Our Summer holidays are about to start, so I thought it would be a good time to spruce up this post full of Summer Science Challenges for kids. All the activities are very simple and use mostly things you probably already have around the house.

For an ultimate summer of science, try one activity each day, or just pick and choose the ones you like when you have a bit of spare time!

FREE Printable Science Challenges

The lovely Mrs Mactivity has created some fun printable science challenges that you can cut out and use as prompts. Scroll to the bottom of the post to download.

If you haven't heard of Mrs Mactivity, do go and take a look at her website; she has some wonderful primary resources available.

Science Challenges for Summer

Build a tower with sugar cubes

A sugar cube tower is a fantastic, inexpensive STEM challenge. Children can build tall towers or bigger structures.

• How tall can you build a tower before it falls down?
• What happens if you spray the cubes with water?
• Can you add anything to stop water travelling up the columns of cubes?

Make your own lava lamp

All you need to make a lava lamp is oil, water and an Alka Seltzer or effervescent vitamin tablet. These are great as they can be used over and over again. Just wait for the reaction to stop, add a bit more Alka Seltzer, and it'll start all over again!

Make a treasure map

Use coffee or tea to colour paper and create a fun treasure map.

This is great for experimenting with different concentrations of liquid. A more concentrated tea or coffee solution will give a darker coloured map.

Invisible ink

Mix a little lemon or lime juice with water and write a message on a piece of paper.

Ask an adult to put it in the oven, and the message will appear.

What can you build with a cardboard box?

Can you build something functional with a cardboard box?

We added a kitchen roll holder and space for a sink to our cardboard kitchen.

Make a solar oven

Make a delicious dessert with a solar oven! This is a great activity for learning about reflecting and absorbing materials.

Simple sinking and floating

Design a sinking and floating experiment. This is a great paddling pool science activity on a warm summer day.

Children can make predictions first, then investigate to see if they're correct. Some items might surprise them!

Spinning Felt Tip Pens

Use cardboard discs to make spinning pens. You can make these with paper and thinner or thicker card to see which works best.

Coke and Mento Reaction

Drop a mento into a bottle of fizzy drink and watch what happens. Remember to stand back and drop the mento in as fast as you can!

As an extra challenge, kids can investigate whether low sugar drinks erupt better than full sugar varieties.

The coke and mento reaction is a science activity everyone should try at least once.

Investigate which substances react with baking soda

Can you predict which substances will react with baking soda? Were your predictions correct?

Go on a bug hunt

Looking for bugs is a fantastic summer science challenge that doesn't cost anything. Download my FREE bug hunt template to make it even easier!

Set up an easy egg drop experiment

Something like our Humpty Dumpty egg drop experiment always works well. The idea is to place an egg in a bag filled with a protective material and then drop the bag to investigate which material best protects the egg.

Blow up a balloon

Blow up a balloon with Alka Seltzer or an effervescent vitamin tablet. Alka Seltzer and water react together, releasing carbon dioxide gas. The gas fills the space in the container and then fills the balloon, inflating it!

Build a structure with marshmallows and straws

Warning - marshmallow and straw towers can be a bit sticky, but is great fun and a fantastic team building science activity.

Make a marble maze

Design and build a LEGO marble maze? Or use marbles inside a cardboard box.

Make a Baking Soda Volcano

The volcano below is made using papier mache, but sand also works well!

Check out our baking soda volcano ideas for inspiration.

Baking Soda Reactions

Set up some simple baking soda reactions outdoors. These could be fairy themed, witchy potions or just simple messy play.

Make Music

Play a tune using water and glass bottles. If you don't have glass bottles, make a guitar by stretching elastic bands over a cardboard box.

Square Bubbles

You can't really create a square bubble, but you can create something that looks like a square bubble using a cube frame dipped in bubble mix.

How strong is a Candy House

Build a house from sweets. We usually experiment with different types of "glue" to find out which works the best.

Once the house is built, the fun bit is testing how strong it is!

Ice Painting

Try some ice painting, simply freeze a sheet of ice or an ice shape and paint over the top. Once finished, you can wipe away your creation and start over.

Find the colours of the rainbow

Search for the colours of the rainbow in a bubble. When light from the sun shines through the bubbles, it is reflected and dispersed, splitting white light into its different wavelengths and revealing all the colours of the rainbow!

Split light with a prism

Can you split light into a rainbow using a prism?

Make ice cream with ice and salt

Use ice and salt to make ice cream from milk. This is a delicious activity for a sunny day. The salt lowers the freezing point of the ice, which then draws heat from the milk mixture, causing it to freeze.

Dissect a flower

Can you dissect a flower and separate the parts? Do you know the function of each?

Fairy Potions

Make a fairy potion, collect flowers and herbs to make a lovely smelling potion. Does the water change colour? Which smells are the strongest?

Jumping Frogs

Can you make some jumping frogs and learn about static electricity?

Sand Volcano

Make a volcano with sand. We covered this one with cling film to keep the sand clean.

Baking Soda Explosion

Can you make a fizzy baking soda explosion?

Build a raft

Can you build a raft with sticks and test to see if it floats?

Cork boats

Can you make a cork boat and test to see if it floats?

Rainbow in water

Can you spot a rainbow in a spray of water? This is an easy way to see light split into its constituent colours!

Spin art pictures

Use a salad spinner to make a spin art picture.

Slime time!

Create colourful slime using cornstarch, water, and food colouring.

Scrunch it to make it solid and then watch it run through your fingers as it turns into a liquid!

Football Box Game

Make a football in a box game by blowing down a straw to move marbles covered in paint. How many goals can you score?

Playdough Brain

Can you make a playdough brain? This is a fantastic way to learn about the various parts of the brain and their functions.

How to make an egg float

Try a bit of science magic and make an egg float. All you need for this simple science trick is an egg, jug, water and salt.

Why does Pizza Dough Rise?

Do you know why pizza dough rises ? Find out while making a delicious meal!

Even More Science Challenges

Make Raisins Dance

Make raisins dance around a glass with some clever science. Adding baking soda causes the raisins to move around, as if they're dancing!

Build a Giant Catapult

We used our giant catapult as a tennis ball launcher, but you could also try using water balloons or table tennis balls.

Science Challenge Cards

New for 2018 are these amazing Science Challenge printable cards, created for us by the wonderful Mrs Mactivity.

If these aren't quite what you're looking for, try one of my other fun science experiments for kids.

Last Updated on July 8, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Summer Science Challenges for Kids appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

A tower of slippery ice cubes might sound impossible to build, but adding a little salt makes it much easier!

Materials

Ice - 4-8 cubes

Salt

Plate or tray

Instructions

Try to stack the ice cubes. They will topple off each other.

Leave the ice cubes to melt for a few minutes.

Try to stack the cubes again, but this time sprinkle salt over the top of each one before adding the next.

You should now be able to build a small tower of ice cubes!

Extension Task

Use the same concept to lift an ice cube with a piece of string.

Science concepts

Changes of state

Last Updated on July 3, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Build a tower of ice cubes appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Beat the heat or embrace the cold with my collection of cool ice cube experiments. From exciting colour changes to gravity defying tricks and icy engineering challenges, get ready for some surprisingly simple, hands-on science that's sure to make your summer cooler.

You only need ice and salt for most of these investigations, making them fun and inexpensive!

Science Experiments Using Ice Cubes

Lift ice with string

Find out how to lift ice cubes with string ( and a little salt ). This is a brilliantly visual science trick that always looks impressive.

Make ice cream with ice cubes

Use ice cubes and salt to make ice cream from milk! This tasty science experiment uses salt to lower the freezing point of water, drawing heat from the surroundings ( the milk ) to do it.

When salt is added to the ice in the outer bag, the ice starts to melt. Melting needs energy, which in this case comes from the milk mixture in the inner bag. Heat energy is absorbed from the milk, causing ice crystals to form, which then turn the milk into ice cream.

Ice Decorations

Ice decorations are fun to make in winter or summer. Children can hang these from trees or around a garden and observe how long it takes for them to melt. We like to use shaped ice cube trays and add small petals and flowers to decorate them.

Ice Excavations

Set up an ice excavation. Ice excavations can be made to any theme, and allow children to experiment with warm water, cold water and salt to try to melt the ice.

If the weather is very cold, you can leave water in a tray out overnight to see if it freezes!

Create Frost on a Can

Use ice cubes to make frost appear on the outside of a tin can. This activity visually demonstrates to children how adding salt to an ice and water mixture lowers the temperature of the water.

Find out if ice melts faster in salt water or freshwater

Pop an ice cube in salty water and an ice cube in freshwater to see which melts the fastest.

Ice Cube Towers

Building a tower from slippery ice cubes might sound impossible, but if you leave the ice cubes to melt a little and add a sprinkle of salt to each one. Salt makes the water melt, then refreeze, sticking the ice cubes together!

Last Updated on July 3, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Cool Ice Cube Experiments for Kids appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

A school gardening club is a great way to get kids outside while learning about plants and nature. There's nothing better than picking fruit or vegetables you've grown yourself, and the experience is a unique educational opportunity. A school gardening club is more than just planting seeds, it cultivates curiosity, patience, teamwork and provides a valuable insight into where our food comes from. Children can get a real seed to kitchen table experience, all while spending time outdoors learning in nature.

Gardening club isn't just for summer, either. Kids can grow plants all year round, as well as think about how to protect them from pests and the nutrients they need to grow successfully.

School Garden Club Ideas

Planting and growing fruit and vegetables is the obvious garden club activity, but there's so much more that children can do in the garden.

Design and build mini greenhouses

Starting seeds off in a mini greenhouse is a fantastic way to learn about germination, as the seeds are visible if you use a clear plastic container.

Plant a seed in a pot to take home

Sunflowers or beans are great for this activity. A class or school competition to see who can grow the tallest bean or sunflower is a fun challenge, too.

What plants are good to grow in a school garden club

Summer

1. Pumpkins
2. Peppers
3. Herbs

Autumn

Hardy annual plants are good to plant at this time of year.

Plant bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, and snowdrops to flower in the spring.

If you want plants to harvest over the winter, garlic, onions, kale, and chard can all be planted in autumn.

Grow a herb garden

Herbs are easy to grow, hardy and smell great. A school herb garden is a lovely way to incorporate the plants grown into food that the children see cooked and eaten, too.

Nature activity ideas for a school garden club

Set up a compost bin.

A compost bin a fantastic way to introduce children to sustainable practices in the garden. Attainable Sustainable has an easy guide to making a compost bin.

Go on a bug hunt.

A bug hunt is a great interactive way to learn about bugs in the garden. Use my handy minibeast checklist to get started.

Save plants from pests

Test natural ways to stop insects and other animals from eating the plants. Copper tape and egg shells, for example, are good for stopping slugs.

Marigolds and garlic are good for naturally repelling pests.

Pesticides and other chemicals are toxic to bees so it's really important to avoid using them if you can.

Grow a bee garden

Grow a bee garden full of plants that attract bees. Choose plants with different flower shapes as different species of bees have different length tongues. Native plants are often better suited to local bee species.

Build a bug hotel

Build a bug hotel to attract small insects like ladybirds, bees, and butterflies. Pinecones, bamboo sticks, twigs, and other natural materials are good materials to use. If you don't have much room, Red Ted Art has a great idea for a small, simple bug hotel.

Feed the birds

Make a simple birdfeeder using pinecones, lard and seeds. Birdfeeders are a good winter garden club activity as winter is when food for birds is in short supply.

If you want an even easier birdfeeder, threading Cheerios onto a pipecleaner to hang on a tree is another fun idea.

Last Updated on June 25, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

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World Ocean Day is celebrated around the world on June 8th to highlight the crucial role oceans play in supporting life on Earth. Did you know that oceans produce around 50% of the Earth's oxygen and provide a main source of protein for billions of people? The health of our oceans is vitally linked to the overall health of our incredible planet and its ability to maintain a stable climate. We should all be fighting to protect them.

Aside from the practical benefits of healthy oceans, oceans are home to much of the Earth's biodiversity and a source of wonder and inspiration for people everywhere. Oceans are thought to be close to critical levels of acidity, which will have far-reaching effects on ocean life. We need to act now to save our oceans, before it's too late.

I've pulled together a collection of science activities, investigations and experiments to help kids learn about the importance of our oceans and the damaging effects human activities are having on them.

Activity ideas for learning about oceans

Plastic Pollution

Using water, sand, and rubbish, create an eye-opening illustration of the effects of plastic pollution on our oceans.

If you want a longer lasting activity, use a shoebox to create a marine habitat and add rubbish to the scene.

Rising Ocean Temperatures

One way to demonstrate that the Earth's oceans are absorbing a lot of the extra heat from climate change is to show that a balloon with water inside doesn't pop when placed over a candle as the water absorbs the heat! If a balloon filled with air is placed close to a candle, it will burst very quickly.

Oceans have absorbed over 90% of the excess heat from greenhouse gases, and the top ten feet of the oceans hold as much heat as the entire atmosphere!

Overfishing

Fishing is one of the biggest threats to marine life, with most species being overfished.

Fishing methods like bottom trawling can have a devastating effect on the seabed and accidentally catch species they don't need.

The Marine Stewardship Council has a great video about overfishing.

Destruction of habitats

Learn about the devastation caused by oil spills with an oil spill clean up activity.

Design an Ocean Clean Up Machine with my free STEM Challenge worksheet.

Fun facts about Oceans

Less than 10% of the Earth's oceans have been explored.

The ocean covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface.

50-80% of all life on Earth is in the oceans.

The deepest part of the ocean is deeper than Mount Everest is tall!!

The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.

Oceans contain 97% of the Earth's water.

90% of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans.

Humans have named five oceans, but they are actually one continuous body of saltwater: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic.

More ideas for World Ocean Day

The World Ocean Day website has lots of fantastic ocean themed resources for kids. We especially enjoyed the Octonauts themed activities.

If you live near the sea, organise or join a local beach clean-up.

Watch a documentary about the ocean, all the below are fantastic!

A Plastic Ocean - Amazon

Wonders of the Ocean - National Geographic

Ocean with David Attenborough - Disney +

References

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/ocean-heat-content-rises

https://www.marinebio.org/creatures/facts/

Last Updated on June 17, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Easy Ideas for World Ocean Day appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Get ready to shoot some hoops with a fun DIY mini basketball game made from craft sticks, cardboard, and a straw. It's a fun way to learn about energy while building a simple machine for a purpose.

The challenge is to use your engineering skills to design, build and then play with a mini basketball game.

Mini Basketball STEM Challenge

You'll need

7 craft or lolly sticks

4 elastic bands

Table tennis ball or other small light ball

Craft materials

Tape

Instructions

Follow my instructions for making a simple lollystick catapult.

Gather together craft and recycled materials to build a basketball net.

Test your catapult and net!

Use my FREE STEM Challenge sheet to help with your design.

A lolly stick catapult is a fantastic demonstration of transfer of energy. When the catapult arm is pushed down, it stores potential energy, which is transferred to the ball as kinetic energy when the arm is released.

How does a catapult work?

When the catapult arm is released, it springs back to its original shape, and the rubber bands contract, propelling the arm upwards. Kinetic energy is transferred from the catapult arm to the ball, which gains kinetic energy and is launched into the air.

Last Updated on June 6, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post DIY Mini Basketball Game appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

If you're short on space and resources, my simple science in a shoebox ideas might be helpful. Each activity uses very basic materials, can be stored in a shoebox and uses a shoebox! All you need are some craft materials and a little imagination!

Once the activity is finished, you can stack the final product for storage, transport the whole experiment without bits falling off or display it nicely for everyone to admire!

Science in a Shoebox

Shoebox Catapult

The traditional shoebox catapult is a great science investigation for learning about forces and the conservation of energy.

Once the catapult is made, it can be used in many different ways. Children can experiment by catapulting different size objects and measuring how far each one travels.

Another idea is to build a target to aim small pom poms or ping pong balls towards.

Create a Habitat

A shoebox is a great size to make a habitat inside. Older children can add moving parts or create two habitats to show the possible effects of climate change or pollution on wildlife. We made a very simple polar shoebox habitat.

Floating Objects

Use a magnet to create a floating object inside a shoebox! This is a great activity for learning about magnetism and looks fantastic too. The rocket looks like it's floating as it has a paperclip attached, which is attracted to the magnet on top.

The magnetic force between the paper clip and magnet is stronger than the pull of gravity, so the paper clip stays suspended in the air rather than falling to the bottom of the box.

Seismometer in a box

My simple seismometer model shows how earthquakes are measured and is an excellent addition to an earthquake topic or a fun mini science project. It's a very simple model, but it nicely demonstrates the core principles of a real seismometer.

When the paper under the pen is pulled through, and the shoebox is still, the pen draws a straight line.

The pen draws a wiggly line when the shoebox is shaken ( simulating an earthquake ). The zigzags should be bigger if the box is shaken more vigorously.

Mini Marble Run

A shoebox is a perfect container for a mini marble run. Use cardboard tubes attached to the back wall of the box. The tubes can be cut in half or left whole.

Marble runs are great for learning how gradient affects speed, gravity and friction. Gravity pulls down on the marble, forcing it to roll down the tubes. Friction between the marble and the tube slows it down. We like to add a rough surface to the inside of one of the tubes to slow the marble down as much as we can.

A fun team building marble run challenge is for small teams to build the slowest marble run they can! This needs a slightly sloping track, just steep enough to overcome friction so the marble moves slowly.

Create a Pneumatic System

Use syringes to make a box open with pneumatics. This version is spring-themed, but there are endless creative opportunities around this idea. You could make a pirate treasure chest that opens, a picnic basket or even a toy box full of toys!

More ideas for science in a shoebox

Rainy Day Mum has a brilliant Newton's Cradle made from a shoebox frame.

Instructables has a clever smartphone projector that would make a great science project for older children and is great for a party or sleepover!

If you know of any more shoebox science experiments, please let me know, and I will add them!

Last Updated on June 5, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Science Experiments in a Shoebox appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Have you ever looked at the clouds and wondered how they form, impact the weather or why they are different shapes and sizes?

I've created a basic cloud spotter guide and collected my favourite science activities about clouds into one place. First, we'll look at how to recognise different types of clouds and then share ideas for learning about clouds.

When looking at and naming clouds, two things to consider are whether the cloud is layered or heaped and its altitude.

Quick guide to cloud names

Stratus means layered or spread out.

Cumulus means heaped or piled.

Nimbus means rain bearing.

Cirrus means high.

Low Altitude Clouds - below 2km

Low Clouds - layered

The lowest type of clouds are stratus clouds, which are layered. Fog is very low lying stratus cloud.

Low Clouds - heaped

Low, heaped clouds are cumulus clouds. These are the puffy, cotton wool type clouds you see on a sunny day.

Low Clouds - heaped and layered

Stratocumulus clouds are low clouds that are heaped and layered. They are usually seen on an overcast day.

Middle Altitude Clouds 9 ( 2-7 km )

Middle clouds - layered

Altostratus clouds are stratus-like clouds at middle altitudes ( 2-6km above the surface ). These clouds often look grey.

Middle clouds - heaped

Altocumulus are heaped clouds at middle altitude. They appear patchy and wavy with white or grey layers.

High Clouds ( above 7 km )

Cirrus clouds are high ( above 6km ), wispy, and white. They are made from ice crystals.

High clouds - layered

Layered Cirrus clouds are known as Cirrostratus.

High clouds - heasped

Cotton type cirrus clouds are known as Cirrocumulus. These look like ripples of small, white patches.

Rain Clouds

Nimbostratus is a flat rain cloud found at middle to low altitudes, usually seen on drizzly days.

Cumulonimbus are thunderstorm clouds associated with heavy rain and lightning. Cumulonimbus clouds are unique as they can span multiple altitude ranges, often from the lowest to the highest.

Science Activities for Learning About Clouds

Find out how clouds form with a cloud in a jar science demonstration.

Create different types of clouds using egg white.

Use shaving foam and food colouring to discover why rain falls when a cloud gets heavy enough.

Watch hot air rise with a convection current made with warm water and food colouring.

Find out why the sky is blue!

Learn about evaporation and the water cycle with a simple water cycle demonstration.

Last Updated on June 5, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Science Experiments for Learning about Clouds appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

This fun and creative activity helps children visualise a Butterfly's Life Cycle by encouraging them to think of edible items to represent each stage of the cycle.

This activity would be great for younger children to read alongside The Very Hungry Caterpillar, too!

Don't forget I have lots more kitchen science experiments to try if you enjoy this one!

The Butterfly Life Cycle

The life cycle of a butterfly has four stages, each lasting anywhere between one month and a whole year!

Stage 1 - Butterfly Egg

The first stage is the egg. Butterfly eggs are very small and round or oval. If you look carefully, you might even see a teeny tiny caterpillar growing inside them! The actual shape of the egg depends on the type of butterfly inside. Butterfly eggs are laid on leaves.

Stage 2 - Caterpillar ( Larva )

We call butterfly larvae caterpillars. Caterpillars hatch from the tiny eggs in stage 1. Caterpillars mostly eat!

Did you know that mother butterflies lay their eggs on a type of leaf their caterpillars like to eat? This is because caterpillars cannot easily travel to find a source of food they like.

The skin of a caterpillar doesn't grow with the caterpillar, so they shed their skin several times as they grow.

The caterpillars you can see below are from an Insect Lore Butterfly World set. I would 100% recommend buying one. Releasing the adult butterflies into the world was amazing, and the whole process was fascinating to watch.

Stage 3 - Chrysalis ( Pupa )

Once the caterpillar is fully grown, it forms a pupa or chrysalis around itself. Inside the chrysalis, a transformation called metamorphosis occurs.

Stage 4 - Butterfly

Once the process of metamorphosis is complete, the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis!

Female adult butterflies reproduce and lay eggs on leaves, ready for the life cycle to start again.

