Easy Science Experiments Kids Can Do at Home
Is there a future scientist residing with you in your home? Most likely, you’re searching for kid-friendly, do-at-home science experiments that involve hands-on activities.
The sole issue? Many science experiments call for unusual materials that are difficult to locate or need preparation.
The good news is here.
You can perform countless easy science experiments and STEM activities at home using supplies you already own.
The finest aspect?
Simple household items like food colouring, dish soap, paper towels, ice cubes, rubber bands, white vinegar, vegetable oil, and baking soda are all used in them.
Now let’s get started!
This is our selection of entertaining science experiments to introduce your kids to the fascinating field of science.
1. DIY Lava Lamp
Kids between the ages of 4 and 12 (and older!) will particularly enjoy this easy lava lamp experiment, which will also transport their favourite adults back a few decades!
Kids can learn about density with this simple science project that uses everyday items found in the house.
Material Required:
- A clear plastic bottle or glass jar
- Baking Soda
- Food Coloring
- Vegetable Oil
Steps:
- Fill your bottle or jar with a few inches of baking soda. Vegetable oil should be added to the bottle or jar until it is nearly full. If you have a funnel, use it.
- Observe how it remains distinct.
- Pour about a fourth cup of vinegar and food colouring into a different cup. Combine them.
- Pour the food colouring mixture and vinegar into the oil gradually.
- Lastly, switch off the lights and observe your lava lamp in action if you have a torch!
What is Happening?
Because oil is lighter than water and less dense than water, it floats on top of the water. Since food colouring and water have the same density, the food colouring mixes with the water after sinking through the oil. Carbon dioxide is produced when the baking soda and vinegar dissolve.
Gas rises to the top and picks up colour from the food colouring because it is lighter than water. The coloured water blob releases air, causing the water to become heavy once more and sink.
2. Elephant Toothpaste
Have you heard about the toothpaste experiment involving elephants yet? It’s amazing! For this experiment, an adult is required. With this easy, entertaining science project, kids of all ages will enjoy learning about catalysts and exothermic reactions.
Material Required:
- 16-ounce plastic soda bottle
- 3 Tablespoons of warm water
- Food colouring
- Half a cup (20-volume) of hydrogen peroxide liquid in a 6% solution
- Liquid dish soap
- One tablespoon of dry yeast
- Safety goggles
- Small cup
Steps:
- Put on your safety goggles or other protective eyewear first and foremost. Skin and eyes may become irritated by hydrogen peroxide. It is always best to carefully pour the hydrogen peroxide into the bottle yourself as an adult to ensure safety.
- The next step is to fill the bottle with eight drops of food colouring in the colour of your choice.
- Next, pour in one tablespoon of liquid dish soap and swirl the bottle to combine the ingredients.
- Stir the warm water and yeast for 30 seconds in a different cup.
- Lastly, fill the bottle with the yeast water mixture and observe the foam forming!
What is Happening?
The foal is full of tiny bubbles that are filled with oxygen. The yeast assisted in removing the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide by acting as a catalyst. There were a lot of bubbles formed because it happened so quickly.
Because this reaction is exothermic, heat is produced, which is why the bottle heated up. Since the foam’s ingredients are only water, soap, and oxygen, pouring it down the drain is safe. And voilà!
3. Mixing is Impossible
To see what happens, mix equal parts water and oil and add a drop of food colouring. This is a very simple experiment. Youngsters will enjoy seeing the food colouring dissolve into the oil. You’ll adore how simple it is to assemble and disassemble!
Material Required:
- Liquid food coloring
- Several drinking glasses
- Toothpick
- Vegetable oil
- Water
Steps:
- First, ask yourself what you believe will happen if you combine water and oil.
- Next, transfer roughly a half-cup of oil into a drinking glass.
- Then fill the same glass with the same amount of water.
- Observe how the two diverge from one another!
- Find out their predictions for the outcome of adding a single drop of water-based food colouring to the oil.
- Allow the child to drop something in and watch what happens (you can use a toothpick to help the drop move down).
- Re-ask which is denser, the oil or the water-based drop (the water-based drop sinks, indicating that it is denser than the oil).
What is Happening?
