin Whiteboard marker)
- Water
- Straw
- Tray
How to do:
- Set the Aluminium foil in the tray (watch the video)
- Draw spiders on it with Temporary Marker (remember Permanent Marker won’t work)
- Simply add water (keep adding it), and the spiders will start floating. Make it a fun game, by giving your child a straw and start the Spider race.
This is one of our favorite activities (and yes my boy does it daily, it’s a crazy scene). You can draw even snakes and see them floating.
2. Upside down:
Concept: Air Pressure
Things you need:
- Water
- Glass
- Piece of cardboard/postcard
How to do:
Fill water in the glass till the brim (ensure that it is till the brim and no space is left, check out the video, if you experiment). Put the cardboard on the mouth of the glass. Make it upside down, and remove your hand in few seconds. Magic! The water doesn’t spill even when the glass is upside down! Isn’t it fun?
The science behind it:
The Air Pressure that gets exerted on the cardboard from underneath is more than the weight of the water inside the glass. Thus the cardboard manages to hold the glass without any spilling.
3. Under-water candle:
Concept: Atmospheric Pressure
Things you need:
- Candle
- Matchstick
- Glass
- Colored water (you can add a few drops of food color to the water)
How to do:
FIll the colored water on a plate and put a candle in the center. Put the glass upside down with candle in its center.
All you need to do now is “watch”. As the colored water rises in the glass (on its own)!
The science behind it:
The flame needs oxygen to burn. When the glass is out around it, the flame uses the oxygen in the glass and creates low pressure. Now, because the base of the glass in the water (in the plate) has created an airtight seal, thus the pressure between the inside and outside of the glass varies. So, the water rises inside the glass, until the pressure equalized (inside the glass and outside).
4. Balloon Inflation with Chemical reaction:
Concept: Acid-Base reaction, Gas Expansion
Things you need:
- Balloon
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Bottle
How to do:
- Take a balloon and add Baking Soda spoon by spoon into it.
- Now take a bottle (with a narrow mouth, so that balloon can fit easily) and add vinegar into it.
- Put the balloon slowly on the mouth of the bottle, gradually emptying the contents into the bottle
- Hurrah! See the balloon inflate and blast in the end. Its messy but my son simply loves it! Check out the video shared above for the fun!
The Science behind it:
Vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base, so this is a very simple acid-base reaction. This reaction creates carbon dioxide, which bubbles up to inflate the balloon. Since carbon dioxide is a gas, this is also perfect to help kids with the Gas Expansion concept.
5. Flight of Tea Bags:
Concept: Convection Current
Things you need:
- Empty Teabags
- Matchsticks
- Non Flammable Plate/Table
How to do:
- Empty the tea into any container (drink it later;)) and unfold the teabag (both sides should be well open).
- Turn the tea bag into a cylinder, with space in the center.
- Put the cylinder straight on the non-flammable plate/ table (flat surface) and light the tip with a matchstick.
- As the teabag burns, the last ends take a flight high above before turning into ashes! Sounds cool?
The Science behind it:
Its an interesting experiment, as Hot air balloons use a similar principle. When the top of the teabag is lit, it heats the air inside the cylinder. Due to heating, the air molecules spread out, taking their space. Since they spread out, the air inside the cylinder becomes less dense and the tea bag cylinder becomes lighter. The warm air is less dense than the cool air and thus the warm air rises, making the light bag take a flight as it turns to ashes.
Caution: keep kids little away wherever there is a flame!
Did you enjoy watching and reading these science experiments for kids, as much as we enjoyed doing it? Then its time that you try out some of them with the luxury of home, with kids!
Lots of Love,
Really easy experiments. Will definitely try once.
Wow!! Much needed at this time. I must say Jhilmil, this is one of the most precise and well-explained tutorial I have ever watched. One thing more, you and your kiddo spread so much of positivity around with your beautiful smiles. God bless!!
Lovely experiments Jhilmil! I would love to try these with my son at home.
I remember watching your spidy experiment video. I was bowled over by it. Never imagined that it was the regular white board marker pen.
These are some great fun and lovely experiments for the kids to keep them busy and also make them involved in the learning process.
I have written Romance Fiction, hope you like the Short Love Stories series on my blog too.
We must try to teach our kids new things so that there is a balance of both playing and learning. This can be done by buying toys which are really helpful. These toys are good to purchase that are actually made up of High-Quality wood, water-based paints, and its durable. It also helps them to develop Motor Skills, Shape Recognition, Mental Skills which are much needed.