Egg – Caterpillar – Chrysalis - Butterfly

How to make an edible butterfly life cycle

What you’ll need

Marshmallows, yoghurt raisins, eggs

Sweet Caterpillars, spring onion – caterpillars – you could use two different sizes here to show how the caterpillar grows.

Liquorice, long marshmallows, physalis - chrysalis.

Pasta bows, orange segments - butterfly

Use a paper plate or use my FREE printable life cycle.

Instructions for Butterfly Life Cycle

Look at all the items you have available and find the best match for each life cycle stage.

Place the items in the correct order on a paper plate and add arrows to show the direction of change.

Ask a friend if they can tell what each stage represents.

Caterpillars often shed their skin and eat lots of leaves. Can you add these stages to your life cycle?

Extension ideas

Try using fruit and vegetables to make a butterfly life cycle model.

Create an edible life cycle for a frog or ant.

Butterfly wings are symmetrical; practice drawing a symmetrical butterfly.

More Science for Kids

Find out what dinosaurs ate by making dino poop!

Make a flowering plant life cycle plate!

Science concepts

Metamorphosis

Lifecycles

Suitable for Key Stage 2 Science

Living Things and Their Habitats

Affiliate links

Last Updated on May 19, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Edible Butterfly Life Cycle appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Ace your GCSE science exams with confidence using these free science resources. Whether you're looking for interactive explanations, practice questions, past papers, online classes, revision guides or a virtual quiz, these brilliant websites are a fantastic place to start.

Every student learns differently, so finding which way works for you is important!

The sheer amount of information on the web can be overwhelming, so we've pulled together the best resources for GCSE science, which contain almost everything you need to tackle biology, chemistry, and physics exams successfully.

GCSE Science Resources

Physics and Maths Tutor offers a wide range of resources for GCSE and A-Levels, including past papers, revision notes, practice questions by topic and even predicted papers.

Save My Exams provides exam questions, revision notes, flashcards and past papers for a variety of subjects and exam boards.

MyEdSpace has been a very useful resource in our house this year. The summer and Easter holiday live lessons helped keep my daughter on track, and the FREE cram courses the night before the exam have been a fantastic way to ensure she had covered all the topics. In addition to the holiday courses, which are very reasonably priced, there are courses for GCSE and A Level science and English that run throughout the year. Lessons are interactive and live! We 100% recommend MyEdSpace. *

Seneca Learning is a free homework and revision platform for Key Stages 2 to A-Level. It offers AI-marked question papers and an AI tutor. The basic platform is free, but premium options are available for an extra charge. Seneca is especially good for its quizzes and notes related to the questions.

Revision World offers past papers and revision notes as well as a study planner and exam tips.

CGP books are fantastic revision resources that explain the full curriculum in an easy-to-understand and often humorous way. The website also offers some free online resources, including quizzes and digital versions of the revision guides.

Top Tips for GCSE Revision

Remember to check that you're using the correct papers, revision notes, and questions for the exam board used by your school. The content does differ slightly between exam boards.

Start revising early and plan your revision with a timetable.

Get plenty of sleep.

Take regular breaks and try to make time to get outdoors.

Set up a tidy space to study with good light and no distractions.

Do lots of past papers and remember to mark them!

*Affiliate link

Last Updated on May 16, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Ace Your Exams: Fantastic GCSE Science Resources appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Making an air pressure powered drinks dispenser is easier than it looks, and a fantastic hands-on air pressure demonstration.

What is air pressure?

Air and its particles are crashing into us all the time. What we call air pressure is the force of these particles hitting a surface.

When you suck a straw you reduce the pressure inside the straw, making the pressure outside the straw acting on the liquid greater than the pressure inside the straw. This pushes the liquid up the straw, allowing you to drink it!

Drinks Dispenser Air Pressure Demonstration

You'll need

Balloon

Peg - optional, but helpful

Plastic bottle - I used a 750ml bottle

Plasticine or putty

Plastic Straw

Water

Small container

How to make an air pressure drinks dispenser

Carefully make a small hole about halfway up the bottle and push the straw through, leaving ⅓ to ½ on the outside.

Fill the bottle about three-quarters full of water.

Blow up the balloon, twist and seal the neck with a peg. Carefully place the end of the balloon on the bottle neck and place a glass under the straw.

When you're ready, remove the peg and watch as the water shoots out of the straw into the glass!

Be careful, as it might shoot out further than you expect.

Why does this happen?

Air presses down equally on the water in the bottle and in the straw when no balloon is present ( or the balloon is pegged ), but when the peg is removed, air from the balloon increases the air pressure in the bottle, pushing down on the water, forcing it through the straw.

More Air Pressure Experiments

Air pressure is a great concept to explore as it causes lots of fun effects.

Demonstrate the Bernoulli Principle with a very simple demonstration using a plastic bottle and a ball of paper.

Suck a boiled egg into a jar without touching it.

Build and launch a bottle rocket!

Last Updated on May 14, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Air Pressure Demonstration - DIY Drinks Dispenser appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

A family ski holiday is a great time to try some snowy science experiments, especially if you live somewhere where there's not usually much snow. An alpine ski resort is the perfect location for lots of exciting science. From appreciating the effects of altitude on the human body and the impact of a frozen landscape on nature to understanding the science of skis and the forces involved in skiing safely down a slope, a ski holiday offers a unique opportunity to turn a fun family trip into a hands-on and engaging learning experience.

All four seasons are full of inspiration for science experiments, but there's something extra special about a snow covered mountain.

I recently read an article on how to add science learning and experiments into a family ski trip with Sno, which inspired me to create this list of easy experiments you can do with kids in winter and at altitude without any special equipment.

Science Experiments at Altitude

The Expanding Crisp Packet

You've probably been on a plane and noticed a snack bag fill with air, but did you know this can happen at mountain altitudes too?

Next time you're driving up a mountain or heading up a ski lift, watch how a sealed crisp bag or snack packet changes as the altitude increases.

You should find that the packet looks and feels more inflated at higher altitudes.

Why does the packet become more inflated?

The crisp packet was sealed at a lower altitude where atmospheric pressure is higher than at higher altitudes. A certain amount of air was trapped inside the bag at that higher pressure.

As altitude increases, the atmospheric pressure outside the bag decreases, but the amount of air inside the bag stays the same. This means the air inside the bag now exerts greater pressure on the air outside, making it puff up.

Altitude Taste Test

If you like to ski with a pocket full of energy-boosting snacks, this is the ski holiday science investigation for you!

Did you know that altitude can change the way you perceive taste? Lower oxygen levels are thought to affect the olfactory receptors in the nose, which play a role in how we taste.

Changes in air pressure can also affect taste buds.

Do things taste different at altitude?

You'll need

A sweet, sour or salty snack ( or maybe all 3 ).

Instructions

Taste the snack at the lowest altitude you can and record the strength of the flavour on a scale of 1-10.

Taste the snack again at a higher altitude and try the taste test again.

Remember that the person tasting the snack must be the same.

A fun variation of this is for one person to feed another a couple of flavours of jelly beans and see if they can tell the difference between colours or flavours at the different altitudes.

You can also use jelly beans to explore the effect of smell on taste.

Science Experiments in the Snow

Super snowballs

This activity is a fun investigation into how using different types of snow changes the properties of the snowballs made.

You'll need

Fresh powdery snow

Wet snow

Instructions

Pick up a handful of the fresh snow and squash it together in your hands to make a snowball.

Pick up a similar amount of wet snow and squash it together to make a snowball.

What's happening

You should find that snow takes up less space when in a snowball shape than when it is loose. By squashing the snow in your hands, you are increasing its density. Loose, fresh snow has a low density as there's lots of air trapped between the flakes of snow. When you squash the snow to make a snowball, you are pushing the snowflakes closer together and squeezing out a lot of the air. This reduces the volume of the snow and increases its density while the overall mass stays the same.

The wet snow should make a dense snowball more easily than the loose snow, as there is less air between the snowflakes.

A denser snowball will be harder, so take care if you use these for a snowball fight!

Extension task

Collect two handfuls of snow, trying to make sure they are similar sizes. Place one handful on a plate loosely, squash one into a snowball shape, and place that on a plate too. Put both plates in the sun and watch to see which melts first. The denser snowball should melt more slowly as it has less surface area exposed to the sun.

Stop the Freeze

This simple activity teaches children about insulating materials. The idea is to cover a cup of snow with materials that will prevent it from melting or becoming icy.

You'll need

Two small containers

Snow

Different materials - bubble wrap, paper, a scarf or a glove

A very cold night

Instructions

Fill both containers to the top with snow.

Completely cover one container with insulating materials.

Leave both containers outside overnight.

In the morning, check the snow in each container.

If the night was cold enough, you should find that the exposed snow has become icy, while the insulated snow has mostly stayed the same.

An alternative to this activity is to leave the containers in the sun to investigate whether the insulating materials stop the snow from melting.

Snow Volcano

I know people don't usually take baking soda and vinegar on holiday, but if you fancy doing a bit of shopping when you're there, a snow volcano is always great fun!

More science ideas for your ski holiday

Skis and Friction

Do you find your skis or snowboard go much faster after being waxed? This is because of friction. The rougher the surface, the greater the effect of friction. When skis are well used and rough, there's more friction between them and the snow, which slows them down.

Freshly waxed smooth skis will feel smoother and faster as you ski down a slope, as there's not much friction between the snow and the skis.

Read more about the science behind skiing.

How do snowshoes work?

Find out how snowshoes work and design your own with my easy snowshoe STEM Challenge.

Do you have any more science ideas for a ski holiday we can add to our list?

Last Updated on May 14, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Cool Science Experiments For Your Ski Holiday appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Have you ever wondered why a bag of crisps ( or potato chips ) expands on an aeroplane? It's all about air pressure.

The crisp packet was sealed at a lower altitude where atmospheric pressure is higher than at higher altitudes.

As a plane takes off and altitude increases, the atmospheric pressure outside the bag decreases, but the amount of air inside the bag stays the same. This means the air inside the bag now exerts greater pressure on the air outside, making it puff up.

Last Updated on May 14, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Why Do Crisp Packets Puff Up at High Altitude? The Science Explained appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Summer is a brilliant time to explore science outdoors with children. You don't have to set up fancy experiments, even just looking at properties of plants and leaves or testing to see if different items sink or float in a paddling pool is great, simple science for little ones.

Older children will love building bottle rockets, setting up chain reactions and making square bubbles.

I've compiled a fun list of our favourite summer science ideas from Science Sparks and many other fantastic blogs to keep kids of all ages happy all summer.

My DIY science camp also has some great summer science ideas, so check those out, too!

Awesome summer science ideas for kids

Summer Science Experiments Using Water

Garden washing line

Set up an Aliens LOVE Underpants washing line to investigate how different materials absorb different amounts of water. This is a brilliant hands-on science activity for learning about the different properties of materials.

Paddling Pool Science Experiments

Next time you get the paddling pool out, try one of my five paddling pool experiment ideas. These include sinking and floating, making boats and learning about density!

Ice Excavation

Set up some simple ice excavations. These are super easy. Just freeze some small plastic toys in ice and ask children to rescue them using warm water or salt!

Waterproof a roof

Test different materials on a small LEGO® house to learn about their properties and discover which are waterproof.

Try a fun trick for keeping a paper towel dry from Creative connections for Kids.

Weather Science Investigations

Homemade Barometer

Make an easy barometer to learn about air pressure! This is a great science activity for observing changes over time.

DIY Wind Vane

Build a homemade wind vane to learn about wind strength, or follow Red Ted Art's easy instructions for making a DIY kite.

Rain Gauge from a Bottle

Make a super simple rain gauge from a plastic bottle to measure rainfall. A rain gauge is another easy activity for observing changes over time.

Pinecone Weather Station

A pinecone weather station is ALWAYS fun and a great example of super simple, inexpensive science for kids.

DIY Sundial

Find out how to tell the time with a sundial. This is another brilliant low resource science activity.

Summer Bubble Science Experiments

Rainbow Bubbles

Make rainbow bubbles. Bubbles are great fun for any time of year, but there's not much better than chasing bubbles around a sunny garden.

Bubble Snakes

Bubble Snakes are fantastic fun, too! As an extra challenge, children can experiment with different materials at the end of the bottle to find out which makes the best bubbles. This activity now comes with a FREE bubble machine experiment sheet.

Square Bubble

Did you know you can make a square bubble? You can't really, but you can create an illusion of a slightly wonky cube with a special frame!

Summer Science Experiments Using Sand

Sand Volcano

Last winter, we made an awesome snow volcano, but sand also works really well. If you do it in a tray, it is a great low-prep erupting volcano project.

Evaporation Activities

Learn about evaporation using sand and water on a sunny day. Another visual way to learn about evaporation is using coloured water and salt.

Sand and Water Ratio for a Sandcastle

Investigate to find what you need to make the perfect sandcastle. We experimented to find the perfect ratio of sand to water.

Set yourself up with a science lab in the garden and try a dissolving investigation.

Forces and Motion Experiments

Bottle Rocket

How high can you get a bottle rocket to launch? Remember to stand back as these shoot up with a bang!

Bottle rockets are a fantastic team building STEM challenge because they require a bit of engineering. They'd also make a fantastic class or school competition.

Straw Shooters

Make straw shooters with friends. We like to set up a competition to see whose mini rocket can travel the furthest.

Egg Parachute

Building a parachute for an egg is ALWAYS a fun activity. If you're feeling brave, use an unboiled egg!

Lollystick Chain Reaction

We once had a great summer creating chain reactions with lolly sticks. They take a bit of setting up, but are most definitely worth the effort. A giant lollystick chain reaction would also make a fantastic start or finish to a science day or event.

Outdoor Kitchen Science for Summer

Oobleck

Oobleck is a fancy name for cornflour and water. It makes a lovely sensory mixture that feels solid when squeezed in your hands and then flows like a liquid when the pressure is released.

We can't wait to try these goop and flower cupcakes from The Imagination Tree.

Melting ice cream investigation

Make ice cream soup with Rainy Day Mum to explore melting with a delicious reward.

Solar Oven

A solar oven is good for making s'mores, but you'll need a hot, sunny day and some time.

Filtering Investigation

Test out filtering by cleaning up dirty water in the garden. Children can use kitchen towel, stones, charcoal or anything else they think might clean the water.

Summer Nature Science Experiments

How tall is a tree?

Find out how tall a tree is using a math trick. You might be surprised at how easy this is.

Flowers Activities

Learn about transpiration with white flowers, food colouring and water.

Dissect a flower to learn about the different parts. This is a very visual, hands-on way for children to learn about the structure of plants and flowers.

Make a wormery

Find out all about Earthworms and how useful they are with a wormery.

Butterfly Activities

Watch butterflies grow with Red Ted Art. I also have a delicious edible butterfly life cycle activity.

Explore the lifecycle of a ladybird with a simple fingerprint activity from Reading Confetti.

Make lovely Chromatography butterflies with Buggy and Buddy

Build a den with sticks and leaves. Do some research first. The Wildlife Trust has some great den-building tips.

Bug Hotel

Design and build a bug hotel. These can be made very simply or on a bigger scale with pallets.

Make rose petal perfume to explore mixing and scents with The Imagination Tree.

Ice Experiments for Kids

Try mixing some colour with ice made from fruit juice. At the end, you'll have a delicious cold smoothie to drink.

Make lovely, pretty summery ice with The Imagination Tree. We like to either speed up the melting of the ice with a bit of salt or warm water, or leave cubes of ice in different places to find out where they melt the fastest.

Giant or even mini ice excavations are great for summer. We once created one so big it took ALL day to melt. One fun variation on trying to make ice melt is trying to make an ice cube last as long as possible without melting.

Summer Science Challenges

We've got enough easy summer science challenges to keep you busy ALL summer, too!

Phew, can you think of any more summer science ideas for us?

I also have a delicious round-up of 50 kitchen science experiments for a rainy day or if you need to escape the sun for a while.

Last Updated on July 4, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post 50 Easy Summer Science Experiments for Kids appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Creating a cloud in a jar is a great way to learn how clouds form and how cloud seeding works.

Clouds form when water vapour condenses or freezes. Water vapour rises, cools and condenses on particles in the air to form a cloud. When clouds become too heavy to be supported by upward air currents, precipitation falls.

This simple activity demonstrates how clouds form. I used smoke as the particles the water vapour condenses on, but in the natural environment, particles can be many different things in the atmosphere, including dust or pollen.

How to make a cloud in a jar

You'll need

A transparent glass jar

Warm water - not boiling

Kitchen foil

Ice

Match

As this activity uses a lit match, an adult should supervise.

Cloud in a Jar Instructions

Fill the jar about one quarter full with warm water.

Ask an adult to light a match, place it slightly inside the jar and blow it out.

Place the foil over the lid of the jar and place ice over the top.

Watch as a cloud forms inside the jar.

When you've seen the cloud form, remove the foil. The cloud will escape from the jar.

More weather science experiments for kids

Find out how to forecast the weather with a pinecone.

Create a water cycle model.

Make a rain cloud in a jar using shaving foam and food colouring.

Last Updated on May 12, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Cloud in a Jar Experiment appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Cloud seeding is when tiny particles are added to clouds to help them produce more precipitation.

Clouds form from tiny, light water droplets or ice crystals. As they bump into each other, they merge to form larger drops. The water droplets fall as rain when they are too heavy to be supported by upward moving air currents.

Cloud seeding involves adding particles that act like seeds for water droplets to hang onto, encouraging clouds to form faster. The particles are usually released from aeroplanes.

Imagine a handful of small light balls. If something sticky is in the middle, they will stick together to form a bigger ball. Cloud seeding provides the sticky centre.

Which chemicals are added to clouds for cloud seeding

Silver iodide - this has a structure similar to ice, so water droplets attach to it more easily.

Dry ice - this is VERY cold and so freezes water droplets

Salt - attracts water, helping droplets grow.

Is cloud seeding safe?

The safety of cloud seeding is a complex issue and the subject of ongoing debate.

Chemicals used

Some people are concerned about silver iodide building up in the environment and possibly affecting aquatic life. We also don't have any information about the long term effects and potential health risks.

Other people argue that the concentration of silver iodide used is low and poses minimal risk to human health and the environment.

Environmental Impacts

Some people are concerned that the chemicals used could build up in water supplies and soil over time.

There are concerns about disrupting natural weather patterns and that introducing precipitation in one area could lead to drought elsewhere.

Increased rainfall could damage crops and disrupt finely balanced ecosystems.

Excess rain could lead to flooding and landslides.

Overall, much more research is needed to fully understand the long term consequences of cloud seeding.

Find out more

Make a rain cloud in a jar.

Monitor rainfall with a DIY rain gauge.

Find out where rain comes from.

Cloud seeding in the news

Cloud seeding and the Dubai floods - 2024

Why cloud seeding cannot make or control the weather - ABC News

References

Huseynli, O. (2024, April 18). Cloud seeding: Advantages and disadvantages | Earth.Org. Earth.Org. https://earth.org/unleashing-the-power-of-cloud-seeding-navigating-potential-and-pitfalls/

Last Updated on April 24, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post What is cloud seeding? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Life on Earth depends on the light and heat from the Sun. While the warmth from the Sun gently warms you on a sunny day, the core of the Sun is a mind-blowing 15 million degrees Celsius ( 27 million degrees Fahrenheit), and the surface is 5500 degrees Celsius ( 10000 degrees Fahrenheit).

That's hot enough to vaporise any material from Earth instantly.

The outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere is called the corona. It extends millions of miles into space and is made up of very hot, low density plasma. It's only visible to humans during a solar eclipse.

The temperature of the corona is hotter than the surface of the Sun ranging between 1 million and millions of degrees Celsius.

Why is the sun so hot?

The Sun's heat comes from the core. Under huge pressure and gravity, hydrogen atoms are forced together to form helium, releasing massive amounts of energy, which radiates outwards as heat and light. This is nuclear fusion.

Activities for learning about the Sun

Find out how the position of the sun changes during the day with a garden sundial.

Discover how shadows form and draw shadow pictures.

Make a simple model of a solar eclipse.

Discover the science behind a solar eclipse.

Science Buddies has some brilliant sun prints.

Find out the science behind everyday phenomena.

Last Updated on April 24, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post How hot is the Sun? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Today's new STEM challenges celebrate all things spring! Here at Science Sparks, we are looking forward to better weather and all the new growth, colour and life that spring brings.

Try these easy spring STEM Challenges to get the new season off to a great start.

What is Spring?

Spring is the season between winter and summer, often associated with flowers blooming, trees starting to grow green leaves, chicks and lambs being born, and the weather finally warming up after a cold winter. The hours of daylight start to lengthen, building up to the longest day on the 21st of June in the Northern Hemisphere.

What is the Spring Equinox?

There are two equinoxes each year ( an equinox is when the sun passes directly over the equator - the tilt of the Earth is 0 degrees ). On both equinoxes, the daylight hours are equal to those of darkness. Equinoxes occur around March 21st (the beginning of spring ) and September 21st (the start of autumn ).

Solstices happen around June 21st and December 21st, marking the start of summer and the start of winter.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice is the first day of summer, and the December solstice is the first day of Winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the other way around.

Now we know a little about the seasons, let's get into the fun bit!!

Spring STEM Challenges

You can print the spring STEM Challenge cards by clicking on the button below or by following the instructions on the linked pages.

Dissect a Flower

A flower dissection is a simple spring science activity that can easily be adapted for different ages.

Younger children can pull the flower apart and identify the stem, leaves and petals.

Older children can look at the reproductive parts of the plant in more detail, too!

Another idea is to make a 3D flower model.

Opening Flowers

A magic opening flowers challenge is a lovely springtime activity that always gets a wow response from my children.

You cut a flower shape out from different types of paper, fold up the petals, place the flower on top of the water in a tray and watch as it opens.