Consider two identically sized but disparately weighed objects. There is more matter packed into the heavier one. It has more density. Submerging something in water is a useful method of determining its density. It is denser if it sinks and less dense if it floats. Oil demonstrates its lower density than water by floating.
4. Bottle Xylophone
Line up glass jars with water inside of them. When you tap a jar with a spoon, how will it sound? After speculating, tap each jar. Jot down your observations.
Material Required:
- 6 glass bottles (all the same size with no lids)
- Liquid food coloring
- Water
Steps:
- Put six glass bottles or jars in a row.
- After that, fill each jar with water. Fill the first jar with 60 millilitres of water. Fill the second jar with 120 ml of water. Proceed by adding 180 ml of water to the third jar, 240 ml to the fourth jar, 300 ml to the fifth jar, and 360 ml to the sixth jar, in increments of 60 ml.
- Fill each jar with a few drops of food colouring.
- Take a metal spoon and tap each jar. Note in your notebook what you noticed about the pitch of each jar, or how high or low the sound is.
What is Happening?
The jar vibrated when you tapped it. From the jar to the water to the air and finally to your ears, the vibrations travelled. The pitch of the jars with more water was lower. Because there was more water for the sound waves to pass through, they vibrated more slowly. Pitch was higher in the jars with less water. There was less water for the sound waves to travel through, so they vibrated more quickly. The highest pitch is produced by a jar devoid of water because it has the least amount of material to pass through.
Vibrations are repeatedly occurring back-and-forth movements that give rise to sound waves. Pitch is influenced by wave frequency, or the number of waves produced in a second. High-frequency sound waves produce a high pitch, which can sound squeaky. Low-frequency sound waves produce a low pitch, which sounds booming and deep.
5. Tiny Volcanos
Kids of all ages will love this incredibly simple volcano eruption made of vinegar and baking soda, and they’ll be begging to do it again and again!
With just a few very simple household ingredients, you can quickly create a colourful volcano that erupts. The preparation process takes about three minutes.
Plan to conduct this science experiment outside on rocks or dirt if you want it to be mess-free.
Material Required:
- 1 cup (8 oz) of Vinegar
- 1 tsp of dish soap
- 3-4 Tbs of baking soda
- A Plastic cup
- Food colouring
- Water
Steps:
- First, fill the plastic cup about two thirds of the way with water to create your base ingredient mixture.
- Next, incorporate the dish soap, baking soda, and a small amount of washable paint or food colouring. To help you avoid staining, use washable paint instead of food colouring.
- Mix the components thoroughly.
- Next, add vinegar and stir until it foams and flows out of the cup.
- Repeat with additional colours as needed. There’s no doubt your kids will be requesting more.
What is Happening?
The erupting “lava” bubbles are carbon dioxide-filled. A gas called carbon dioxide is created when vinegar, an acid, and baking soda, a base, combine.
6. The Water Cycle In A Bag
This is an incredibly simple science experiment that’s great for teaching your children about the water cycle.
Material Required:
- Blue food coloring
- Clear tape
- Permanent marker
- Water
- Zip lock bag
Steps:
- First, draw a sky on the top half of your ziplock bag using a permanent marker. Add the sun and the clouds.
- Next, add a few drops of blue food colouring to a cup of water. Your children will be able to see the water better thanks to this. Blend it until a bright blue hue is achieved.
- Next, fill the bag to the brim with water, and seal it tightly to prevent any leaks.
- Now, hang your bag from a window that receives plenty of natural light. To make sure it stays in place, tape it to the corner.
- You can check on your bag in a few hours and then again in a day or so. Water droplets will eventually begin to adhere to the bag’s side. While some will be in the “clouds,” other droplets will fall like rain.
What is Happening?
The water in the bag is being heated by the sun, which causes evaporation—the transition of the water from a liquid to a gas. This also occurs in our atmosphere. The water turns back into a liquid because it is trapped in a bag with nowhere to go. Instead, it sticks to the bag’s sides. We refer to this as condensation. This experiment shows how the sun has the ability to change the state of water.
Read more:
Chandrayaan-3: A New Chapter in India’s Apna Chandrayaan Programme
30 Simple Science Experiments for Kids to do at Home