Many kids are interested in science but don’t know where to start. If your kids are interested in science or you want to get them interested, here are some ways to do that.
Below are three experiments that are easy and cheap to do at home and can help get your kids interested in science! These experiments use items you probably already have at home.
1st Experiment: The Dancing Raisins
You will need a clear cup, water, raisins, and baking soda.
Fill the cup with water and add 3 tablespoons of baking soda. Stir until the baking soda dissolves. Add 6–10 raisins to the cup. Watch what happens! The raisins will sink to the bottom, rise to the top and start dancing on the water’s surface! This happens because when you add baking soda to the water, it creates carbon dioxide gas. The raisins act like little boats holding up the carbon dioxide bubbles. When the bubbles pop, the raisins sink back down again.
2nd Experiment: The Walking Water
You will need three clear glasses, water, food coloring, and paper towels.
Fill one glass almost to the top with water. Add a different color of food coloring to each of the other two glasses. Place one end of a paper towel in each glass so that all three pieces of paper towel touch at the bottom. The water molecules are attracted to each other, and they stick together. They are also attracted to paper towel fibers. The water molecules move up the paper towel by sticking to each other and the fibers.
When they reach the top, they fall off into the next glass, where they repeat the process! The different colors mix in each glass because they are all made of tiny particles called molecules that move around constantly and bump into each other.
3rd Experiment: Elephant’s Toothpaste
You will need dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, dry yeast, warm water, food coloring (optional), and a tall clear container.
Mix 3 tablespoons of dish soap with 10 drops of food coloring in a bowl (this step is optional). Mix ¼ cup of warm water and ¼ teaspoon of dry yeast in another bowl until it dissolves. Be careful not to pour too much hydrogen peroxide into the container at once because it will foam up quickly! Pour ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide into the container first and then add 2 tablespoons of dish soap, followed by a few drops of food coloring (again, this step is optional). Finally, add in your yeast mixture from before. Step back and watch your elephant’s toothpaste grow!
The yeast creates carbon dioxide gas as it eats away at the hydrogen peroxide molecule. The dish soap traps these gas bubbles, making them grow bigger until they become foamy like toothpaste!
These three experiments are easy ways to get your kids interested in science while teaching them how things work! Science is all around us, so teaching students about states of matter and chemical reactions can help them understand the world better.
Now that you’ve seen how easy and fun science experiments can be, try doing them with your kids today! They’ll love learning about the world around them, and you’ll love seeing their excitement. Science is for everyone, so get out there and start exploring!