Build a Rain Shelter or Umbrella

The idea behind this challenge is to build a waterproof shelter or umbrella to keep a toy figure dry. It's a great opportunity to encourage children to think about how different materials have different properties.

We made umbrellas for Incy Wincy Spider.

Make a Sundial

Did you know you can make a sundial from just a pencil and a bit of plasticine ( and a sunny day )?

The challenge is to plot 12 hours!! It might not give you the shape you imagine...

More Spring STEM Challenges

Grow a bean in a jar

A bean in a jar is an easy activity and a fantastic, visual way to learn about the conditions needed for germination. Another idea is to set up two and grow one in the dark and one in the light to see what happens.

Find out how rainclouds form with a colourful raincloud in a jar activity.

Make your own seed bombs!

Sprout heads are a great springtime activity, too!

Learn about different types of clouds by making egg whites on toast!

Can you think of any more spring STEM challenges for us?

Last Updated on April 23, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Easy Spring STEM Challenges appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Keep the kids busy over the Easter holidays with my FREE Easter Science Quiz. Do you know why chocolate eggs melt, why eggs are oval, and what the name of the famous egg rolling game is? Find out with our egg-citing quiz!

More free Easter activities for kids

Try one of my exciting egg experiments, including removing the shell from an egg and making an unbreakable egg.

Design and build a car to keep an egg safe in a collision.

Set up an egg hunt with clues written in code.

Give one of my easy Easter STEM Challenges a go, including dropping an egg down an egg chute, building egg towers and making a boat for an egg.

Last Updated on April 14, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Science Quiz for Easter appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Have you ever seen someone flick a tablecloth out from under plates that stay in place? The plates stay in place because of a concept called inertia.

A slightly easier way to demonstrate inertia is by dropping an Easter egg ( or other object ) into a container.

We usually do this science demonstration with an orange or lemon. This chocolate egg variation is just for fun.

Easter Egg Inertia Challenge

You'll need

A piece of card ( cardstock )

Cardboard tube

Pint glass

Easter eggs

Instructions

Place the card on top of the glass and the cardboard tube on top of the card.

The cardboard tube should be in line with the centre of the glass.

Carefully place a chocolate egg on top of the tube.

Quickly pull the card back. The egg should drop into the glass.

Why does this work?

The chocolate eggs are heavier than the cardboard tube, so they don't move as easily and fall straight down. This is called inertia. Inertia is how hard it is for a force to move an object. The column has low inertia, and the egg has high inertia.

There's no sideways force acting on the egg, so it falls straight down because of gravity.

Newton’s First Law states that an object remains at rest unless acted on by a force.

Extension Activities

Try one of my other awesome Easter STEM Challenges!

Learn more about Newton's Laws of Motion.

Try the same inertia activity with a lemon.

Science Concepts

Gravity

Laws of Motion

Inertia

Last Updated on April 9, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Exploring Newton's First Law with Easter Eggs appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Butterflies play a vital role in the natural world and are crucial to healthy ecosystems. Caterpillars eat plant matter and are a food source for many animals. Butterflies are important for pollination and also an integral part of the food chain.

Butterflies are known to be sensitive to environmental changes, and their population numbers are a good indicator of either negative or positive environmental changes.

You can easily encourage butterflies to your garden by creating an area with butterfly-friendly flowers, water, and shade.

If you don't want to spend the time and money creating a new butterfly garden, letting an area grow wild for the spring is a great alternative.

Why do we need butterflies?

Pollination

Butterflies are important pollinators. As they feed on nectar in flowers, they carry pollen from flower to flower. Pollination is essential for plant reproduction and diversity.

Food Chain

Butterflies and caterpillars are an important food source for many animals. Birds, spiders, lizards and frogs are examples of animals that eat caterpillars.

Birds, spiders, bats and frogs are examples of animals that eat butterflies.

Top tips for creating a butterfly friendly garden

A butterfly friendly garden should be diverse with a mix of colours and types of flowers. Choose flowers that bloom at different times of year so there's a constant source of food.

Use my handy design sheet to create your own butterfly garden. Add different coloured flowers, rocks for the butterflies to rest on, shade from the sun, and somewhere for them to lay eggs.

1. Location

Butterflies love the sun. Choose a sunny spot for your butterfly garden.

2. Choose caterpillar friendly plants

Start with caterpillars! Butterflies need nectar from flowering plants for food, but also somewhere for their caterpillars to thrive.

Caterpillar friendly plants

Milkweed

Parsley

Violets

Thistles

Butterfly friendly plants

Lavender

French Marigold

Echinacea ( Coneflower )

Marjoram

Buddleia

Primroses

3. Water

Add a shallow dish of water so butterflies have a drinking source.

4. Avoid pesticides

Pesticides are harmful to insects, natural pest control methods are better. One idea is to encourage ladybirds ( ladybugs ). Ladybirds are great for helping control aphid populations, which can decimate plants.

5. Shelter

Add areas of shade and shelter to protect butterflies from the wind. Butterflies also like to rest on smooth rocks.

Learn more about butterflies

Create an edible butterfly lifecycle. This is a brilliant visual way to learn about metamorphosis.

Read about why UK butterfly populations are in decline.

Find out why butterflies are brightly coloured.

Last Updated on April 3, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Butterfly Garden: How to Attract Butterflies Easily appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Have you ever wondered how far Jupiter is from Mars or Venus from Earth? Our handy calculator makes it easy to find out!

All distances are average and approximate, as it's difficult to be accurate with such large distances. Planets are also at different distances from each other depending on where they are in orbit at a particular time.

Unveiling the Vastness: Calculate Interplanetary Distances

Choose two planets ( or the sun ) to find out the distance between them.

Calculating the distance between planets in Astronomical Units

As the distances between planets are so huge, astronomers sometimes use astronomical units to compare. The distance between the Sun and Earth is 1 AU.

The distances in AU are small enough for children to measure them outside.

Last Updated on April 1, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Distance between planets in the solar system calculator appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

You've probably seen or experienced most of these common science phenomena before, but you may not have thought about why they happen. From sticking a magnet onto your fridge to colourful lights in the sky, we explain ten fascinating phenomena and offer ideas for learning more about each one.

Get ready to delve into the science that makes our world amazing!

1. Rainbows

What is a rainbow?

A rainbow is a multicoloured arc made when light from the sun passes through drops of rain or mist. To see a rainbow, you need to stand between the sun and the rain with the sun behind you.

How do rainbows form?

Rainbows happen when sunlight is refracted and dispersed in drops of rain or mist. Water is denser than air, so sunlight slows down as it moves from the air into a raindrop. Light reflects off the inside of the water droplet and is split up into its component colours because of their different wavelengths.

The colours of the rainbow, ordered from longest to shortest wavelength, are:

Rainbow science activities

Make a rainbow with a prism. If it's not a sunny day, you can do this with a torch and a prism.

Look for a rainbow in bubbles.

Learn about another scientific phenomenon, the moonbow!

2. Aurora Borealis

The Aurora Borealis ( Northern Lights ) is a display of colourful lights in the sky, seen in very northern parts of the world, such as Scandinavia, Alaska and Greenland. It's caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the Earth's atmosphere.

Find out more about the Northern Lights.

Watch a time-lapse of Northern Lights in Alaska.

3. Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process by which algae, plants and some bacteria use carbon dioxide, water and light to create oxygen and glucose. In plants, photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts.

Plants have several adaptations that help them make as much energy as possible through photosynthesis. Their leaves are thin with a large surface area, which helps them absorb as much carbon dioxide and light as possible, and roots that spread through the soil allow them to take in as much water as needed.

Photosynthesis science activities

Learn about chloroplasts and other organelles with a jelly plant cell model.

Find out why leaves are green.

Learn about the different parts of a plant with a plant dissection activity.

4. Lightning

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere. It happens when electricity is discharged between clouds, from a cloud to the air or from a cloud to the ground.

You can demonstrate lightning by creating a tiny spark of static electricity with a balloon and a metal spoon.

5. Diffusion

Diffusion is the movement of a substance from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. The movement continues until the substance is evenly distributed throughout the available space.

Learn more about diffusion

Diffusion can be demonstrated easily by adding a little food colouring to a glass of water. Initially, the food colouring is concentrated in one spot and then spreads without stirring through the water.

You can also demonstrate diffusion with a tea bag in water.

6. Magnetism

Magnetism is a force that causes certain materials to be attracted to each other. Magnets produce a magnetic field, where other magnets and magnetic materials experience a force. Magnets have two poles - north and south.

The force between two magnets can be attractive or repulsive. Two poles that are the same repel, and two that are unlike attract.

Learn more about magnetism

Use magnets to race toy cars.

Make a mini magnet maze.

Create a compass with a magnet.

7. Cloud Formations

Clouds are droplets of water and ice particles floating at different heights.

Heat from the sun turns water on the surface of the Earth into water vapour, which rises, cools, and turns back into water again, forming a cloud. Clouds float because the droplets of water are very light, and there's a constant flow of warmer air rising under the cloud, keeping it afloat.

Clouds grow when more water droplets stick together. When a cloud is heavy enough, it starts to rain!

Clouds are classified depending on their altitude and appearance.

In Snackable Science, we used egg white to demonstrate different shapes of clouds!

8. Fossils

Fossils are the preserved remains of animals and plants that lived long ago.

Not all remains become fossilised, and it is actually quite rare. Most animal and plant remains decompose after they die ( or are eaten by scavengers), but if they are covered by sediment ( usually sand, mud, or lava ), they may become fossils.

Learn more about fossils

Set up a dinosaur dig activity.

Learn about different types of rocks with my Rock Lab!

9. Bubbles

Have you ever wondered why bubbles always form a spherical shape? The forces acting between the bubble molecules cause them to form a sphere, which encloses the most volume with the least surface area.

Learn more about bubbles

Use a bit of science trickery to make a square bubble.

Make a giant bubble!

Build a bubble snake.

10. Shadows

A shadow is a dark shape formed when an opaque object blocks a source of light. Shadows can be seen outside on sunny days. They change shape during the day as the sun’s position changes in the sky.

Learn more about shadows

Make colourful shadow puppets.

Watch time go by with a DIY garden sundial.

Are there any more science phenomena you'd like to know more about?

Last Updated on March 31, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post The Science Behind 10 Everyday Phenomena appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Einstein Rings are a type of gravitational lensing in which the light from a galaxy or star passes a large object, like another galaxy or black hole, and is bent around it. If the alignment is right, the light appears as a ring around the large object.

The galaxy or black hole closest to the observer acts as a lens, bending the light from the galaxy further away.

More astronomy questions and answers

How big is the solar system?

How does the universe expand?

How old is the Milky Way?

What is the Big Bang Theory?

Last Updated on March 28, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post What are Einstein Rings? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

This activity uses Skittles to demonstrate radioactive decay. The rate of decay depends on the isotope of the element and is referred to as the half-life. Radioactive decay is a random process.

To understand the concept of a half-life, we're going to pretend Skittles are radioactive atoms. Skittles that land with the S upwards are radioactive, and those that land with the S down are decayed and are no longer radioactive.

Skittles Half-Life Demonstration

You'll need

Skittles

Pen and Paper

Instructions

Count the total number of Skittles and record this in the first column of the table.

Put the Skittles back in the bag and shake it for about 10 seconds. This represents a half-life. Pour the Skittles out and remove any that landed with the 'S' downwards. These have decayed.

Count the number of Skittles left and record the amount in the table. These are still radioactive. Put them back in the bag and shake for another ten seconds. This represents a second half-life.

Remove the Skittles with S down, and count the number left.

Repeat until there are no more Skittles left.

Radiation and Activity - Key points

Radioactive sources contain radioactive isotopes that release radiation from the nuclei of their atoms.

The radioactivity of a source decreases over time. This can be a few hours or millions of years, depending on the isotope.

Radioactivity is a random process. You can't predict which unstable nuclei in a sample of radioactive material will decay next.

In a sample with lots of nuclei, scientists can predict how many will decay in a given time based on the half-life of the source material.

The rate at which a source decays is called its activity.

Activity is measured in becquerels, Bq. 1 Bq is 1 decay per second.

Radioactive activity is measured with a Geiger-Müller tube, which clicks every time it detects radiation.

Half-Life

Half-life is the average time taken for the number of radioactive nuclei of an isotope to halve.

What does a short half-life mean?

A short half-life means the activity drops quickly as the nuclei are very unstable and decay rapidly.

Radioactive sources with a short half-life are dangerous as they emit a high amount of radiation at the beginning but quickly become safe.

What does a long half-life mean?

A long half-life means radioactive activity falls slowly. The source releases small amounts of radiation over a long period of time.

Last Updated on March 21, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

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The spring equinox marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The balance of daylight shifts, marking the start of warmer, longer days. In the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the start of autumn. Equinox means equal night.

At the spring equinox, the sun is directly above the equator, and day and night are equal in length all over the globe.

What's the difference between astronomical spring and meteorological spring?

The exact date of astronomical spring ( marked by the equinox ) changes slightly each year for several reasons:

• The Earth's orbit around the sun is not a perfect circle.
• The Earth's tilt has an effect.
• The Gregorian calendar leap year system is not a perfect match for the Earth's orbit.
• Leap years shift the exact date of the equinox.

The spring equinox can be March 19th, 20th or 21st.

Meteorological spring starts on March 1st and ends on May 31st.

Last Updated on March 20, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post What is the Spring Equinox? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

I can't believe it's time for British Science Week again. It seems like two minutes since we planned our space-themed experiments last year. If, like me, time has run away from you and you need some easy ideas for British Science Week, we've got some suggestions that might help.

Change and Adapt Activities

Birds, Beaks and Charles Darwin

Learn about Charles Darwin and natural selection through a simple bird and beak sorting activity.

Animal Adaptations - Mix up animals

Read about amazing animal adaptations and create your own mix-up animal. This activity is great for learning about animal adaptations, survival and evolution.

Edible Life Cycle

Create an edible life cycle to discover how each stage is connected. My printable activity sheet is completely free to download, so all you need is a selection of fruit and vegetables, sweets or pasta shapes.

Connections Activities for Kids

Model Neuron

Make a model neuron, to learn about connections between nerve cells.

Chain Reactions

Set up a chain reaction with outdoor items or small indoor items like dominoes, thinking carefully about the connections between each part of the chain.

Food Chains

Build food chains or webs to learn about producers and consumers.

Ecology Experiments for Kids

Make a model of a polar habitat. This is a great way to learn how animals adapt to their surroundings.

Another easy investigation for younger children is to model melting polar ice caps.

A homemade wormery is fun to make and a good way to make observations over time.

This mini ecosystem from Stir the Wonder is lovely too.

We made this visual model of sea pollution a few years ago and a clean up oil spill investigation is always fun to carry out and thought provoking too.

Space Science Investigation Ideas for British Science Week

This post comes with a full instruction book and printable challenge cards for lots of space themed investigation ideas for kids. The paper spinners are especially easy and inexpensive. You could even turn them into a whole school challenge, perhaps who can make the slowest falling spinner?

Set Up a Slime Lab

Another easy idea for British Science Week is to make different slimes and spend time exploring the textures. We even designed a test to investigate which slime gave the best splat!

Make a square bubble

Try some bubble science! Set up a make-your-own bubble wand station or investigate how to make a square bubble.

Or how about finding out how to make giant bubbles? We made our own mixture and used a hula hoop as a wand.

Edible Igneous Rocks

Make some edible igneous rocks with Rainy Day Mum.

You could also try one of my easy rock investigations, I have a whole booklet with activity ideas for identifying and classifying rock available to download.

Investigate How Craters Form

Discover how craters form with this easy crater investigation using flour and marbles.

Try a Traditional Science Experiment

Investigate density and chemical reactions with a lava lamp, make a coke and mento geyser or make and test red cabbage indicator.

Make it a STEM Challenge

Build and test a bridge, design and test a zip wire for an egg or try one of our many other science experiments and STEM Challenges for kids.

What are you doing for British Science Week? We'd love you to share your ideas with us.

Last Updated on May 21, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

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A singing balloon experiment is a great way to learn how sound works. If you put a small coin inside a balloon and spin it, the coin spins around the balloon, making the balloon vibrate very quickly. Objects that vibrate quickly make a high pitched sound. As the coin slows down, the pitch of the sound gets lower. Children can hear how the sound changes as the coin slows inside the balloon.

Singing balloon sound and pitch investigation

You'll need

A balloon

Small coin

Instructions

Stretch the neck of the balloon and carefully put the coin inside.

Blow up the balloon ( ask an adult to help ).

Fasten the end of the balloon so the air cannot escape.

Hold the balloon at the top and carefully spin it in circles. Take care when doing this, as if the balloon bursts, the coin will fly out at high speed.

Listen to the sound the balloon and coin make.

You should find the pitch drops as the coin slows down.

What's happening?

When the coin spins fast, the balloon vibrates quickly, creating a high-pitched sound. As the coin slows, the balloon vibrates less, and the pitch drops.

More science experiments for learning about sound

Find out how you can see sound using rice and a drum.

Make a straw flute with straws and tape! The pitch of the sound changes with the length of the straw.

Test different materials to find out which are the best for muffling sound.

Last Updated on March 7, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Singing Balloon Experiment appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Planting and watching seeds grow is a fantastic spring science activity for children. Kids can start with a bean or seed in a jar to watch it germinate, observe seedlings and finally become a fully grown plant.

Vegetable or herb seeds work well, as they can be eaten afterwards!

A common problem when growing plants is insects, slugs and snails eating them. One way to protect plants from pests is to put them in a greenhouse. If you don't have a large greenhouse, you can make a mini version inexpensively using a plastic bottle or cup. Greenhouses also help protect plants from the cold.

Building a mini greenhouse is a great activity for learning the conditions needed for seeds to grow into healthy plants. It also offers opportunities for observing, describing, measuring, and recording data.

Make a DIY Mini Greenhouse

You'll need

Sellotape

Seeds or seedlings

Ideas for greenhouse materials

Empty clean plastic bottle

Empty clear CD cases

Plastic cup or container

Instructions

First, you need to design your mini greenhouse. Think about its properties: It must let air and sunlight in and keep rain and wind out.

Once you've designed your greenhouse, have a go at making it.

Greenhouse Design Sheet

Use my free greenhouse design sheet to design and evaluate your greenhouse!

Greenhouse ideas

Most plants need light and water to grow. Plants use light energy from the Sun to make energy, a process called photosynthesis.

Questions to think and talk about

How big should your greenhouse be?

Where should you put the greenhouse? Think about the conditions a plant needs to grow.

How could you improve the design of your greenhouse? Can you find a way to let air in while keeping insects out?

Can you spot roots and leaves?

Extra Challenges

Create labels for your plants, think about how to make them waterproof.

Make a rain gauge using a plastic bottle.

Grow a cress caterpillar! If you grow some cress in the light and some in the dark, you'll find the leaves of the plant grown in the dark are yellow. This is because they can't make chlorophyll ( the green pigment ) without light.

Have a bean race with friends to see who can grow the tallest bean.

Learn about the structure and function of flowering plants with a plant dissection.

Plants need moisture, air, and the correct temperature to germinate. A hands-on way to learn about germination is to grow a bean in a jar.

Science concepts

Germination

Photosynthesis

Plant Science

Last Updated on March 6, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

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I usually do this viscosity experiment using different liquids such as water, oil, ketchup and treacle. This version is a special syrup filled investigation for pancake day!

The idea is that you record how long it takes different delicious pancake syrups to flow down a ramp. Thicker ( more viscous ) liquids will flow more slowly than thinner ( less viscous ) liquids.

Pancake Syrup Viscosity Experiment

You'll need

Chopping board to use as a ramp

Stopwatch

Liquids to test - maple syrup, golden syrup, honey, chocolate sauce, yoghurt etc

Chalk or marker

Pancake Syrup Viscosity - Instructions

Mark a start and finish line on the ramp or use my handy sheet.

Pour the syrupy liquids down the ramp one at a time.

Start the timer as the liquid passes over the start line and stop when it passes the finish line.

Repeat for each test liquid.

Repeat three times for each liquid and calculate the mean value.

Make the investigation a fair test

Keep the ramp at the same gradient.

Use the same amount of each liquid.

Only time between the start and finish line.

Make it large scale!

I made this giant ramp with cardboard and sticky-back plastic ( contact paper ) for a school science fair a few years ago. It worked really well, as we could wipe it clean between different groups using it.

More Pancake Day Activities

Find out why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.

Experiment with different raising agents to find your perfect pancake mixture.

Or, try one of my other easy edible experiments.

Last Updated on March 2, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

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Good science kits can be hard to find, but you'll never be disappointed with MEL Science. Each kit contains everything you need to carry out a hands-on science activity or experiment safely at home. The instructions are easy to follow and presented in a fun and engaging way and extra videos and associated app are fantastic for explaining the science behind the activity. The whole experience is very interactive.

Mel Science STEM Kits are available for kids ages 5 +. These projects are mostly things you can build, like an electric boat, gyroscope and projector. We tried the Science of Light kit which kept my 7-year-old engaged from start to finish. He also enjoyed the extra puzzles and mazes at the back of the instruction book after we'd finished.

I did have to help him a little bit with the construction, but it was a really nice way to spend some time together. He's been proudly showing his creation and explaining the science behind it to family and friends ever since.

Looking at the other kits in this range I can immediately see that he would enjoy most of them, especially the Code Breaking and Aircraft set.

The Physics sets are for children aged 8 and above and include things like lenses, aerodynamic and magnetic levitation.

The Chemistry sets are age 10 + and look fantastic. I can see just from looking at them how much my children would enjoy them. Chemistry often provides those little "wow" moments that can spark a lifetime love of science and these are the hardest type of experiments to do at home without a kit.

Here at Science Sparks, we try to make science at home as simple as possible, but there's no denying that having everything you need in a ready to go kit is very handy, especially if you don't have much time to plan.

