Science Experiments To Try At Home With Kids

Posted on: 19 January 2017

Share

Whether you homeschool, want to supplement your child's public school education, or just want to conduct a fun experiment on a rainy afternoon, science experiments are fun for kids and parents alike. Read on for some fun science experiments to try with your kids.

Tornado in a Bottle

If you have two empty soda or water bottles of the same size in your recycling bin, pull them out to conduct a weather experiment. Remove the labels from the bottles and fill one with water. Line up the neck of the empty bottle with the neck of the full bottle and connect them with a healthy amount of duct tape or a plastic connector that's threaded at both ends. You can purchase connectors designed to help with this experiment. Once this step is complete, your two bottles should be connected to create an hourglass shape. Turn the bottles so that the water from the full bottle can transfer to the empty bottle. Gently swirl the bottles as you do so, and a funnel should form. To supplement the experiment, look for science videos for kids about tornadoes so they can see a real one in action. 

Rock Candy

Teach kids about crystals and make a delicious treat at the same time. To make rock candy, heat 2 cups of water and dissolve 4 cups of white sugar in the water. Once the sugar dissolves completely, take the water and sugar solution away from the heat source and let it cool for 15 minutes. Now add flavoring like peppermint extract and food coloring if desired, and pour the mixture into a clean glass container. Take a length of cotton string, and tie one end to an ice cream stick and the other to a paper clip. Dip the string into the solution, remove it, straighten the string and allow it to dry. Once the string is dry, dangle the paper clip end of the string into the sugar solution, being sure that the paper clip doesn't touch the bottom of the container. Let the ice cream stick rest on top, and cover the container's opening with a piece of parchment paper. In about a week, the water will evaporate and rock candy crystals will form along the string.

Volcano

Place a bud vase into a cake pan and put 2 tablespoons of baking soda in the bottom of the vase. Pour in a half cup of plain white vinegar, and watch the solution bubble up and pour over the sides of the vase. To add extra visual interest to this experiment, add a little food coloring or glitter to the baking soda before adding the vinegar to create sparkling and colorful lava. 

For more information, contact local professionals like The Science Kids.