This drawn-out break from school calls for some fun learning for kids at home. And what could be a better way to do it than to amuse them with some easy science experiments to do at home! Being a part and parcel of our lives, science is something that everybody should be versed in. Learning basic science concepts is essential not only for practitioners of its branches but for others also. It helps us make sense of the world around us, allows us to make informed decisions, live a safer life, and improve critical thinking. In children, learning of science kindles inquisitiveness and in turn, makes them smart and well-rounded.
The best way to learn the basics of science is by having hands-on involvement with simple experiments to do at home using everyday household material. Besides, these science experiments for kids will help them continue with their education in these uncertain times. So, to make them enjoy both science and the lockdown, we’ve curated a list of easy at home science experiments for kids. Without further ado, let’s have a look at them!
Also read: 8 Productive Things to Do When Bored at Home for Kids
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Invisible Ink
Image: thiswestcoastmommy.com
Teach your kids to send across a secret message with the help of one of the super easy science experiments to do at home. Just dip a cotton bud in lemon juice and write/draw on a paper, let it dry, and hold it over a heat source for the message to appear. If you’re wondering what is the science behind this, it is the acid in lemon which changes color on exposure to heat. -
Egg in a Bottle
Image: leftbraincraftbrain.com
Witness temperature and air pressure at play with this cool experiment to do at home. Surprise your friends by fitting an egg into a bottle using a simple trick of putting in lighted match-sticks in the bottle and sealing it with a boiled egg. As soon as the matches go out, the air inside the bottle will become lighter while the air pressure outside won’t change and the egg will be pushed inside by it. You can get a detailed explanation of what exactly happens to let your kids know. -
Solar Oven
Image: childsci.org
Another one from the bunch of easy at home science experiments for kids is the solar oven. You can easily make one with your kids using simple stationery and household objects to make some yummy hot treats over an afternoon. It’ll be made in a way that traps sunlight and collects it at the right place for food to cook. Learn how to make it and teach kids about heat absorption, reflecting sun rays, and heat conductors and insulators while executing it. -
Find Your Blind Spot
Image: exploratorium.edu
One of the uber easy experiments to do at home is to find your blind spot and learn how your vision works. Done using minimal objects, this is one of those easy science projects for kids which give them a chance to know about the human body, in this case, the eyes. It just requires you to hold a carefully marked card in front of your eyes and move it back and forth to find your blind spot. Learn more and educate your kids! -
Water Xylophone
Image: adabofgluewilldo.com
Along with being one of the easy science experiments to do at home, this one lets you create music too. Your kids can make their own musical instruments with the help of the most basic materials and learn about sound waves. Just get them to fill a few glasses with varying levels of water and strike a wooden stick or a skewer to the rims to create sounds of different pitches. -
Tie-Dyed Milk
Image: thecraftingchicks.com
There are many ways you can teach your tiny tots about surface tension through fun experiments to do at home. One of these is this easy science experiment for kids where you pour a layer of milk in a shallow bowl, add a few drops of food color away from the center, and then put a very tiny drop of soap at the center to observe that the colors stream away from the soap. Find out how surface tension plays its part here and perform with your kids to awe them. -
Tornado in a Jar
Image: playdoughtoplato.com
An interesting way to learn about the weather, this is one of those quick and simple experiments to do at home. In just a few minutes, with the use of everyday things, kids will be able to create their own miniature tornado. This exciting activity requires you to fill 3/4 of a clean jar with water, add soap and vinegar, close the lid, and swirl as explained. The spinning of the jar forms a vortex at the center and the centripetal force makes the water spin around that vortex like it happens when a tornado occurs. This is indeed one of the easy science projects for kids that they’ll thoroughly enjoy. -
Potato Battery
Image: wikihow.com
Picked from the cluster of cool experiments to do at home, this one is for the older kids. They’ll be amazed to know about the amount of energy a regular potato holds to be used as a battery. Following a few simple steps, they can light up a bulb with just a potato and a few other household items. The activity will provide an insight into basic concepts of electricity, the working of a battery, and how a potato serves as one. -
Salt-Water Density
Image: sciencekiddo.com
Find out how different bodies float in the water with easy at home science experiments for kids. Take four glasses and fill them with water. Add salt in the first glass, sugar in second and baking soda in third. Leave the fourth glass with fresh water. Now, put small plastic pieces or grapes in each glass and observe if they float or not. Since saltwater has more density than freshwater, some objects will sink in freshwater while the same objects will float in the saltwater. The coolest way to learn of water density, this series of science experiments for kids has been carried out for ages. -
Light Refraction
Image: lookwerelearning.com
Can you change the direction of arrows drawn on a paper without touching them? Well, with one of the most hassle-free and fun experiments to do at home, you can. A simple property of light called refraction is at the core of this experiment. Take a sticky note and draw two horizontal arrows pointing in different directions. Fill a transparent bottle with water and slide it in front of the sticky note. Then, lo and behold, the direction of arrows will be reversed due to the refraction of light.
Also read: 8 Most Useful New Skills to Learn During Quarantine
In a Nutshell
Listed above are easy science experiments to do at home which don’t only teach kids the fundamentals of science but are great boredom busters also. Execute these with the help of things easily available in the house and turn the mundane days into exciting ones. Besides, these easy science projects for kids are an ideal way to develop their interest in science and build a better understanding of concepts.
Feature image take from schriever.af.mil