Advantages of using a science kit

• They usually contain everything you need to complete the science experiment.
• If the activity needs a chemical or material that's difficult to source, you don't have to spend time searching for it.
• The kit contains just what you need, so there's no waste.

What's inside a Mel Science Kit

Mel Science kits contain everything you need to complate a science activity, along with instructions and safety advice.

Mel Science Kit Review

Subscriptions are available monthly or annually, and subscribers can choose their preferred subject or mix and match.

The subscription cost is quite pricey, but the materials, instructions and extras, like the app, are fantastic. We loved the whole hands-on, yet immersive experience Mel Science offers. They're a unique science kit with experiments you wouldn't normally be able to carry out at home, which makes them a great option for little scientists and great fun for grown-ups too.

If you want to try MEL Science you can use my code SPARKS50 to get 50% off your first box.

We were sent the sets above for the purpose of this review

Last Updated on February 26, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Make Science Fun: A Parent's Guide to MEL Science Kits appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

If you read Science Sparks often, you'll know how much we love LEGO®. The play, learning and creative opportunities are endless, so today we're sharing 40 of our favourite LEGO® science experiments and STEM challenges.

LEGO® is the most amazing, versatile resource that opens the door to endless creative learning opportunities for kids of all ages.

Science Activities using LEGO®

Model the seasons with LEGO®

Model the seasons with LEGO® trees. We used icicles for winter. Red and yellow leaves for autumn, and spring flowers and hedgehogs for spring.

This was a wonderfully visual way to show how the seasons change, and my children had a great time searching through our LEGO® stash for suitable bricks.

Art and Science Ideas

LEGO® Printing and Painting

Learn about patterns and shapes using LEGO® bricks to print. This is a brilliant outdoor science activity and can be done individually or with lots of children contributing to a larger piece of artwork.

Get creative with Toddler Approved's LEGO car painting idea on a ramp. Ramps are great for learning about forces, momentum and friction, too!

Draw Shadows

Use LEGO® to make shadows and then draw a picture with chalk incorporating the shadow.

This activity kept my kids entertained for hours last summer and it was fun to watch how the shadows and then the picture changed during the day.

Sorting and filtering

Learning about filtering and sorting with a homemade LEGO® Filter. Our filter was very basic, but you could make something more impressive with more time and thought.

Set up an icy rescue

LEGO® bricks and figures are great for freezing in water for ice excavation activities.

Children can use warm and cold water to melt the ice and salt for an extra challenge!

Small syringes and droppers are useful for dropping water onto the ice and help with number recognition and hand strength.

Fun-A-Day has a great activity where children rescue Hans Solo from frozen baking soda.

Parachute and air resistance

Learn about forces and air resistance by making a parachutes for a LEGO figure.

Ideas for a parachute science investigation:

• Use the same parachute but different numbers of minifigures.
• Use the same size parachute but different materials.
• Use different size parachutes.

Balloon Powered Car

Another way to learn about forces and Newton's Laws of Motion is to build a balloon-powered car from LEGO®.

Build a Bridge STEM Challenge

Make a LEGO/DUPLO bridge. This is a fun activity for learning about stable structures and a great team-building activity. We used folded paper for the top of the bridge, but you could use lolly sticks or more LEGO® instead.

Hidden Minifigures

Find out how fast different paper types absorb water to reveal a hidden LEGO man.

Waterproof Roof STEM Challenge

Investigate how waterproof different materials are by using them as a roof and spraying them with water.

Rubber band powered car

Make a rubber band powered car like Frugal Fun for Boys.

Plant Growth Model

Use LEGO® to model the growth of a plant. This is a lovely visual way to encourage children to think about what's going under the part of the plant they can see.

Make a small brick float

Discover whether a small building brick floats on oil or water. This is a fantastic way to learn about density of liquids and what that means.

Ramps, Cars and Friction

Use LEGO®/DUPLO® to make a ramp and explore how different gradients affect the speed of cars.

LEGO® STEM Challenges

Design a LEGO® maze. For an extra challenge, a magnetic maze or 3D maze is a fantastic extension challenge.

Sink or Float

A sink-or-float activity is great for little ones. For an extra challenge, find out how much weight you can add to a Lego or paper boat before it sinks.

More Learning deas using LEGO®

We love these LEGO themed spelling games from Home Literacy Blueprint.

Make words with LEGO like Playdough to Plato.

Practice spelling with LEGO letters like This Reading Mama.

Number themed LEGO ideas

Have fun learning to count and measure using DUPLO in this great post from The Imagination Tree

Make a Numeracy at Home box and add some LEGO bricks for counting, comparing sizes, etc.

Learn about bar charts using some sweets and DUPLO®. You could make a smaller version of this with LEGO® too.

Make a LEGO® or DUPLO® metre ruler.

Discover how many LEGO bricks tall you are!

If you want to get the kids moving around, this count and move game from JDaniel4's Mom looks like lots of fun.

We love this super simple way to learn with LEGO and a marker from Suzy Homeschooler.

Or how about these fun Math challenges from Buggy and Buddy?

For little ones, try a  colour and shape sorting activity like Adventure in a Box.

Or how about a LEGO catapult like this cool one from Frugal Fun for Boys

Make your own LEGO Games

Make a LEGO rugby pitch.

This portable LEGO kit from Mama.Papa.Bubba is a fantastic idea for travelling with little ones.

DUPLO® Learning Activity Ideas

If you've got younger children, take a look at my DUPLO activity ideas, including printing with DUPLO, slimy DUPLO sensory play and DUPLO games.

Do you have any more LEGO® experiment ideas for us?

Last Updated on February 24, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post 40 Easy Science Experiments Using LEGO® appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

If you're looking for easy activities to keep kids busy on a rainy day, you're in the right place. Make the most of the weather with my collection of easy science experiments for a rainy day.

Children can use the rain as part of a science experiment or be inspired by rain and weather.

I hope these rainy day activities cheer up a gloomy day wherever you are!

Science Experiments for a Rainy Day

1. Make a simple rain gauge

A rain gauge can be made easily from a plastic bottle. Either place a plastic ruler inside to measure the amount of water or use a permanent pen to mark measurements on the side.

Remember to empty the rain gauge daily to get a new measurement the next day.

2. Waterproof a Welly Boot

Find out about waterproof materials with my waterproof a welly boot STEM challenge.

The activity sheet is free to download, and then all you need are materials to test, sellotape and water.

3. Make a rain cloud in a jar

Discover how clouds form and why rain falls with a colourful rain cloud in a jar demonstration.

Clouds look grey when they are so full of water droplets that light cannot travel through them! This is why grey clouds are a sign that rain is about to fall.

4. Make a rainbow indoors

Make a rainbow indoors using a prism and torch. Rainbows are seen in the sky opposite the sun and are caused by the refraction ( bending of light ) and dispersion ( splitting up ) of sunlight in drops of rain or mist. 

If you don't have a prism, look for a rainbow in bubbles!

5. Make a water cycle model

A water cycle model is a great way to learn about evaporation and precipitation!

The model allows children to see condensation build up on the cling film, which falls as precipitation. You'll need to wait for a sunny day to get this to work, but a rainy day is a great time to plan the activity.

6. Tornado in a Jar

Tornadoes are powerful vertical columns of rapidly spinning air that can cause vast amounts of damage. A tornado in a jar is a great way to visualise this exciting weather phenomenon.

7. Make lightning with a balloon

Did you know you can create a tiny spark of static electricity with a balloon and a metal spoon?

You'll need to be in a dark room to see the spark.

8. Create a thunderstorm

A thunderstorm is a storm with thunder, lightning and often strong wind and rain. Lightning is a giant spark of electricity between a cloud and the ground, inside or between clouds. Thunder is the sound created by the rapid heating of the air around a lightning bolt. The air expands very quickly, creating a loud boom noise.

Thunderstorms form when warm, moist air rapidly moves upwards. The air cools, forming clouds that produce lightning, thunder, and heavy rain.

A candle carousel is a fun way to demonstrate how hot air rises.

9. Build a barometer

Barometers measure air pressure, which is one factor meteorologists use to predict the weather!

You can make a simple DIY barometer using a glass jar with a balloon taped over the top.

10. What shape is a raindrop?

Find out what shape a raindrop is, can you take a photo of a raindrop shape as water drips from a tap?

Can you think of any more rainy day science activities for us?

Science concepts

Weather

Air Pressure

Water cycle

Convection

Last Updated on February 16, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

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Valentine's Day is a time for hearts, love, friendship and......optical illusions? Thaumatropes are one the earliest forms of animation and were once a popular toy. They work by creating an optical illusion of one image made from two! As well as a fun science craft activity, this simple STEM challenge is a great way to learn about the persistence of vision and how our brains process visual information. Get ready to create your own Valentine thaumatrope and discover the magic of science!

My handy thaumatrope template is free to download, or you can draw your own!

You'll need

White card
Felt tip pens
Tape or glue
Scissors
Hole punch
2 elastic bands

Instructions

Draw two identical circles on the card ( or use my handy template ).

Draw a different image on each circle.

Glue the circles together with the images on the outside. For them to merge correctly, one image needs to be upside down.

Punch a hole in each side of the circle.

Loop an elastic band through each hole.

Hold the rubber bands between your thumb and first finger and twist them.

As the circles of card rotate, the two drawings merge, so they look like one image.

Why does it work?

The two images merge because your brain sees one image first and the second image before it finishes processing the first, so you see two images simultaneously.

This effect is called the persistence of vision.

More science activities for Valentine's Day

Last Updated on February 13, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

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You've probably seen lightning flash across the sky, but do you know why and how it happens? This simple science activity teaches how lightning forms and how to make a small spark using static electricity.

What is lightning?

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere. It happens when electricity is discharged between clouds, from a cloud to air or from a cloud to the ground.

Clouds contain lots of water droplets, ice crystals, and tiny hailstones moving around. When they bump into each other, they create an electric charge. After a period of time, the cloud becomes full of electrical charges. The top becomes positively charged, and the bottom becomes negatively charged.

As negative charge builds at the bottom of the cloud, electrons near the ground's surface are repelled, leaving the ground with a positive charge. When the attraction between the cloud and the ground is enough, the charge from the cloud discharges and electrons shoot down from the cloud to the ground.

Make Lightning

You'll need

Balloon

Metal spoon

Hair or a woolly jumper

A dark room

Instructions

Blow up the balloon and tie the end.

Hold the balloon with the tie and rub it on your hair or a woolly jumper.

Hold the spoon with your other hand and slowly move it towards the balloon.

You should see a tiny spark of static electricity jump from the balloon to the metal spoon.

What's happening?

When you rub the balloon on your hair, it becomes positively charged. When the metal spoon is held close to the balloon, the negative charge on the spoon connects to the positive charge on the balloon and creates the tiny spark of "lightning" you see.

This is similar to what happens in clouds.

The metal spoon is a conductor, which means electricity can travel through it.

Another way to make lightning is with an aluminium pie pan and a pencil!

Lightning Facts

Lightning is VERY hot! It can be 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Lightning strikes Earth about 100 times every second!

Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is known as the most lighting prone place on Earth.

If lightning strikes sand, it can turn it into a glass like structure called fulgurite.

Can you get thunder without lightning?

Thunder happens because of lightning, so you can't get thunder without lightning, but you might see lightning and not hear thunder.

What is thunder?

Lightning causes rapid heating of the air around it, which expands very quickly, creating a shock wave that travels outwards. This is what we hear as thunder!

When the sound waves reach our ears, we hear them as a very loud boom noise.

Why is lightning before thunder?

Light waves travel faster than sound waves, so we see the lightning flash before we hear the thunder!

How can you tell how far away lightning is?

Count the time between seeing the lightning flash and hearing the thunder. Every 5 seconds is about a mile!

Remember to stay safe during thunderstorms. It's best to stay indoors if you hear thunder!

Last Updated on February 12, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Make Lightning with a Balloon and Spoon appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

The Stroop effect is a phenomenon where it takes longer to name a word's colour when the text colour doesn't match the word. It's a fun way to learn how your brain works.

Try saying the colours of the words below. Does the second line take longer? This is the Stroop Effect in action. Our brains read automatically, so when the word and colour aren't the same, it causes a slight slowing of the thought process.

This simple investigation comes with a free Stroop effect worksheet, so all you need is a willing volunteer to help!

Are you ready to test your brain?

Stroop Test Investigation

You'll need

Stroop effect test sheet
Timer

Instructions

Record how long it takes to read the words for the colours out loud ( box 1 ). Repeat 3 times.

Record how long it takes to say the colour of the word out loud ( box 2 ). Repeat 3 times.

What's going on?

The Stroop Effect is named after John Ridley Stroop, who discovered the strange phenomenon in the 1930s. You probably found that it took you longer to name the colour the word was written in rather than reading the word. This is because the words interfere with your brain's ability to name the colour. There are two theories to explain why this happens.

The Speed of Processing Theory

This says that the interference happens as words are read faster than colours are named.

The Selective Attention Theory

This says that the interference occurs as naming colours requires more attention than reading words.

Extension Tasks - Stroop Effect

Try reading the words upside down.

Create a test using non-colour words written in different colours.

Colour just the first letter of a word with the incorrect colour.

Repeat the experiment with a young child ( who can read ) and an adult.

More colour science experiments

Find out if colour affects temperature with a simple STEM challenge using ice.

Learn about colour theory with squishy bags.

Neuroscience activities for kids

Make a model brain with playdough.

Learn about neurons with a neuron cell model.

Test your reaction time with a ruler.

Take a look at a 3D brain model.

Science Concepts

Brain

Neurology

Psychology

Last Updated on February 7, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Stroop Effect Experiment appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Have you heard the phrase opposites attract? That's definitely the case with magnets. Magnets have a north pole and a south pole. If you put the north pole of one magnet next to the south pole of another magnet, they attract each other. If you put two south poles or two north poles together, they repel each other.

My mini magnet mazes are among my favourite science activities for younger children. They can be designed however you want, so open up lots of great creative science opportunities.

Print my template or create your own on a sheet of card. The only other materials you need are scissors, a paperclip and a magnet!

Magnet Maze for Valentine's Day

You'll need

Magnet

Card

Scissors

Paperclip

Instructions

Use scissors to cut the bee and maze from the card.

Attach a paperclip to the bee and place it at the start of the maze.

Place the magnet under the bee and use it to move the bee through the maze.

Extension task

Set up an investigation to find out whether magnets work through other materials. Try placing a piece of paper between two magnets and then a thin book and a thicker book.

Try one of my other easy magnet experiments for kids.

Last Updated on February 5, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Valentine Magnet Maze STEM Challenge appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

There are lots of great air pressure demonstrations around, but a leaky water bottle is one of the simplest. It looks impressive and costs almost nothing.

Air is made up of several different gases. Air pressure is caused by gravity pulling air molecules towards Earth. We don't really notice air pressure as it's balanced inside and outside of our body.

The weight of air ( and air pressure ) decreases with altitude. At sea level, air pressure is high. At the top of a mountain, air pressure is lower as there's less atmosphere to push down. We don't feel the pressure as it is exerted equally in all directions, but we can sense a sudden change in pressure, like when taking off or descending in a plane.

Leaky Water Bottle Demonstration

You'll need

An empty water bottle with a lid

Needle, nail or paperclip

Water

Food colouring - optional

Sink or tray

Instructions

Carefully use the needle or paperclip to poke a small hole on each side of the bottle about one-third of the way up from the bottom. Ask an adult to help

Place the bottle in a sink and fill with water. Quickly put the lid in place.

Open the lid, and the bottle should start to leak through the holes.

Close the lid, and the water will stop flowing.

With the lid on tightly squeeze the bottle, water should flow out of the holes as squeezing increases the pressure inside the bottle.

Carefully poke a needle into the bottle above the water line - ask an adult to help. When the needle is in place, blocking the hole, water will not flow out. When the needle is removed, it will start to flow again.

Why does it work?

When the lid is unscrewed, water flows from the holes in the side, reducing the volume of water in the bottle. Air rushes in through the loose lid to replace the lost water.

When the lid is tightened, air can no longer rush in to replace the water, so any water leaving the bottle reduces the pressure inside, which stops the water escaping.

Extension Challenge

With the cap slightly unscrewed, drop the bottle to the floor. Watch what happens to the flow of water.

Try one of my other easy air pressure experiments.

Air pressure fun facts

A barometer is used to measure air pressure.

Atmospheric pressure drops with altitude.

Atmospheric pressure is an indicator of weather. Low pressure leads to clouds, wind and precipitation. High pressure usually results in clear skies and fine weather.

The Earth's atmosphere is approximately 78% nitrogen.

Why do your ears pop in an aeroplane?

Ears pop in an aeroplane as your ears try to equalise the pressure. When a plane takes off, the atmospheric pressure decreases, and as you come down, it increases again.

Last Updated on February 5, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Leaky bottle Air Pressure Demonstration appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Warning! These super science riddles may cause excessive brain activity and lots of laughter! Challenge your friends, family and yourself with this collection of mind-bending puzzles.

Science Riddles for Kids

1. What has a bottom at the top?

Legs!

2. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?

Footsteps.

4. What is harder to catch the more you run?

Your breath.

5. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?

The letter M.

7. What has a head and a tail, but no body?

A coin!

8. I am tall when I am young, and short when I am old. I have no voice, but I can make you cold. What am I?

A candle

9. I can be hot, I can be cold. I can run, and I can be still. I can be hard and I can be soft. What am I?

Water!

10. What is black when you buy it, red when used and grey when thrown away?

Charcoal

11. I am a god and a planet, and I am used to measuring temperature. What am I?

Mercury

12. What is full of holes but still holds water?

A sponge

13. What are 10 things you can always count on?

Fingers!

14. What goes up and down without moving?

Temperature

15. What kind of tree can fit in your hand?

A palm tree

16. Which chemical doesn't like to follow?

Lead

Do you have any more science riddles for us?

Last Updated on January 27, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Super Science Riddles appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

The longest word English word in the dictionary is:

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

Although pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is in the dictionary, it's not really a real word. It's a made-up name for lung disease but it was created to mock long medical terms.

What's the longest word not in the dictionary?

The longest word not in the dictionary is the scientific full name for the largest known protein found in the human body.

The scientific name for titin has 189,819 letters. It takes around three hours to say the whole name, and it goes something like this...

Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl...

Find out more about very long words.

Read about the science of language.

Last Updated on January 25, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post What is the longest word in the world? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Extreme weather is a weather event that is unexpected and significantly different from normal weather patterns.

Weather around the world is naturally variable, but extreme events are becoming more common and intense.

Extreme weather

• Can be a single short event or take place over some time.
• More intense than the average type of weather for the area and time of year.
• Often poses a significant risk to life or the environment.

Examples of extreme weather

• Hurricanes
• Heatwaves
• Flooding and heavy precipitation
• Drought
• Tornadoes

• Wildfires - although wildfires are not direct weather events, they are linked to extreme weather patterns, are more likely to occur during drought conditions and are exacerbated by strong winds.

What causes extreme weather?

Extreme weather events have many causes, both natural and human-made.

Greenhouse Gases

Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which trap heat like a greenhouse. Examples of greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, ozone and methane. The trapped heat increases temperatures around the world.

Warmer Temperatures

A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture than a cooler atmosphere. This leads to heavier rain and more intense storms.

Warmer Oceans

Warmer oceans lead to stronger storms and hurricanes. Hurricanes get their energy from the ocean. Warmer water means more energy and stronger more destructive hurricanes.

Deforestation

Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide, which helps stabilise our climate. The more forests are cut down without being replaced, the more carbon dioxide there is in our atmosphere.

El Niño and La Niña

El Niño and La Niña are climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can have a huge global impact on weather patterns. El Niño and La Niña are irregular events that occur every two to seven years. El Niño and La Niña are natural events, but their effects can be increased by climate change.

El Niño is when the normally cool water on the west coast of South America warms up. Warm water evaporates more quickly, leading to an increase in rainfall in South America and drought in Australia, Indonesia and South Asia.

The opposite is La Niña, when the seawater on the west coast of South America is cooler than usual, leading to droughts in some areas and more hurricanes in the Caribbean.

Read more about extreme weather

Learn about greenhouse gases with my greenhouse gas candy models.

Summer 2024 was the hottest on record!

Extreme weather and climate change.

Take a look at my climate change resources for kids.

Last Updated on January 17, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post What is Extreme Weather? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Today in Around the World in 50 Experiments, we're heading to Norway! Learn about Vikings, Fjords, Northern Lights and navigating with the stars as we travel to Scandinavia for an adventure.

Around the World in 50 Experiments - Norway

Norway is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe, with one-third above the Arctic Circle. It shares a border with Sweden to the east and Finland and Russia to the northeast.

Norway is known for its spectacular natural beauty, mountains, glaciers, fjords and northern lights.

Facts about Norway

Capital City - Oslo

Official language - Norwegian

Currency - Norwegian Krone - NOK

Population - Approx 5.5 million

The Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square is a gift from the people of Oslo every year.

Norwegian Roald Amundson was the first person to reach the South Pole in 1911.

Trolls are mythical creatures from Norwegian folklore. Troll stories are passed down through generations, and many natural rock formations are associated with trolls.

Wildlife in Norway

Thanks to its varied landscapes and large coastline, Norway has a diverse range of wildlife.

Polar bears, reindeer, arctic foxes and musk oxes are found in the Arctic regions, while wolves, brown bears and elks are common in mountainous and forest regions.

Marine life off the coast of Norway includes:

Humpback whales

Minke whales

Orcas

Seals

Puffins

History of Norway

Norway has a rich history dating back to the Stone Age, but it is perhaps most famous for the Vikings, seafaring people from Scandinavia who dominated from the late 8th to late 11th centuries. The Vikings were skilled explorers and traders who connected Norway with other parts of Europe and further afield. Viking mythology, traditions and language continue to influence the Norwegian culture.

Learn about Norway with a science activity

The Northern Lights

Chalk Art

Learn about the aurora borealis with a piece of chalk art to show the colours and patterns. Taming Little Monsters has a great example of this beautiful art and science activity.

Norway's Fjords

Norway is famous for its breathtakingly beautiful fjords. A fjord is a deep, narrow valley surrounded by cliffs on each side.

When glaciers form, they sometimes cut long U-shaped valleys out of the bedrock ( glacial erosion ). When the glaciers melt, sea levels rise, flooding the valley to form fjords.

Fjords are usually located in mountainous areas close to the sea. Two of Norway's most famous fjords are Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord.

Scientists have recently found coral reefs at the bottom of fjords in Norway.

Find out how glaciers form with a video from National Geographic.

Viking Longboats

The Vikings were seafarers from Scandinavia. Vikings are famous for their longships, which were made from planks of timber overlapped and nailed together. Spaces between the planks were filled with wool, moss or animal hair mixed with tar to make the ships watertight.

The front of the ship was usually decorated with a carving of an animal head. The ships were built to be long, easy to manoeuvre, and fast. The narrow width reduced drag, making the ships faster and the low depth allowed the ships to travel up rivers as well as on the sea. The downside of the low depth in the water was that the ships were more likely to capsize than ships that sat deeper in the water. The flat bottom made them very buoyant as they had a large surface area for the sea to push against.

Viking longboats had oars, one large sail and a steering oar to steer the ship. Vikings would pull ships up on land at night and use the sail to make a tent to sleep under.

Viking Longboat STEM Challenge

Vikings made their ships watertight by filling the spaces between planks of timber with wool, moss or animal hair mixed with tar or tallow ( rendered beef fat ).

In this activity, you can waterproof your own Viking ship! Either make several mini models from cardboard, cover the bottom of each with a different material, and test them in water or use my paper version where materials are stuck over the longboat images and water sprinkled over the top.

We used kitchen foil, fabric and wax crayon to waterproof our ships. You can see that the foil and crayon are waterproof as the water sits in beads on the top.

Viking Navigation

Vikings didn't have modern day GPS systems or even a compass, so they navigated using the stars and sun. The North Star ( Polaris ) sits at the north celestial pole. As the Earth rotates, other stars seem to rotate around the North Star, which is why it was important for navigation in Viking times. Imagine drawing a line through the earth from the South Pole to the North Pole. If you then kept going up, you'd hit Polaris!

How to find the North Star

Polaris is part of the constellation of Ursa Minor, also known as Little Bear or Little Dipper. Polaris lies at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper and is by far the brightest of the seven stars but not the brightest star in the sky, as people often think.

Stargazing Activity

On a clear night, go outside and see if you can spot the North Star. If you want to track the stars over a period of time, record your daily findings with my stargazing logbook.

How did Vikings navigate during the day

In the daytime, Vikings used the sun to navigate using a shadow board ( or sun compass ), which was like a sundial. This way of navigating was useful but limiting as it only worked on a clear day.

Vikings measured the length of the shadow on the sun shadow board at noon when the sun was highest in the sky. A circle was drawn to mark the tip of the shadow at the starting location. Sailors would take a new reading each day at noon. If the shadow was longer than the circle, they knew they had travelled north of the starting position, and if it was shorter, they had travelled south. These crude measurements allowed Vikings to travel in whichever direction they wanted.

Viking sailors also used the behaviour of birds to navigate. Birds carrying food were heading to land, and those with empty beaks would be heading to sea.

Make a Sun Shadow Board

This activity uses a torch to represent the sun.

You'll need

cardboard

Short segment of dowel

Torch

Instructions

Cut a circle with an approximate diameter of 20cm out of the cardboard. The size isn't too important.

Place the piece of dowel in the centre and fix it in place.

Use a torch to show the shadow of the dowel and draw a circle on the sun board.

I covered the bottom of our sun shadow board with foil to keep the cardboard dry in the water.

Move the torch up and down to show how the length of the shadow changes.

Vikings placed their sun shadow board in a bowl of water so it stayed level at sea. You can test this by placing your board on water and creating waves. The board should stay almost flat on the surface.

We've had lots of fun learning about navigation, fjords and Vikings! Where will you head next on your journey around the world in 50 experiments?

Last Updated on January 16, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Norway - Northern Lights, Fjords and Vikings appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

A dodecahedron is a three-dimensional shape with 12 faces. The most common dodecahedron ( regular dodecahedron ) has regular pentagons for all 12 faces.

There are other types of dodecahedron are made up of shapes that aren't pentagons but still have 12 faces. These are irregular dodecahedrons.

A dodecahedron is one of five platonic solids.

Features of a regular dodecahedron

12 faces where each is a regular pentagon ( five sides of equal length and equal angles )

20 vertices ( corners )

30 edges

The sum of the angles of a dodecahedron is 6480°

How to make a dodecahedron

A dodecahedron ball is made from lots of five-sided pentagons.

You'll need

Paper

Scissors

Tape

Dodecahedron ball template

Instructions

Print or trace the template onto paper and carefully cut out the template.

Fold the tabs and lines where one pentagon joins another.

Fold the template into a dodecahedron.

Place double-sided tape or glue onto each tab and attach them.

Where are dodecahedrons seen in nature?

Pomegranate seeds are not perfect dodecahedrons, but pretty close.

Icosahedral viruses such as adenovirus have an icosahedral capsid. This shape is closely related to the dodecahedron.

Dodecahedrons are often seen in architecture, and you may have a dodecahedron shaped dice!

Last Updated on January 13, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post How to make a dodecahedron appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Have you ever wondered how a sea is different to an ocean? The two are often used interchangeably, but they have many differences.

Differences between an ocean and a sea

Oceans are bigger than seas. They cover 70% of the planet and have an average depth of 3800m.

Oceans are not contained by land. Seas are fully or partially enclosed.

Oceans are generally deeper than seas.

Ocean currents affect the climate around the world.

How many oceans are there?

There are five oceans — the Pacific, Atlantic, Southern, Indian and Arctic. Although the oceans are split into five distinct areas, they are not split by land and are one huge body of water.

Examples of seas

Mediterranean Sea

Caribbean Sea

Black Sea

North Sea

Last Updated on January 8, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post What's the difference between a sea and an ocean? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Snowy days are great for exploring the wonders of science right outside your front door. Older kids will enjoy making a snow volcano or designing snowshoes, while younger kids love searching for animal footprints or building mini snow sculptures.

If you don't want to spend too long outside, grab a tray and bring some snow indoors!

What is snow?

Snow forms when water vapour in the atmosphere cools and condenses into ice crystals. Precipitation falls as snow when the temperature is 2°C or less.

Snowflakes are usually bigger when the temperature is closer to 0°C and smaller when it is below zero. Wetter, warmer snowflakes stick together, while dry, cold snowflakes stay separate.

Science on a Snowy Day

1. Build a snow volcano

A snow volcano is a brilliant science activity. There's no need for messy papier mache or a long craft project. Just head outside, build snow around a plastic bottle shaped like a volcano, add the lava ingredients and watch the eruption. There's no mess to clear up, and it's just as much fun as a traditional volcano.

2. Design a snowshoe

You've probably walked on snow and felt your feet sink downwards. That's fine in just a few inches of snow, but imagine if it was much deeper. Snowshoes allow people to walk more easily in the snow! The physics behind snowshoes is all about surface area and pressure. A snowshoe has a large surface area, which spreads the load of a person’s body weight over a larger area, reducing the pressure on the snow.

I've created a handy design sheet so you can design and build a snowshoe prototype.

3. How do polar animals stay warm?

When it's cold outside, humans wear extra clothes or spend more time indoors. Polar bears and other polar animals don't have that option, but they do have special adaptations to help them survive in harsh conditions.

You can find out how polar animals stay warm with a simple science investigation using lard as blubber.

4. Blow a frozen bubble

It needs to be very cold to blow a frozen bubble, but if temperatures drop to -5°C or below, it's worth trying.

You can use shop bought bubble mix or make your own. Try adding a little glycerin to make the mixture stronger.

Gently blow a bubble onto the snow or another surface and watch as it freezes over!

5. Look for animal tracks in the snow

Fresh snow is perfect for spotting animal tracks in the snow. Take a walk and see how many different footprints you can find.

6. Add salt to snow

Sprinkle a little salt on a patch of snow and watch what happens. Salt lowers the freezing point of water, which makes the snow melt.

7. Record snowfall

Use a ruler to measure how much snow falls over days or throughout one day if it's raining heavily.

8. Build a snow wall

Use a container to build snow 'bricks' and construct a snow wall.

9. Melt a snowman

Build 3 different-sized but small snowmen and bring them indoors in small trays. Record how long each one takes to melt.

Another idea is to build three snowmen the same size and place them in different places to discover which melts first.

10. Create a snowman sculpture

Build mini snowmen and add extras like craft materials and LEGO to create a snowman sculpture. You'll have to work fast before your creations melt!

Take a look at my winter science experiments post for more ice and snow science fun.

Last Updated on June 30, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post 10 Science Activities for a Snowy Day appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

The Earth rotates once on its axis every 24 hours. As it rotates, the sun shines on different parts of it. When the sun shines on one side of the Earth, it's daytime and nighttime on the opposite side.

What are time zones?

The Earth is divided into 24 time zones. Everyone in each zone sets their clocks to the same time, and some countries have multiple time zones. Time zones were created to standardise time in a specific region.

How many time zones are there?

The Earth has 24 time zones.

What is the time difference between time zones?

Each time zone differs by one hour.

Why do we have time zones?

Time zones help us coordinate time around the world. Without time zones 5 pm in one part of the world would be a very different part of the day to 5 pm somewhere else, so things would become very confusing.

What are lines of longitude?

The Earth is a sphere shape. Lines of longitude ( or meridians ) are imaginary lines of equal length drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole.

The Prime Meridian runs through Greenwich, England, and has a longitude of 0 degrees. The antimeridian on the opposite side of the Earth has a longitude of 180 degrees.

What is Greenwich Mean Time?

Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT ) is the point of reference for global time zones. In 1972, GMT was replaced by Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC ) for global timekeeping.

UTC is more accurate than GMT as it corrects for the fact that the duration of the day isn't constant through the year due to the rotation of the Earth on its axis. UTC uses measurements of the Earth's rotation and readings from atomic clocks around the world.

What happens if a country spans multiple time zones?

Large countries like the United States, Russia and Canada have multiple time zones. The USA and Canada have 6 time zones, and Russia has 11.

Where is the first place to celebrate New Year?

Kiribati, in the Pacific Ocean, is the first place to welcome the New Year.

Where is the last place to celebrate New Year?

The islands of Niue and American Samoa are the last inhabited places to celebrate New Year.

Last Updated on March 27, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post What are Time Zones? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Christmas is over, but I'm not quite ready to face the normality of life just yet, so we've been collecting our favourite kid's science activities for New Year!

Make a firework in a jar, firework pictures or film canister rockets to welcome in the New Year. Learn about changes of state with chocolate sprinkle breadsticks or investigate raising agents with the great Christmas cookie experiment!

Easy Kids Activities for New Year

Chocolate sprinkle snacks

How about starting with these fun edible sparklers from Red Ted Art? They are a great, fun way to learn about melting and changes of state and are delicious, too. One simple idea for a science investigation is to determine whether milk or white chocolate sets the fastest.

Firework chromatography pictures

Fun firework pictures are easy enough for even very young children to try. Experiment with different colours and types of pens to see which gives the best firework effect. This is a simple way to learn about chromatography.

Firework in a glass

Did you know you can simulate a firework effect in a glass using just oil, water and food colouring?

Food colouring and milk fireworks

We enjoyed making fireworks with milk and food colouring while learning about emulsions.

Firework scratch art pictures

Try making a firework scratch art picture. These are super easy to make and look very effective.

More New Year Activity Ideas for Kids

Learn about the chemistry of fireworks with the RSC.

We love this pop up firework craft from My Little Three and Me and Red Ted Art's homemade party poppers.

No Time for Flash Cards has a beautiful Wishing Tree, which is a great way to plan for the year ahead with children.

Make a pop up card to wish friends a Happy New Year and learn about levers and pop-up mechanisms at the same time.

We love Red Ted Art's 3D Paper Snowflakes. They will make a gorgeous decoration if you're having a party.

Science crackers are a fun way to keep the kids busy as you celebrate the New Year.

If you've got some Christmas candy left over, my fun and festive edible experiments are great for keeping the Christmas mood going.

This firework painting activity from Learning4Kids looks fantastic, too!

See in the New Year with a bang with these film canister rockets - but don't forget to stand well back!

Finally, I LOVE the idea of a New Year time capsule, like this one from The Imagination Tree.

Chinese New Year Crafts

Red Ted Art has a fantastic Dragon Printable, perfect for making shadow puppets and many other crafts.

Have a great New Year!

Last Updated on December 29, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Easy Science Activities for New Year appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

It's the season for baking, but have you ever wondered what makes cakes and biscuits rise? It's all about the raising agent. This activity uses a basic cookie recipe and different raising agents to find out which works the best.

What is a raising agent?

A raising agent, also known as a leavening agent, is a substance used to create bubbles to lighten a mixture. Examples of raising agents are baking powder, yeast and steam.

If you’ve ever forgotten to add baking powder or baking soda to a cake, you probably didn’t get the light, airy mixture you were hoping for, and too much baking powder gives a funny taste. Baking is all about getting the amounts of each ingredient and the cooking time and temperature right for your bake.

It's a delicious, fun, festive baking activity for the whole family!

You'll need

Basic cookie recipe

225g unsalted butter at room temperature

110g caster sugar

275g plain flour/all-purpose flour

Chocolate chips - optional

Parchment paper

Baking sheet

Wooden spoon

Bowl

Potential raising agents to test

Baking powder

Egg white

Baking soda/bicarbonate of soda

Lemonade

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl with the wooden spoon. Add the flour slowly until you have a smooth mixture.

Split the mixture evenly into four bowls.

Add a different raising agent to 3 of the mixtures and mix well.

The mixture without a raising agent is the control.

Add a handful of chocolate chips to each mixture.

Split the mixture into evenly sized-balls and spread them out on a baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and compare each batch of cookies.

Remember to keep as many variables constant as you can.

Use the same amount of dough for each cookie.

Bake each batch for the same amount of time at the same temperature.

Use the same amount of each raising agent.

If you liked this post, you'll love my Science Sparks Bake Off!

Last Updated on December 28, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post The Great Christmas Cookie Experiment appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Welcome to the Elf toy making workshop! Your challenge is to design and build a balancing toy. A balancing toy can stand up on a tiny stand. Use your engineering and imagination to build a snowman or elf toy that seems to balance magically!

Elf Balancing STEM Toy Challenge

You'll need

Wooden skewers/toothpicks or straws

A cork or piece of carrot

Play dough

Christmas decorations and craft items

Instructions

Place a piece of wooden skewer about 2 inches long into the bottom of the cork.

Place the cork on the end of your finger or on the top of a bottle with a lid. It will fall over.

Push the pointed end of two skewers into opposite sides of the cork and place a blob of play dough on the opposite ends.

Test to see if the cork balances. Add or remove play dough to each skewer until it stops falling over.

Extension Task

Add more skewers or straws or thin wire. Remember, both sides have to balance.

Why does it work

The cork elf stays balanced when its centre of mass is directly above the skewer. Gravity pulls downwards, and if the centre of mass isn’t lined up over the skewer at the bottom, it creates a turning force that tips the balancing toy over.

Adding skewers and play dough changes the centre of mass of the cork. By adjusting the skewers and play dough bit by bit, we brought the centre of mass back over the bottle and the skewer at the bottom, keeping the elf balanced.

Top Tips

Keep it simple! First, build a basic balancing toy, and then add extra parts if you want to make it more complex.

Give children a variety of different materials to create with.

Make it fun! Include festive decorations, bells and other Christmas themed materials.

More elf activity ideas

Make frost appear on the side of a can, a rainbow of colour appear in water and more cheeky elf experiments!

Set up a flying elf hat STEM challenge. This is a great activity for younger children, who will love watching the elf hats fly.

Always supervise children with sharp materials.

Last Updated on December 12, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Elf Balancing Toy STEM Challenge appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Have you ever wondered how balancing toys work? You can find out with this simple marshmallow balancing STEM challenge! It's a great activity for learning about gravity and centre of mass.

You'll need

A bottle with a lid

5 wooden skewers

4 Marshmallows

A Carrot

Instructions

Cut a small piece of carrot and place a piece of wooden skewer about 2 inches long into the bottom. Most of the skewer should be outside the acrrot.

Place the skewer on the top of the bottle, it will fall over.

Push the pointed end of two skewers into opposite sides of the carrot and push a marshmallow onto the end of both.

Place the carrot onto the bottle. It should now balance!

Add two more marshmallow skewers to the carrot and see if it still balances.

Experiment by moving the marshmallows up and down the skewers.

Why did this work?

At first, the carrot didn’t balance on the bottle because it was cut unevenly and had a thin skewer stuck in the bottom, making it wobbly. The carrot stays balanced when its centre of mass (the point where all the stuff in the carrot is evenly distributed) is directly above the skewer. Gravity pulls down, and if the centre of mass isn't lined up over the skewer in the bottom it creates a turning force that tips the carrot over.

By adding more skewers with marshmallows around the sides of the carrot, we were able to change the centre of mass. Too far away from the bottle and that turning force caused by gravity keeps tipping it over, but by adjusting the skewers and marshmallows bit by bit, we brought the centre of mass back over the bottle and the skewer at the bottom, keeping the carrot balanced.

Spreading out the marshmallows lower and wider on the skewer made it more stable, like how a wide-bottomed mug is harder to tip over.

Extra Balance Toy Challenge

Experiment with different materials. We made a fun elf balancing toy with a cork as the elf body and play dough on the ends of the skewers.

Play dough is a great material to use in the ends as it's easy to shape and add or remove bits.

Last Updated on December 5, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Balancing Marshmallows STEM Challenge appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Who loves Christmas candy? We do! These easy Christmas candy experiments are a great way to learn while enjoying Christmas treats.

Get ready to turn your kitchen into a festive science lab as you explore the science behind melting, dissolving, taste and smell, all with a wonderful Christmas twist.

Edible Christmas Science Activities

Christmas Skittles Experiment

First, here's a Christmas twist on the traditional Skittles experiment. All you need to do is arrange your Skittles on a plate or tray ( we chose Christmas colours ) and slowly pour warm or cold water over the top. The colour from the Skittles dissolves into the water.

Be careful not to nudge the container as the colours will merge, and you won't get the separated colours effect.

Little Bins for Little Hands tried a peppermint in water, which also worked well.

Marshmallow Snowman - Christmas Candy Experiment

This marshmallow snowman activity is great fun. Children can test different types of sticky substances to see which is the strongest. You could also try this with meringue pieces. Icing sugar, glucose syrup and marshmallow fluff are great sticky substances to test.

All about the Candy Canes

With our easy investigation, you can investigate how strong a candy cane is. Strengthen the candy cane with different materials and add ornaments until it breaks.

Another idea is to dissolve a candy cane using different liquids; we tried hot water, cold water and vinegar. You could also do this using hot chocolate. A minty candy cane makes a delicious stirring spoon, but will it melt?

Sugar Crystal Lollypops

These sugar crystal lollypops are tricky but fun to try, even if they don't work the first time. It is a VERY sticky process though, so don't say I didn't warn you!

Christmas Chocolate STEM

Minty chocolate leaves are super easy to make, taste great and are perfect for learning about changes of state.

For a stronger minty taste, try our peppermint candies. These are delicious and taste very festive!

Warm up with a Christmas Drink

It's not quite candy, but hot chocolate with marshmallows is a great way to warm up on a cold day, and you can add a little science to the treat by investigating whether marshmallows melt fastest in a warm or hot drink. Is there a perfect marshmallow level of meltiness?

This activity is also part of my 24 days of elf science ideas series.

Gingerbread House STEM Challenge

My gingerbread house investigation is similar to the snowman but with gingerbread. If you don't want to go all out and make a large house, a mini version with small biscuits works just as well.

I made ours like a tent with just two square pieces of gingerbread and experimented with different strengths of icing sugar to see which held the house together the best.

More Christmas Science

We've got lots of fun and easy Christmas science experiments to keep you busy this year. My current favourite is our collection of Santa STEM challenges.

If you fancy trying something different each day, we have a science advent calendar too!

If you're looking for Christmas gifts, I have lots of recommendations and easy ideas for homemade STEM or Science kits!

Finally, try one of my Elf candy games. Download the FREE challenge cards and start experimenting!

Do let us know if you try any of our Christmas candy experiments!

Last Updated on December 3, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Easy Christmas Candy Experiments appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Spread some holiday cheer with a flying Santa STEM challenge. This fun, hands-on science activity is perfect for home or school and uses just a few basic materials.

The Flying Santa STEM pack has a template, instructions, results table and an experiment write-up sheet!

I also have a collection of downloadable Santa STEM challenge cards you might like.

Flying Santa STEM Challenge

You'll need

Straw

Paper

Tape

Scissors

Ruler or tape measure

Pencil/pens

Flying Santa Instructions

Cut out the rectangle shape, fold it in half and seal the top and long side opposite the fold with tape. This section needs to fit loosely over the straw.

Cut out the Santa image and stick it to the folder paper section.

Place Santa on the end of the straw and blow down the straw. Santa will fly into the air.

Measure how far Santa travels using the ruler. Repeat this 3 times, trying to use the same amount of force as you blow and point the straw at the same angle.

Why does Santa fly?

When you blow air down the straw, it travels to the end and pushes its way out, taking the Santa rocket with it as it moves. The harder you blow into the straw, the more energy the air has, and the further Santa will fly!

More Christmas Science for Kids

Keep the kids and elves busy with my 24 FREE elf challenge cards, one for each day of Advent.

Last Updated on November 28, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Flying Santa STEM Challenge appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

You'll probably never need to know the volume of a Christmas decoration, but this simple science activity is a great way to learn about finding the volume of objects, and who knows, one day, it might come in useful.

You'll need a Christmas decoration that you don't mind getting wet and a small measuring container.

You’ll need

Water

Scissors

Blu tack

Plastic bottle

Plastic straw

Small measuring jug

Christmas decorations

How to find the volume of an irregularly shaped object

Cut the top off the plastic bottle. Ask an adult to help.

Carefully make a hole near the top of the bottom part of the bottle. The hole must be big enough for the straw to fit through.

Fix the straw in place with blue tack.

Place the jug under the straw.

Fill the bottle with water until the water starts to spill through the straw. Empty the jug.

Carefully place an object you want to measure into the water. The object must be fully submerged. When the water has stopped spilling into the jug, record the volume of water displaced.

The volume of water displaced is the volume of the object in the bottle!

What is volume?

Volume is the amount of 3-dimensional space an object takes up. Volume is measured in cubic units, for example, cm³

Convert litres to cubic centimetres

1 litre is 1000cm³

1ml is 1cm³

Convert volume to density

How do we know this method works?

This simple method for finding the volume of an irregularly shaped object is thought to have been discovered by a scientist named Archimedes, who is thought to have realised he could find the volume of any object by measuring the amount of water it displaced after noticing the water level rise as he had a bath.

If you enjoyed this activity, don't forget to check out my ultimate list of Christmas science experiments!

Last Updated on November 26, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

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Last year, we made an icy snowman using ice, salt and water. This year, it's Santa's turn. Draw a Santa face on the outside of a tin can, add ice, salt and water and watch as a frosty beard appears.

You can use the same salt and water science to cool a drink quickly and make ice cream in a bag!

Frosty Beard for Santa

You'll need

A clean, empty tin can

Coloured pens to decorate

Ice

Salt

Water

How to make a frosty Santa

Decorate the can to look like Santa. We used a mixture of sharpies and chalk pens.

Fill the can with small pieces of ice.

Add a little water

Pour in about three tablespoons of salt

Watch as the frost forms

If it doesn't work, keep adding ice and salt. The frost should form within 10 minutes and be solid enough to touch the outside of the can.

Why does frost form on the outside of the can?

The icy water temperature is about 0°C, but for frost to form, the icy mixture needs to be much colder, which is why we add salt.

Salt lowers the freezing point of ice, which means at 0°C, the ice starts to melt as its freezing point is lower than zero. To do this, the ice draws heat from the surroundings ( the surface of the tin can ), causing water vapour in the air to condense and freeze on the outside of the can.

More Festive Science for Kids

If you enjoyed this activity, you'll love my ULTIMATE list of Christmas Science Experiments, which contains Santa STEM challenges, a FREE pack of paper science experiments, reindeer lava lamps, and lots more!

Don't forget to download my FREE pack of elf activities, too!

Last Updated on November 20, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post A Frosty Beard for Santa STEM Challenge appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Are you ready to sprinkle a little science magic into your holiday celebrations? My Fizzy Elf Laboratory is the perfect way to introduce little scientists to the principles of chemical reactions.

All you need is need baking soda, vinegar, food colouring, test tubes and some curious elves!

You might also like my ELF STEM Challenges, where you can build a new shelf for the elf, make a parachute for an elf and lots more!

Fizzy Elf Laboratory

You'll need

Test tubes or containers

Test tube holder

Baking soda ( bicarbonate of soda )

Vinegar

Red and green food colouring

Eco glitter - optional

Funnel

Safety note:

Children should wear safety goggles to prevent vinegar from getting in their little eyes.

Set up an Elf Lab

Use a funnel to neatly add a teaspoon of baking soda to each test tube.

Add a few drops of food colouring and some eco glitter.

Give them all a good stir.

Get ready for the fizz

Add a few drops of vinegar to each test tube and watch the mixture fizz!

Why does this happen?

Vinegar (an acid) and bicarbonate of soda ( an alkali ) react together to neutralise each other. This reaction releases carbon dioxide, a gas, which is the bubbles you see. The carbon dioxide bubbles mixed with the food colouring make a lovely foam!

Extension tasks

What could you add to make the foam thicker?

What happens if you use more or less baking soda?

Why does this happen?

FREE Printable Experiment Instructions

More Elf Experiments for Kids

Check out my 24 days of elf ideas. This FREE downloadable pack includes 24 printable challenge cards jam packed with ideas for keeping cheeky elves busy for the whole of December.

Help the Elves find the jingle bells in snowy shaving foam. This is a lovely fine motor activity for little ones.

The elves want to find out what happens to candy canes placed in different liquids. Help them find out with my dissolving candy cane activity.

Help the elves build a super strong gingerbread house for Santa.

Contains affiliate links

Last Updated on November 18, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Fizzy Elf Laboratory appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Next on our trip Around the World in 50 Experiments is Lapland!

Lapland is a huge region in northern Finland. It extends from the Arctic Circle to the borders of Norway and Sweden. The original people of Lapland are the Sami people. Many still live a traditional lifestyle.

Lapland has a varied landscape, including forests, arctic wilderness and large hills.

Lapland Facts for Kids

Summer is short.

There are more reindeer than humans!

Lapland has a history of gold mining! Visitors can learn pan for gold in Tankavaara Gold Village and Kakslauttanen Arctic resort.

Santa Claus is said to live in Lapland. You can visit the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi.

Lapland is one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights.

Lapland has some of the cleanest air in the world.

The local Sami people use 8 seasons to describe the changing weather conditions throughout the year. As well as the usual spring, summer, autumn and winter they include transitions between seasons.

Lapland is home to many interesting animals, including arctic foxes, brown bears, reindeer, moose and the Wolverine!

Arctic Animal Adaptations

Arctic animals have several adaptations to allow them to thrive in their harsh environment.

Wolverine

• thick, dense fur for insulation
• Powerful jaws and teeth for crushing bones and frozen meat
• large paws to act like snowshoes
• sharp claws

Arctic Fox

• thick, dense fur for insulation
• fur turns white in winter for cameouflage
• small ears to reduce heat loss.
• fur on paws for insulation and to grip on ice and snow
• the ability to digest bones and fur

Brown Bear

• thick fur for insulation
• layer of fat for warmth
• hibernate in winter

Reindeer

• thick fur for insulation.
• hairy hooves to stop snow sticking and clogging up the hooves.
• wide hooves to distribute their weight evenly on the snow.

Create a Mix Up Arctic Animal

Creat your own mic up Arctic animal using adapatations from real animals.

More Lapland Science Activity Ideas

Try one my Santa STEM challenges.

Royal Museums Greenwich has some fantastic Northern Lights science activities.

Where will you go next in our journey around the world.

Last Updated on November 12, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Lapland - Arctic Animal Adaptations appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

If you're looking for easy and exciting educational science activities to keep your kids engaged, you're in the right place. Science Sparks is bursting with fun and free science experiments, but with so many ideas, it can be hard to find what you're looking for. I've pulled together 10 of my most popular FREE science activities for kids.

All the activities are great for learning at home or school and are sure to spark a child's curiosity and inspire a lifelong love of learning! From simple science experiments to outdoor explorations, these science activities are perfect for kids of all ages.

10 FREE Science Activities for Kids

1. Paper Science Experiments

Paper is inexpensive and easy to use. It's flexible, absorbs water and can be drawn on, making it a great resource for many science experiments.

My free paper science booklet contains six simple science activities using paper, scissors and a paperclip.

2. Waterproof a Boot

My waterproofing a boot science activity is a simple but fun science activity that uses paper, felt-tip pens, and different materials to test whether boots are waterproof.

The boot template is free, and I also have several alternative themes.

Waterproof a football boot.

Waterproof a dinosaur.

3. Butterfly Life Cycle

Create a butterfly life cycle using my free template. Children can draw pictures of each stage or use pasta or craft items.

I also have a free butterfly life cycle spinner.

4. Gingerbread Man Science Investigation

Find out what happens to gingerbread biscuits when placed in different liquids. This is a great Christmas science activity or one you can do anytime after reading The Gingerbread Man book.

5. Straw Rockets

Build and test straw rockets using my free template. All you need is some tape, a straw and the template.

Straw rockets are great for a forces and motion topic, a space topic, or just for fun!

6. Does salty water freeze?

Find out whether salty water freezes with my free science experiment instructions and results template.

All you need for this activity is salt, water and a freezer. This is a great activity for making observations over time and learning how to set up an investigation as a fair test.

7. Paper Chromatography

Paper chromatography is a very simple science activity that requires only a kitchen towel or filter paper and felt-tip pens. The kitchen towel is placed in water, and as the water moves up the towel, the different inks in each colour separate.

You can also try chromatography using candy as an alternative to felt tip pens.

8. Test reaction time with a ruler

Testing reaction time with a ruler is another simple science activity. All you need is a willing volunteer, a copy of my instructions and recording sheet, and a ruler!

9. Search the sky

Learn about the moon, stars and constellations with my stargazing log book.

Observing and recording the changes in how the moon looks each day is a fantastic way to learn about the different phases of the moon.

10. Easy Optical Illusions

Create your optical illusions with my free template, or draw your own!

Cut out two squares of paper, draw an image on each and attach them to either side of a pencil or straw. Spin the straw quickly to see the images merge together!

More free science activities for kids

Download and print my famous scientist bookmarks.

Try one of my Fairy Tale STEM Challenges. These include building a bridge for the Billy Goats, growing a beanstalk for Jack and building a house for the witch in Hansel and Gretel.

Take a look at my full collection of science experiment instructions and printable activity sheets.

Last Updated on November 6, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post 10 of the Best FREE Science Activities for Kids appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

I'm a bit last minute posting these firework crafts as tomorrow is Bonfire Night in the UK, but they came out so well I didn't want to wait for New Year. All you need is paper, paint and an old salad spinner to make these easy Firework Spin Art pictures.

Firework Crafts - Spin Art Pictures

These came out brilliantly on black cardstock, especially when we added a bit of glitter.

You'll need

Cardboard

Paint

Salad Spinner

Glitter

How to make firework pictures

Cut the cardboard so it fits neatly inside the salad spinner.

Drop paint ( and glitter if you want ) onto the paper.

Spin the salad spinner.

Stand back and admire your picture.

More Firework Crafts

Try different types of paper. Do some work better than others?

What happens if you water down the paint?

Filter Paper Firework Pictures

We've spent many happy hours making these in the past as they are super easy, and the result is always a surprise!

Firework Crafts - Chromatography Firework Pictures

Filter Paper

Washable felt tip pens

Pipette - we got ours from Learning Resources

How to make a chromatography picture

Draw firework shapes on the filter paper.

Drop water onto the filter paper.

Watch the colours run and leave to dry.

Extension Tasks

Can you try different types of pens? Does permanent marker work?

More firework activity ideas for kids

Our colourful firework in a jar science activity looks amazing, and only needs water, vegetable oil and food colouring.

Make fun firework pictures with conkers like Rainy Day Mum.

Mum in the Madhouse has some great firework crafts made with cable ties.

Or how about a firework scratch art picture?

Finally, we love these edible sparklers from Red Ted Art.

Last Updated on December 27, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Firework Crafts - Spin Art and Filter Paper Pictures appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

These spinning bats are another simple Halloween science activity using simple materials. You'll need a straw or pencil, paper and a ruler to charge with static electricity.

When the bat ( or another spooky shape) is placed on the straw, and a ruler charged with static electricity is placed close by, the bat spins!

You'll need

Playdough

Straw or pencil

Paper

Scissors

Tissue paper

Instructions

Cut out bat shapes or use my handy template.

Place a straw or pencil in a ball of play dough and position it so it stands up straight.

Gently place the paper bat on top of the straw or pencil.

Rub the ruler or PVC pipe on a woolly jumper.

Place the ruler near the bat and watch it spin.

Why does the paper spin?

When you rub the ruler on your jumper or hair, it becomes charged with static electricity. This means the ruler has extra electrons and an overall negative charge.

The paper has a neutral charge, but when the ruler or pipe is placed near it, the paper becomes positively charged. Opposite charges attract, so the paper moves towards the ruler, making it spin.

Extension task

Cut out tissue paper ghosts and watch as they jump up to the charged ruler.

More Halloween Science Experiments for Kids

A spooky lava lamp is a fun and simple alternative ( or addition ) to a traditional pumpkin.

I also have lots of other great Halloween Science Experiments, including jumping ghosts, a spooky noise maker and fake blood.

Or how about giving one of my spooky Halloween STEM challenges a go?

Last Updated on October 30, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Spinning Static Paper Bats STEM Challenge appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Halloween is a great time to try some spooky science tricks and experiments. Here at Science Sparks, we've been growing our collection of Halloween Science Experiments for years, and this year's new Halloween science activities are the best yet!

These five Halloween science tricks are easy and stress-free to set up and almost always work perfectly!

Easy Halloween Science Tricks

Disappearing Spiders

Make spiders disappear using a trick of light! This very simple science activity uses just a glass and water. As water is poured into the glass, a drawing of a spider disappears.

Put a paper towel in water without it getting wet

This clever science trick allows you to put a paper towel in water without it getting wet. The secret is the paper towel needs to be in a glass.

Blow up a balloon without touching it

Inflate a pumpkin balloon using science. Baking soda and vinegar can be used to blow up a balloon while you sit back and watch.

Carbon dioxide is released in the reaction, which spreads through the container and into the balloon, causing it to inflate.

Halloween optical illusion

You can create a simple optical illusion using paper, pens and straws. Use my free template or draw your own.

Spooky sounds device

Use a plastic cup, ribbon and paper clip to make a spooky noise maker.

The cup acts like an amplifier. If you rub damp paper towel down the ribbon without the cup attached, no sound is made, but the cup amplifies the vibrations created by the movement, creating a creaky noise perfect for scaring trick or treaters!

If you enjoyed my Halloween science tricks, don’t forget to check out my other Halloween science experiments and my FREE Halloween quiz!

You might also like my book Gross Science, which is full of icky, sticky and stinky science experiments for kids!

The post FIVE Halloween Science Tricks appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Can you completely submerge a paper towel under water without it getting wet? The answer is yes, you can! It needs some science trickery, but you'll be surprised how easy it is!

When the glass is placed in the water, air is trapped inside it. The trapped air prevents water from getting into the glass.

This version of the experiment is vaguely Halloween themed, so I drew a spider on the paper towel.

How to keep a paper towel dry underwater

You'll need

A large bowl or container

Paper towel/kitchen roll

Pens - optional

Water

Small glass

Instructions

Fill the bowl or container with water and check the glass can be completely submerged inside the bowl.

Cut the paper towel into quarters.

Fold one section of the paper towel and place it in the bottom of the glass. Make sure it stays at the bottom of the cup when you tip it upside down.

Place the glass upside down into the water until it is completely submerged.

Remove the glass. The paper towel should be completely dry!

Try again but this time gently tip the glass as you remove it. What happens?

Why does the paper towel stay dry?

When the cup or glass is placed in the water, water is trying to get into the cup, and air is trying to get out. The two forces ( air and water pressure ) are balanced, so the air stays inside the cup, and water doesn't move in. This is a great demonstration of air pressure!

Extension tasks

Try using cups of different sizes and shapes. Does it make a difference?

Try one of my other Halloween science experiments.

Science Concepts

Air pressure

Last Updated on October 17, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Paper Towel Under Water Science Experiment - Halloween STEM appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Halloween will be here before we know it, so I've put together a collection of my Top 10 Science Experiments to celebrate. There's a spooky lava lamp, creepy shadow puppets, fizzy witch and wizard potions, and even a noise making machine!

Print off the list below and tick off each Halloween science activity as you go along. Which will you try first?

Top 10 Science Activities for Halloween

1. Spooky Lava Lamp

Lava lamps also feature in my Top 10 Science Experiments Every Child Should Try at Least Once. They are super easy to set up and can be used over and over again.

Pumpkin-themed lava lamps always make me smile. They make an unusual window decoration and a fun science activity.

If you place a torch behind the lava lamp, the pumpkin's face glows eerily as it erupts.

2. Creepy Shadow Puppets

Shadow puppets are another very easy activity. Adding coloured cellophane for extra effect can make them fun for older children.

Shadow puppets are a fantastic activity for learning that light travels in straight lines and how shadows are formed.

3. Witchy Potions

My collection of fizzy and slimy Halloween potions is great for this time of year and perfect for little witches and wizards. Who doesn't love a fizzy witchy brew?

You can use red cabbage indicator to make a colour-changing potion and baking soda and vinegar to make the potion fizz!

4. Scary Giant Sweets

Place leftover Halloween candy jelly sweets in clean water and watch them expand over a few hours as they absorb the water.

5. Bug Filled Ice

Ice excavations are easy and inexpensive to set up. Younger children usually enjoy dripping warm water over the top to melt the ice, while older children can try adding salt ( take care; this can make the ice extra cold ) and investigate how the salt speeds up the melting process.

7. Erupting Pumpkins

You've probably made an erupting volcano before, but a pumpkin ( once you've scooped out the delicious insides ) can be erupted too! Add a little baking soda and vinegar to a mixture of food colouring and water for hours of fizzy fun.

8. Ghostly Optical Illusions

These are actually pumpkin illusions, but a ghost would also look great.

New for 2024 is a FREE Halloween optical illusion template.

9. Nasty Noise Maker

All you need to make spooky noises is a plastic cup, ribbon and a paperclip! If you pair this up with creepy shadow puppets, you have a great trick for trick-or-treaters!

10. Magic Mirror Writing

Write creepy messages backwards using a mirror to help!

Which of my Top 10 Science Experiments for Halloween is your favourite?

More Halloween ideas for kids

Make spooky Halloween Push and Pull Puppets. These are a cute spooky science craft that can be used for learning about forces.

Keep the kids busy with my free Halloween science quiz.

Try my simple Halloween themed paper science experiments!

Gross Science is perfect for Halloween and is jam-packed with icky, sticky, and slimy science for kids! Make jelly scabs, fake poo, a blood cocktail and lots more!

If you'd rather do something more autumnal, take a look at my easy Autumn STEM Challenges.

Last Updated on October 15, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Top 10 Science Experiments for Halloween appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

The next location in Around the World in 50 Experiments is Portugal. Portugal is located in Southwestern Europe and has a long, beautiful Atlantic coastline, captivating history and diverse landscapes. The volcanic Azores and Madeira islands also belong to Portugal.

The Serra da Estrela mountain range dominates the north, while the central region contains forests, farmland, and charming villages. The Algarve area is home to world-class sandy beaches, breathtaking cliffs, and clear blue water.

Most people live along the coast and in areas around Lisbon and Porto.

Language - Portuguese

Population - 10 million ( 2024 )

Capital City - Lisbon

Nature

Common animals found in Portugal are boars, wild goats, otters, flamingos, Iberian Hares, and the Iberian Lynx, which is one of the world's most endangered species.

Cork

Portugal produces most of the world's cork! Cork is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees and is used for products such as wine bottle corks, shoe soles, insulation and flooring.

Shops in Portugal also sell a variety of cork handbags, purses, wallets, and other products you wouldn't think could be made from cork!

Cork trees have thick bark, which insulates the tree and protects it from drought and fire. They can live for hundreds of years, so if the cork is harvested sustainably, it can supply a cork for a long time. Cork trees can be harvested every nine years.

Cork is stripped by hand from trees and then left to dry for several months before being made into a product.

Cork trees also sequester carbon, making them a fantastic way to help fight climate change.

Cork STEM Challenge

Cork has small air pockets trapped inside, making it lightweight and low density. This simple STEM challenge demonstrates these properties of cork.

Cork floats on water because it has a lower density than water.

You'll need

A cork

Small glass or jar

Water

Instructions

Fill the glass or jar almost to the top with water.

Place the cork on the water. It should float.

Move the cork to the middle of the water on the surface and try to get it to stay there. It will probably start to move towards the edge.

Carefully add more water to the glass until it's almost overflowing.

The cork should move to the centre of the glass and stay there.

Why does this happen?

When the glass is as full as it can be, the surface tension of the water moves above the rim of the glass or jar. You should be able to see that the surface is slightly rounded. The cork moves to the highest point of the water ( the centre ) and stays in position.

The Iberian Lynx

The Iberian Lynx is an endangered species. They are largely restricted to mountainous areas along the Iberian Peninsula.

Iberian lynxes are solitary, nocturnal animals that are most active around sunset. They are carnivores that eat mostly small mammals such as rabbits and birds.

Threats to the Iberian Lynx

• The biggest threat to the Iberian Lynx is the destruction of its habitat. Cars and traps set for rabbits often kill them.

• Decreasing rabbit populations.

• Hunting

Facts about the Iberian Lynx

They bury unfinished prey to finish eating later.

An adult lynx will eat one rabbit per day. A female providing for cubs can eat three per day.

The Iberian Lynx has excellent vision, vertical pupils, fast reflexes, and good hearing.

The long hair on their feet helps them move quietly over snow.

Create a food chain for the Iberian Lynx

Print the food chain below, cut out the images and put them together in a chain.

Where will you head next in our journey Around the World in 50 Experiments?

Don't forget to print off the FREE passport and create a compass before heading on!

Last Updated on October 10, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Around the World in 50 Experiments - Portugal appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

These simple push and pull puppets are a Halloween version of the animal puppets we made earlier this year. They are great for part of a forces topic and a simple science craft for any time of year.

Pushes and pulls are examples of forces. They can make objects move, stop them moving, speed them up, slow them down or change their shape.

Spooky Halloween Puppets

You'll need

Paper cups

Paper straws

Sellotape

Paper

Scissors

Pens

Instructions

Tape the three straws at the bottom and in the middle.

Bend the outer straws to the side.

Use a pencil to make a hole in the top of a paper cup and one on each side about halfway up the cup.

Carefully feed the straws through the holes so the middle straw goes through the top of the cup.

Use my handy template, or add your spooky hands and a head.

Pull the straws down and push them up to make the hands and head of the puppet move.

If you like these, be sure to check out my other Halloween science experiments and activities.

Last Updated on October 26, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Halloween Push and Pull Puppets appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Last December, I decided to build a giant LEGO® Santa at the last minute. We've got a LOT of LEGO®, so I thought it'd be a great way to clear some bricks out of storage and have a great Christmas decoration. I massively underestimated the number of bricks needed and ended up buying a lot of the red pieces, but it was worth it as he looks great and makes me smile every time I walk past.

I didn't finish my LEGO® Santa until March, so he was either three months late or nine months early, depending on how you look at it.

I found the Santa instructions on Rebrickable. They were easy to follow, although the overhanging bits required some concentration, and I need to take another look at the hands as the kids knocked some bricks off.

Last Updated on October 6, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Giant LEGO® Santa Claus appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

This disappearing spider trick is a simple Halloween science activity and a great refraction demonstration.

Children can watch as a drawing of a spider disappears when water is poured into a glass over the image.

Disappearing Spider Trick

You'll need

Glass cup or jar
Drawing of a spider on a sheet of paper
Water

Instructions

Place a drawing of a spider under the glass.

Slowly fill the glass with water and watch the spider disappear.

Why does it work?

Light (from the sun or artificial light) travels in a straight line, bounces off objects, and enters our eyes, allowing us to see things. Generally, there is little or no refraction of light as it travels through air.

However, when you pour water into the glass or jar, the light from the spider drawing is refracted ( bends ) and doesn't reach your eyes, which is why the spider seems to disappear.

More science ideas for Halloween

Make a fizzy pumpkin lava lamp.

Try one of my other spooky Halloween Science Experiments, which include jumping ghosts, a spooky noise maker, or fake blood.

Or how about giving one of my creepy Halloween STEM challenges a go?

Last Updated on October 2, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Disappearing Spiders - Halloween Refraction Experiment appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Today, we had a lot of fun making Halloween versions of our basic optical illusion. What do you think of our pumpkin? Just roll the pencil or straw between your hands to see the face appear in the pumpkin.

The best thing about this activity is that you can be as creative as you like. Make a hat appear on a witch, a face appear on a ghost, or a bat hanging from a tree!

New for this year is a FREE optical illusion template!

What you need for an optical illusion craft

• white cardboard/paper
• pencils and colouring pens
• scissors
• glue/sellotape
• straw

Or, use my handy template!

How to make a simple optical illusion

• Cut out two shapes from a sheet of white cardboard.
• Draw whatever you want. If you don't fancy a pumpkin, how about a haunted mansion on one piece and a ghost on the other? Half of the illusion should be on one piece of card and the other half on the other side.
• Glue or sellotape a pencil in between the two pictures.
• Hold the pencil between your palms and rub your hands to make the picture spin around.
• You should find the face that appears on the pumpkin.

If you design your own version, I'd love to see it.

Download a free experiment instruction sheet by clicking the image below.

If you want to learn more about optical illusions, check out Optics4kids. It will blow your mind!

More Halloween Experiments for Kids

Learn about shadows with our easy shadow puppets. These are fun decorations for Halloween and can be scary or fun and cute!

We've also got an easy recipe for Halloween slime and lots of witches' potion recipes.

Keep the whole family entertained with our Halloween science quiz!

You might also like my book Gross Science! It's full of disgustingly gruesome science experiments perfect for Halloween.

Affiliate links

Last Updated on September 30, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Pumpkin Optical Illusion - Simple Halloween Science appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Animal and plant cells have three main differences. They both have a nucleus, cytoplasm and cell membrane, but only plant cells have a cell wall, vacuole and chloroplasts. We used jelly to create an easy plant cell model showing the main features of a plant cell.

See our animal cell model post for more about the organelles found in both types of cells.

Features of a plant cell

Cell wall - a rigid coating made of cellulose, which supports the cell.

Vacuole - this is a large space filled with cell sap. Cell sap is a solution of sugar and salts.

Chloroplasts - these contain chlorophyll, which is needed for photosynthesis.

Plant Nutrition

Did you know plants make their own food? They use a chemical process called photosynthesis, which takes place in every green plant. Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water along with energy from sunlight to make glucose ( energy for the plant ) and oxygen!

Photosynthesis Equation

carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen

Plants get carbon dioxide from the air through their leaves and water from the ground via their roots.

Light energy comes from the Sun and is absorbed by chlorophyll ( found in chloroplasts ). It is chlorophyll that gives leaves their green colour.

The glucose created in photosynthesis is converted into other substances, including starch, for the storage of energy.  This energy can be released by respiration.

What affects photosynthesis?

Four factors affect photosynthesis. The faster photosynthesis occurs, the more the plant grows.

Light - the more light there is, the faster photosynthesis occurs.

Water - not enough water slows photosynthesis down.

Temperature - photosynthesis works best at around 30 degrees Celsius.

Levels of carbon dioxide - photosynthesis is faster if there is more carbon dioxide in the air.

Easy plant cell models

Jelly Plant Cell Model

We made these plant cell models using jelly ( jello ) and different candy sweets. They are very easy to make and look great.

What you need to make a jelly plant cell model

Jelly/Jello

Different sweets - you'll need something long and thin for the cell membrane.

A container

Instructions

Make your jello as per the instructions in a lightly greased container.

Once set, gently tip it into the container you want to keep the cell in ( it'll be hard to move after this point )

Add sweets to look like each organelle.

Use toothpicks and stickers as signs to label the cell model.

If you look closely you might spot an error with our labelling..

We found that some sweets, especially hard boiled or sugar coated ones leaked colour into the jelly after a period of time. Keeping them in the fridge seemed to help slow this process down.

Plant and Animal Cell Revision Cards

Click the image below to download my FREE cell revision cards! You can pin them up somewhere or cut them into cards to carry around.

Pizza Cell Model

If you don't fancy a jelly model, how about a pizza plant cell model?

Modroc Plant Cell Model

This model is made from modroc ( plaster bandage ). We built it over a rectangular container and left it to dry to get the shape.

We used scrunched-up bits of Modroc to form the organelles and then painted it!

Candy Plant Cell Model

Or how about a slightly easier candy version?

More Plant Science for Kids

Use two paper plates and a split pin to create a plant life cycle spinner

Find out how water is transported in plants with these easy experiments to demonstrate plant water transportation.

We've also got lots of plant science activity ideas which fit the English science curriculum, including dissecting flowers!

Science concepts

Photosynthesis

Plant cells

Last Updated on September 26, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Easy Plant Cell Model Ideas appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Biology is the study of life and living things, including plants, animals and microorganisms. Biologists refer to living things as organisms. This collection of biology experiments for kids covers some of the most important concepts in biology

There are many different branches of biology, including:

Ecology - the relationships between organisms

Zoology - the study of animals

Taxonomy - classification of organisms

Anatomy - the structure of organisms

Botany - the study of plants

Microbiology - the study of tiny organisms

Physiology - functions of living organisms

Biology is a vast and exciting area of science covering everything from the smallest virus to evolution, ecosystems and the climate.

Top 10 Biology Experiments for Kids

1. Candy DNA Model

This candy DNA model is a great way to learn about the double helix structure of DNA and tastes great, too!

2. Colourful flowers - transpiration investigation

Place white flowers in a pot of food colouring and water to change their colour. This activity is a brilliant visual way to learn about transpiration and transport in plants.

3. Investigate the effect of increasing temperatures on transpiration

Use celery and food colouring to find out how increasing temperature affects the rate of transpiration in plants.

4. Osmosis and eggs

Learn about osmosis with an egg without a shell. The shell is removed by soaking the egg in vinegar. Place the egg in water and watch it grow in size as water moves into it.

This is a fantastic visual way to demonstrate osmosis that always makes a big impact.

5. Edible butterfly life cycle

Make an edible butterfly life cycle using fruit, vegetables, pasta or sweets.

6. What Did Dinosaurs Eat? – Dinosaur Poop Investigation

Discover what dinosaurs ate with a fun dinosaur poo investigation! This is a wonderful activity for younger children who love searching through the playdough for clues to what dinosaurs ate.

7. How does exercise affect heart rate?

Find out how exercise affects heart rate with a simple investigation where children measure their heart rate before and after exercise.

8. What are teeth made from?

Use eggs to find out what teeth are made from and discover the food items that cause them to stain or decay.

9. Digestive system model

Model the digestive system with biscuits, orange juice and tights. This is a slightly gross activity that kids of all ages will love.

10. Make a model lung

Find out how lungs work with a DIY lung model made from a plastic bottle, straw and balloon.

That's my personal top 10 biology experiments, but there's plenty more! Learn about water, cells, plants, enzymes and surface tension with the activities below.

All about Water

All living things need water; luckily, the Earth has a lot of water! Water is made up of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. This edible model of a water molecule shows the structure.

The yellow sweets represent hydrogen, and the purple sweet represents oxygen. The formula for a water molecule is H₂O.

Water is a polar molecule. It has a positive end and a negative end. The negative end of one water molecule is attracted to the positive end of another water molecule, resulting in a hydrogen bond between the two molecules. This attraction between water molecules means water has a high surface tension. There are lots of simple ways to demonstrate surface tension. An investigation using a bowl of water with pepper sprinkled over the top is good to start with.

Surface Tension Demonstration

You'll need

A bowl of water

Ground black pepper

Washing up liquid ( dish soap )

Instructions

Fill the bowl almost to the top with tap water.

Sprinkle black paper over the surface.

Place a drop of washing-up liquid in the centre of the water.

The pepper should move very quickly to the sides.

How does it work?

The washing-up liquid reduces the surface tension of the water, which allows the water particles at the surface to spread out, taking the pepper with them!

More surface tension demonstrations

Find out how many drops of water you can fit on a coin with Rookie Parenting.

Use surface tension to make lollysticks move in water.

Try the classic magic milk experiment. Adding dish soap makes food colouring in milk explode with colour!

Enzyme Demonstrations

Organisms use enzymes to speed up chemical reactions. Enzymes are biological catalysts. The easiest way to learn about enzymes is to use them! A microorganism called yeast is used in bread making as it contains enzymes that convert sugar and starch ( from the sugar and flour in the bread mix ) into carbon dioxide and ethanol. The carbon dioxide gas makes the dough rise. Giving bread the light, airy texture we all enjoy.

Enzymes only function in the right environment for them, which is different for different enzymes. Yeast needs warm, moist conditions, which is why bread dough is left somewhere warm to rise before baking.

Learn about enzymes with pizza or bread dough

You can learn about the enzymes in yeast by making pizza or bread dough! If the dough is left somewhere cool, it won't rise as much as dough left in a warm place, as the enzymes in the yeast won't work as well.

Cell structure and function activities

All organisms are made up of one or more cells.

Bacteria and protozoa are examples of single-celled organisms.

A group of cells working together is called a tissue. Many tissues working together are an organ.

Cells contain organelles, which allow them to function.

Plant cell models

Making a cell model is a fun way to learn about cell structure.

You'll need

Jelly/jello or a plate

Candy/sweets

Instructions

Make your jello as per the instructions in a lightly greased container.

When the jello is set, gently tip it into the container in which you want to make the cell.

Add sweets to look like each organelle.

Use toothpicks and stickers as signs to label the cell model.

Another idea is to combine this activity with the pizza dough to learn about enzymes and create a pizza model of a cell!

Learn more about cells, organelles and the difference between animal and plant cells with my animal and plant cell revision cards.

Specialised cells

Find out about specialised cells with a 3D model of a neurone cell.

Photosynthesis Experiments

Photosynthesis is the process by which organisms ( mostly plants ) create energy. It occurs in organelles called chloroplasts.

Carbon dioxide + water  (and light ) ———> glucose and oxygen

The energy for the reaction comes from sunlight. Photosynthesis is an essential process for life on Earth. It creates oxygen and also helps to remove the carbon dioxide created by human activity.

Plants use the glucose made during photosynthesis for cellular respiration.

Photosynthesis demonstration

Science Buddies have a great photosynthesis investigation you can try.

Plant structure and function

Dissect a flower

Dissecting a flower is a great way to learn about the different parts of a plant and their function.

You'll need

Any flowers with large parts - lily, daffodil, tulip

Magnifying glass

White card

Tweezers

Scissors

Instructions

Lay the flowers out on a table. Try to identify the different parts.

Label areas of the different parts of a flower on a sheet of white card or paper plate and match the dissected pieces to the correct label.

Another easy way to learn about plant structure and function is to make a 3D flower model.

Osmosis Experiments

Osmosis can be a tricky concept to get your head around as it is the movement of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane from a region of higher water concentration to a region of lower water concentration. This can be demonstrated using an egg!

You might be wondering how on Earth an egg with a shell can be used to demonstrate the movement of water, and you're right to wonder. The first thing you have to do is remove the shell by soaking the egg in vinegar. The eggshell dissolves, leaving the semi-permeable membrane behind.

You'll need

Two eggs

Containers big enough to hold an egg

Vinegar

Water

Sugar

Instructions

Soak an egg in vinegar for 24 hours. Carefully remove the egg and rinse. You should be able to remove most of the shell. Leave it in vinegar for another 24 hours and then rinse again.

Place the egg in a cup or jar of water and leave for two hours. Water will move into the egg by osmosis as the concentration of water inside the egg is lower than outside. The egg will grow in size.

If the egg is placed in a concentrated sugar solution, water will move out of the egg into the sugar solution as the concentration of water inside the egg is greater than the sugar solution.

More Biology experiments and activities for kids

Find out why surface area to volume ratio is such an important concept in biology using sugar cubes.

Learn about Mitosis with paper plate models.

Extract your own DNA at home!

Demonstrate how diffusion works with squash or food colouring and water.

Make plasticine models of viruses to learn about their structure.

Learn about the structure of DNA with this candy model that shows the double helix structure of DNA.

Find out how trees disperse seeds with my selection of seed dispersal activities.

Model the digestive system with a pair of tights! This is an excellent way for children to really visualise how food passes through the human body.

Make a model of a pumping heart to discover why heart valves are so important.

Biology resources on the web

Learn.Genetics has lots of brilliant resources about genes, human health, neuroscience and ecology.

For younger children, check out Maddie Moate on YouTube. The channel covers topics from finding out how cinnamon grows to beekeeping, all explained in a fun and visual way.

Can you recommend any other biology experiments for kids for us to try?

Last Updated on June 30, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Easy Biology Experiments for Kids appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

The deepest part of the ocean is in the Challenger Deep valley of the Mariana Trench, which is about 10,935 metres deep ( almost 11km )! This is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.

The Mariana Trench is in the Western Pacific Ocean. The deepest section is named after the two ships that first explored it, HMS Challenger and HMS Challenger II.

Trenches form when tectonic plates collide, forcing the edges downwards. The Mariana Trench formed when the Pacific Plate was subducted under the Mariana Plate.

What lives in the Mariana Trench

The depths of the Marinara Trench are dark and cold ( although there are very hot hydrothermal vents, too ), pressure is intense, and food is in short supply.

Some remarkable animals have adapted to survive in these extreme conditions. The Barreleye fish has a transparent head containing eyes that point upwards so it can see its prey.

The SeaDevil Anglerfish is small but has sharp teeth and a glowing light protruding from its head. The Osedax ( Zombie ) worm secretes acids to reach the bones of its food and then uses bacteria to convert the bone into food!

Mariana Trench Challenge

Read more about the mysterious marine animals that live in the depths of the Mariana Trench, and then design your own! Will your animal create its own light? Will it be transparent, gelatinous, wormlike, or have other special features that will help it survive in the extreme deep of the ocean?

Fun Facts about the Ocean

The Earth has five oceans: the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.

About 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans.

The longest mountain range is underwater! The Mid-Oceanic Ridge is over 56,000km long.

The Pacific Ocean is home to the Ring of Fire. A group of active volcanoes.

Animals that live in the ocean have adapted to survive in salt water.

The Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean.

Phytoplankton and algae in oceans create around half of the oxygen we breathe.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world.

The Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest ocean.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an area of litter and debris that has become trapped by ocean currents. Much of the rubbish is plastic, as it isn't biodegradable and is so commonly used. The sun breaks down plastic into very small pieces, a process called photodegradation. These tiny bits of plastic enter the food chain and, if enough at the surface, block sunlight, affecting the marine life below the surface.

Last Updated on September 16, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post How deep is the ocean? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Sterling silver jewellery tarnishes easily because it contains copper. Copper makes silver stronger, but it binds with particles of sulphur in the air, producing silver sulfide, which is the black layer you find on silver jewellery after a period of time.

This easy activity cleans jewellery by using a chemical reaction between aluminium foil, baking soda, and the patina on the silver.

Clean Jewellery with Aluminium, Baking Soda and Boiling Water

You'll need

A small container

Aluminium foil

250ml of boiling water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Spoon

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place the aluminium foil inside the container with the shiny side facing upwards.

Pour the boiling water over the foil.

Add the baking soda and salt and mix well.

Place the jewellery in the container so it is completely covered by the water and touching the foil.

Leave for about 10 minutes, and you should have shiny jewellery again.

How does it work?

The black patina on silver jewellery is silver sulfide, created when sulphur bonds with silver. However, while sulphur bonds easily with silver, it bonds even more easily with aluminium. The aluminium acts as a reducing agent, giving electrons to the silver in the silver sulfide, reducing it back into silver. This is an example of an electrochemical reaction. A small electric current flows between the silver and aluminium during the reaction.

Why use boiling water and salt?

Boiling water is used to speed up the reaction.

Salt is added to help the aluminium electrons reach the silver.

This method of cleaning jewellery only works with silver. Do NOT try with other metals.

Last Updated on September 12, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Clean Jewellery with Science appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

We're celebrating the beginning of autumn with some lovely apple experiments today! Turn apples into boats, experiment with different ways to preserve them, find out why food goes bad and make your own delicious apple cider.

If you're not a big fan of apples but still love autumn, try my autumn and fall STEM challenges instead!

Easy Apple Experiments

Fruity Apple Boats

Try this fun twist on a traditional sink or float investigation using apple slices as the base of a boat! Make just one apple boat or create a few and have a race!

Other ideas are to add small toy figures to the boats until they sink or blow them across the surface of the water with a paper straw.

Preserved Apple Skulls

Preserve apples by pickling them! Just one of the spooky activities in GROSS Science, the book.

Why does food rot?

Find out why food rots and how you can slow the process down by placing apple slices in water, vinegar, air and salt. This is a brilliant, visual science investigation which allows for observations over time.

Spiced Apple Cider

Learn about filtering by making delicious spiced apple cider. The apple cider tastes great and the activity can be made into an investigation by using different types of filters and comparing the results.

Apple Bobbing

Find out why apples float with a traditional autumn game and fun science activity.

Apple STEM Challenges

Print and try my FREE Apple STEM Challenegs. Each one only needs apples and a few basic materials.

More apple science experiments

Make an apple volcano with Homeschool Preschool.

Find out how many apples tall you are.

Try an apple taste test. Can you tell the difference between a Granny Smith and a Pink Lady apple without looking?

Last Updated on September 10, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Apple Science Experiments and STEM Challenges appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Autumn brings lots of inspiration for indoor and outdoor science experiments and activities. Leaves start to change colour and fall, conkers, helicopters, and other seeds drop to the floor, and the air becomes cool and crisp.

It's the perfect time of year to learn about seed dispersion, different types of trees and why leaves change colour.

I've pulled together my favourite autumn science activities into one handy post to make fall science activities easier than ever!

FREE Autumn Science Activity Ideas

Autumn Treasure Hunt

Autumn STEM Challenges

Autumn Science Experiments Pack

Exploding Seed Device

Sticky Seed Investigation

Seed Identification Sheet

Helicopter Seed Investigation

Autumn Collage Frame

Hedgehog Leaf Craft

Don't forget to check out my Halloween experiments and come back soon for more autumn/fall science ideas.

Last Updated on September 9, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post FREE Autumn Science Teaching Resources appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Colourful science experiments are often much more engaging for younger children than less visually engaging activities. Adding colour to a lava lamp, volcano, or density demonstration makes the activity feel extra special.

I've pulled together a list of my 10 favourite colourful science experiments for kids of all ages.

10 Colourful Science Experiments for kids

Create a Skittles Rainbow

The infamous Skittles experiment will never let you down. It's inexpensive, simple and looks fantastic.

Children can turn it into an investigation by using different temperatures of water and arranging the Skittles in different ways.

Rainbow in a hosepipe

Create a rainbow on a sunny day using just a hosepipe. All you need to do is stand with your back to the sun, spray the hosepipe, and a rainbow will appear in the droplets!

DIY Colour Mixing Wheel

A colour mixing wheel is a fun way to learn about primary and secondary colours. Children can create their own or use my handy template.

Another fun way to learn about colour mixing is to make colour mixing squishy bags.

Colourful Jar Activity

Creating fireworks-like swirls of food colouring in a glass of water is a brilliant, visually stimulating science activity for kids of all ages.

Colourful Potions

Baking soda and vinegar potions can be made colourful by adding food colouring or using red cabbage indicator. Red cabbage indicator is especially fun to use as it changes colour depending on whether you add an acid ( vinegar ) or alkali ( baking soda ).

The addition of a little dish soap makes an extra foamy potion.

Coloured Density Jar

A multicoloured density jar can be made from water, salt and food colouring!

The blue-coloured water contains salt, which makes it denser than the orange water, which does not contain salt. The denser liquid stays on the bottom and does not mix with the less dense liquid on the top. If the glasses were placed with the salt water on top, it would sink to the bottom and the colours would mix.

Colourful Flowers

White flowers can be made colourful by placing them in a vase of coloured water. The colourful water rises up the stem into the white petals, filling them with colour.

This is a great science activity for demonstrating transpiration.

Colourful Baking Soda Volcano

A baking soda volcano is an ever popular science activity. We made this one extra special by using two colours for the lava!

If you have snow this winter, snow volcanoes are easy to set up and almost mess-free. We made four different colour volcanoes a couple of years ago.

Paper Chromatography with Felt Tip Pens

Colourful paper chromatography is a simple science activity that can be done using paper towel if you don't have filter paper.

The different inks in the felt-tip pens move through the kitchen towel at different speeds, separating the colours.

Black pens often contain the most different colour inks and are a great example of how this technique can be used as a method of separation.

Colourful Salt Crystals

Creating colourful salt crystals is a fun science activity for a hot day and a visual way to learn about evaporation.

More colourful science experiments

Set up a walking water experiment. This is a fantastic way to learn about capillary action and looks brilliant when it's complete.

Learn about surface tension with a magic milk display.

Create a colourful slushy drink using the cooling power of ice and salt.

Do you have a favourite colourful science activity?

Last Updated on March 31, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post 10 of the Best Colourful Science Experiments appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Birds can fly because they have wings, a streamlined body, strong muscles and very light, hollow bones.

The bones of birds are very strong and adapted perfectly to flight. They have a dense, strong exterior and an interior strengthened with criss crossing ridges and webbing. The hollow interior isn't just to reduce the weight of the bone. Bird bones are filled with air sacs which connect to thier respiratory system allowing oxygen exchange so the lungs of the bird have a constant supply of air for respiration. Birds are energetic creatures so have a high oxygen demand.

Science Activities for learning about Birds

Strong Hollow Bird Bone Science Experiment

This simple science activity demonstrates how strong a hollow bone shape can be.

You'll need

Paper

Tape

Books

Paper plate

Instructions

Roll one piece of paper into a circular column, one into a triangle column and one into a square column.

Stand the circular column up first and place books on the top until it collapses. Repeat with the other two shapes using the same books in the same order.

You should find the circular column is the strongest, as it doesn't have any edges so the weight is spread evenly through the column.

As an extension activity roll three circular columns and place the paper plate on top of them. Place books on the plate until the columns collapse.

Are you surprrsed how strong a basic hollow column is?

More bird themed science activities

Find out why birds have different shaped beaks with a simple sorting activity.

Help local birds survive the winer months by making a bird feeder.

Read more about the air sac system of birds.

Fun bird facts

Feathers allow birds to move smoothly through the air.

Hummingbirds beat their wings 50 times a second. As the wings move they make the humming noise that gives them their name.

A birds feathers are called its plumage.

Birds lay eggs in a nest to help keep them safe. The nests of the bald eagle can be up to 2.5 metres wide!

Woodpeckers peck at trees to get to small insects that live in the bark.

A woodpecker beak is strong enough to make a hole in the tree big enough for a nest.

Cuckoos lay thier eggs in other birds nests!

A skimmer has a beak shaped like scissors. This allows it to catch fish just below the surface of water.

Which birds don't fly?

Some examples of birds that don't fly are:

Ostriches

Penguins

Kiwis

Emus

Last Updated on August 28, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post How do birds fly? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

A convection current is the movement of a fluid ( such as air or water ) caused by differences in temperature. When part of a liquid or gas is heated, it expands and becomes less dense. The warmer, less dense fluid rises upwards, and the cooler fluid falls to take its place. This cycle of a liquid or gas rising and falling is called a convection current.

Convection currents can be demonstrated in lots of fun visual ways making them a great science concept to explore.

Five Easy Convenction Current Demonstrations

Colour mixing convection

You might have seen a density science activity where hot water floats on top of cold water becuase it is less dense. If food colouring is added to both containers before they are placed on top of one another the colours don't mix.

However, if a glass of hot water is placed under a glass of cold water, they will mix, as the hot water rises and cold water falls to take its place.

Create an underwater volcano

An underwater volcano is a fantastic visual way to demonstrate convection. All you need is food colouring, a large container and hot and cold water.

Candle carousel

A candle carousel uses a candle to spin a foil carousel. The result is impressive as the carousel spins very quickly.

Convection snake

A traditional way to demonstrate convection is to use a convection snake. This is a spiral of paper that starts to spin when placed over a heat source.

Ice and salt water demonstration

When we investigated whether ice melted faster in freshwater or saltwater we notice a convection current as the ice melted in the non salty water.

Lava Lamp

Finally a traditional lava lamp (one you buy, not one you make ) is another fantastic example of a convection current. The temperature at the top is sightly cooler than at the bottom ( where the lightbulb is ), so when the lava bits reach the top, they cool and then sink over and over again.

If you know of any other ways to demonstrate a convection current I'd love to hear about it.

Science Concept

Convection Current

Last Updated on August 27, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post 5 ways to demonstrate convection currents appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

It sounds completely counterintuitive, but whether hot water freezes faster than cold water has been debated for centuries.

The Mpemba Effect

The Mpemba effect is the term used for hot water freezing faster than cold water after a Tanzanian student named Erasto Mpemba found that his mixture of hot milk and sugar froze faster than his classmate's mixtures that had been left to cool before freezing.

You can test to see if the Mpemba Effect occurs by placing two equal amounts of water in a freezer to investigate which freezes first. One sample should be at room temperature, and the second should be hot or boiling water.

If you're interested in the quite complex science behind the Mpemba effect, How Stuff Works has a great article explaining it.

Last Updated on August 23, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Does hot water freeze faster than cold water? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

A stacked ball drop demonstration is a brilliant way to demonstrate momentum transfer between objects. The compression of the bigger two balls bounces the smallest ball much higher than it would normally bounce.

You'll need

A basketball

A tennis ball or small basketball/football

Table tennis ball or golf ball

Stacked Three Ball Drop Instructions

Hold your arms outstretched and drop the smallest ball. Watch how high it bounces.

Place the tennis ball on top of the basketball, drop them both, and watch what happens.

Stack the three balls on top of each other, with the smallest at the top. Try to hold them straight. Let them drop and watch what happens.

What's happening?

When held in the air each ball has an amount of potential energy. When the ball hits the ground, it compresses.

When the basketball hits the ground, it compresses slightly, storing potential energy. When the ball starts to leave the ground, the energy is released to the smaller tennis ball, which allows it to bounce higher than it would without the basketball. The basketball transfers its higher momentum ( from its greater mass ) to the smaller ball.

You'll notice the bigger balls bounce less than expected as they have lost energy to the smaller balls.

More science experiments using balls

Find out why balls bounce with a simple science investigation.

Try a ball drop gravity race.

Science Concepts

Energy

Potential energy

Momentum

Last Updated on August 15, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Stacked Three Ball Drop STEM Challenge appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

So far, 2024 has been a brilliant summer of sports, with Euro 2024 and the Paris Olympics. I've created a fun sports science quiz to help keep the sporting excitement going!

Sports Science Quiz

There are four rounds, including a photo round and a True or False section. The quiz is free to download, and the answers are on the back page.

Enjoy, and watch out for another science quiz coming soon!

If you're interested in sports science, you'll love my Olympic-themed science activities and football STEM challenges.

Last Updated on August 9, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Sport Science Quiz appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Does temperature affect how a ball bounces? This easy science activity uses a football and a fridge to find out.

Does temperature affect how a ball bounces science investigation

You'll need

A football

Fridge

Outdoor space

Instructions

Place a football in the fridge for about 2 hours. Test to see how bouncy it is. Let the ball warm up and test it again!

What's going on?

Footballs, like most bouncy balls, are full of air. The gas molecules inside the ball move around to fill all the space available and can move further apart or closer together. When a football hits the ground, the ground exerts a force on the ball, pushing the ball upwards and the bottom of the ball inwards; this compresses the air inside the ball. As the ball leaves the ground, it returns to its original shape and the air molecules move further apart again. It's this compression and immediate return to the original shape that makes a ball bounce.

This video shows how a ball becomes compressed as it hits the ground.

A soft ball that doesn't have enough air inside has low air pressure inside and will not bounce very high. A ball full of air has high air pressure inside and will bounce well.

Now, we get to the key part.

Higher temperatures lead to greater air pressure, as when air is warm, the gas molecules have more energy and move further apart, which increases the pressure inside the ball.

At a lower temperature, gas molecules move closer together and move around more slowly. The air pressure inside the ball is lower, so it won't bounce as well.

More science experiments using balls

Find out why balls bounce with a simple science activity.

Learn about gravity with a ball drop gravity race.

Try one of my football STEM challenges.

Last Updated on August 8, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post What's the best temperature for a football? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

The 2024 Olympics are to be held in Paris, France, for the first time in over 100 years! Olympic sports include athletics, team sports, climbing, surfing, swimming, tennis, skateboarding, and even breakdancing!

The Olympics are always fun to watch, and sport is full of exciting science, from the importance of aerodynamics and forces of motion to the all important nutrition and fitness.

The 2024 summer of sport is a great time to explore sports science with demonstrations, science investigations and STEM projects.

Olympic Themed Science Activities For Kids

Magnet climbing wall

Question - can you build a mini climbing wall with a pulley system?

Climbing was new to the Olympics in 2020! Learn about the sport by building a mini climbing wall. Our climber is powered by magnets and a mini pulley system.

The best running surface

Question - Does the type of ground make a difference to how fast you can run?

Record how long it takes to run 25 metres ( or any other distance ) on flat ground, grass and sand ( if possible ).

You'll probably find that you run more slowly on a softer surface. Grass and sand sink when feet make contact, which means it takes more time and force to lift the leg again.

Some athletes train on sand, as it is more challenging for joints, muscles and tendons than a harder surface.

Javelin throwing

Question - can you throw a longer javelin further than a shorter javelin?

Make paper javelins and throw them to investigate how different factors affect the flight of a javelin.

Shot put skills

Question - can you throw a heavier ball further than a lighter ball?

Perfect shot put technique using different balls. Some will be easier to throw than others.

Catapult a basketball into a hoop STEM challenge

We created a mini basketball hoop and then tried to catapult a ping point ball through the hoop. It might look easy, but it was very tricky and led to lots of chat about force and trajectory.

Mini trampoline jumpers

Question - does a marble jump further if it is dropped onto a mini trampoline from a greater height?

Cover a paper or plastic cup with a balloon skin to make a mini trampoline.

Drop small pom poms from different heights to find out if they jump higher when dropped from a greater height.

Another idea is to investigate different trampoline surfaces to find out which gives the best bounce.

The best temperature for a football

Question - does temperature affect the bounce of a ball?

Place a football in the fridge for about 2 hours. Test to see how bouncy it is. Let the ball warm up and test it again!

Higher temperatures lead to greater air pressure, as when air is warm, the gas molecules have more energy and move further apart, which increases the pressure inside the ball.

At a lower temperature, gas molecules move closer together and move around more slowly. This reduces the pressure inside the ball and lessens the bounce!

Bouncing balls

Question - does shape affect how well a ball bounces?

Find out which balls bounce the best with a simple science activity using different shapes and sizes of balls.

Test reaction time

Reaction time is the time it takes for a person to respond to a stimulus. You can test your reaction time using a ruler.

More Olympic themed science activities for kids

Find out how exercise affects heart rate by measuring heart rate before and after exercise.

Red Ted Art has some fantastic Olympic themed crafts and activities.

Playtivities has some brilliant ideas for making your own garden summer Olympic games.

Design a relay baton, thinking about how you could make it less likely to drop out of the runner's hands.

Try one of my easy football themed STEM challenges.

Make your own surfboard with a lolly stick powered by surface tension.

JDaniel4's Mom has a brilliant static electricity Olympic flame activity.

Can you think of any more Olympic themed science activities for us?

Last Updated on July 23, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Olympic Themed Science Activities For Kids appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

If you were to drop a table tennis ball and a basketball, which do you think would hit the ground first? This sporty science activity is an eye-opening demonstration with lots of opportunities for learning and exploration.

Sporty Science Ball Drop Investigation

You'll need

4 different balls - for example, table tennis ball, golf ball, football, basketball, tennis ball.

An empty space

Instructions

Choose two balls and think about which you think will hit the ground first.

Hold the balls at the same height and drop them.

Which hits the ground first? Was it the one you expected?

Try again with two more balls.

What's going on?

The balls should hit the ground roughly at the same time. This is because the force of gravity acting on both balls is the same. This means when they leave your hand, they accelerate at the same rate even though their mass is different.

Did you spot that I said "roughly at the same time"? On Earth there is also air resistance to consider. If you were to drop a piece of paper and a ball, the air resistance acting on the paper would be greater than that acting on the ball, so the paper would fall to the ground more slowly. In our example, with two balls at a short height, the effect of air resistance isn't enough to make a visible difference as they fall.

Last Updated on July 18, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

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We're getting ready for the 2024 Olympics with a fun javelin STEM challenge. A javelin is a light spear thrown by hand. In athletics, it is a field event where competitors try to throw it as far as possible.

A great javelin throw is a combination of the thrower's strength and ability and physics! Competitors need to consider several factors.

Release angle - an angle of around 40 degrees is thought to be optimal for a javelin throw.

Release height - generally, the higher the release, the better.

Javelin speed - the faster the javelin is moving when it's released the further it will travel.

This simple STEM challenge is a great introduction to setting up an investigation to be a fair test. Children can choose a factor to test and then keep all other variables the same. We investigated whether the length of a javelin affected how far it flew, which meant we had to try to keep the release angle, release height and speed of the javelin the same.

Paper Javelin STEM Challenge

We made three different sized paper javelins by rolling paper into thin tubes and then experimented by throwing the 'javelins' at different angles.

You'll need

A4 paper

Scissors

Space to throw

Chalk

Tape measure

Tape

Instructions

Roll one piece of A4 paper as tightly as possible and secure with tape.

Use tape to join two sheets of A4 paper end to end and roll them up.

Use tape to join three sheets of A4 paper end to end and roll them up.

Throw each javelin three times from the same spot and measure how far each javelin travels. Try to keep the release angle and force used in the throw the same.

Record how far each javelin travels to determine which size javelin travels the furthest.

Javelin STEM Challenge Extension Tasks

Experiment by throwing the javelins from different release angles.

More sports science ideas for kids

If you're a tennis fan, try one of my easy tennis themed science activities.

My 10 football themed STEM challenges are fun indoor and outdoor science activities for kids of all ages.

Test your reaction time with a simple science demonstration.

Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

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Wimbledon has started, and tennis fans in the UK have been very excited, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some lovely tennis science investigation ideas.

These easy activities are brilliant for outdoor learning and work well in a home or school environment.

Easy Tennis Themed Science Experiments

Tennis Ball Catapult

First up is our fantastic tennis ball catapult, perfect for some backyard tennis fun. Try using different sized balls and catapults to investigate how the distance and trajectory of the balls change.

Ask a friend to hit the ball back with a racquet for an extra challenge.

Why do balls bounce?

Find out why balls bounce with an easy tennis ball themed science investigation. My free instructions also come with a handy results table.

Wimbledon Snacks

Strawberries and cream

Wimbledon always makes me think of strawberries and cream. Melting chocolate and dipping strawberries into it is a delicious way to learn about changes of state.

Eton Mess

Discover how egg white transforms when whisked by making a meringue to go with the strawberries.

As an extra challenge, try my toppling meringue towers. These are a great twist on the traditional Eton Mess.

Weather

Wimbledon is famous for rain! A DIY rain gauge is a simple science activity and is great for making observations over time.

How does exercise affect the body?

Discover what happens to your heart rate after exercise with an easy investigation.

Other ideas

Set up a bowling game with tennis balls to find out whether it's easier to knock down skittles if the balls are thrown with a lot of force or less force. Does a windy day make it harder to knock down the skittles?

Set up a giant tennis ball maze in a tuff spot or make a maze with blocks or cardboard. Try to blow the balls through the maze with a straw.

Test your reaction time using a ruler. Can you improve your reaction time with practice?

Can you think of any more tennis science ideas for us?

Last Updated on June 27, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post Science Investigations for Wimbledon appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

The colour of an object is the colour it reflects, while other colours are absorbed. White reflects all the colours of the spectrum, while black absorbs all the colours, reflecting very little back.

Visible white light from the sun consists of seven colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. When white light hits a white object, all the colours are reflected back. When white light hits a red object, red is reflected back, and the other colours are absorbed.

It's thought that humans can see around 1 million different colours!

In this investigation, ice cubes are placed on black and white paper plates to demonstrate that a black surface absorbs heat faster than a white surface, which reflects most of the light and heat away.

Colour and temperature investigation

You'll need

Two equal sized ice cubes

Black and white paper plates or cardstock.

Timer

Sunny day

Instructions

Find a sunny spot and place one ice cube on a square of black card and one on a square of white card. Both ice cubes must be in direct sunlight or both in the shade.

Time how long each ice cube takes to melt.

The photos show that the ice cube on the black card melted much faster than the one on the white card, which is what we expected to happen. The black card heated up faster than the white and melted the ice cube more quickly.

Extension tasks

Try the activity again using more colours.

Design a t-shirt for a hot day, thinking about the best colours to use. Remember, black absorbs heat, and lighter colours reflect it.

More easy science for kids

See first-hand how light travels in straight lines with a light maze.

Find out how to make a rainbow on a sunny day.

Find out where visible light is on the electromagnetic spectrum.

Science concepts

Light

Electromagnetic spectrum

Vision

Last Updated on July 3, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Does colour affect temperature? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

This simple, absorbing activity is a hands-on way to learn about the different flags of the world and can be turned into a colourful science investigation. The idea is that washable felt tip pens are used to draw a flag on one half of a kitchen towel ( kitchen roll ) sheet. The kitchen towel is then folded in half so the colours cannot be seen until the kitchen towel is placed in water. When the towel gets wet, the ink dissolves into the water and is absorbed by the kitchen towel's top layer, revealing the flag's colours!

We used the idea behind this activity to learn about flags for Euro 2024, but any drawing will work.

You'll need

Washable felt tip pens

Kitchen towel/kitchen roll

A plate or shallow tray.

Water

Instructions

Fold one sheet of kitchen towel in half. Decide which flag to draw.

Use a sharpie to draw the outline on the front fold of the kitchen towel.

Open up the kitchen towel and colour the flag on the inside.

Fold the kitchen towel again so the black outline is on the front.

Pour a small amount of water onto a plate or tray.

Carefully place the folded kitchen towel into the water and watch the colours rise to the top, colouring in the flag outline.

If you enjoyed this activity, don't forget to take a look at my 10 football themed STEM challenges!

Last Updated on June 25, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Kitchen Towel Flags appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Football fans and future scientists will love my collection of hands-on football themed science experiments and sporty STEM Challenges. Whether you're a teacher looking for engaging classroom activities, a parent wanting to spark your child's creativity or a curious football fan, you're in the right place.

These ten hands-on football STEM activities will keep kids engaged and learning while exploring the science behind the game. They are perfect for a school sports week or science fun at home in the garden.

Football STEM Challenges

Bouncing balls

Find out why balls bounce with a simple science investigation using different sizes and shapes of balls.

Waterproof a football

Learn about waterproof and non-waterproof materials with a simple waterproof a football science activity. The idea is to cover a drawing of a football boot with different materials and sprinkle each with water to find out which is the most waterproof.

Design a dream football boot

Draw and design a football boot from the future, thinking about the materials to use, their properties, and the features and benefits of each design aspect.

Build a mini football-kicking machine

We built a mini football kicking machine using lolly sticks and a wooden skewer. The boot on the end of the moving middle stick can kick the table tennis ball football!

I turned this into an investigation by adding play dough to the swinging shoe to determine if the extra mass made the football boot push the ball further.

Football goal STEM challenge

Make a football goal from a cardboard box and add a moving goalie! We attached a lolly stick to a cardboard figure and made a long cut in the back of the box so he could move.

Exercise and heart rate

Find out how exercise affects heart rate with a simple science investigation.

Build a mini football table

JDaniel4's Mom has a great mini DIY football table. This would make a brilliant teambuilding STEM challenge, and a large-scale version would be incredible!

Test reaction time

Footballers need to be able to react very quickly. You can test your reaction times using a ruler with a simple science activity.

Kitchen Towel Flags

Learn about football team flags with a fun absorbing activity using kitchen roll and felt tip pens.

I've created a sheet of 4 football STEM challenges with basic instructions for inspiration in the classroom or at home. These are great for encouraging open-ended exploration and learning.

Buy a pack of FIVE Football Science Investigations

The individual activities can be downloaded for free above, or if you'd like a handy pack of five in one place, click the link below.

Last Updated on March 11, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

The post 10 Hands-On Football Stem Activities for Kids appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

This easy football-themed science activity is similar to my waterproof a welly boot investigation. The idea is to test various materials to determine which are waterproof and which are not. It's a lovely visual way to learn how different materials have different properties.

I wrote this activity to coincide with Euro 2024, but it also ties in with the Olympics, the Football World Cup or any other time of year.

Waterproof a football boot

To make the investigation as reliable as possible, a few things should be considered. The same amount of water should be used for each material, and the same type of pen should be used underneath. It would be an unfair test if one material was completely saturated with water and one just had a few drops sprinkled over the surface.

You'll need

Materials to test – kitchen foil, paper, cloth, felt, wax crayon, etc

Football image/drawing or use my handy printable experiment sheet

Water

Tape

Water sprayer/dropper

Non-permanent felt-tip pens

How can you tell if a material is waterproof?

Water will usually form beads on top of a waterproof material and be absorbed by a non-waterproof material.

The colouring under the waterproof materials should stay dry.

More about materials

Different materials have different properties, which make them useful for different functions. For example, glass is used in windows because it is transparent, waterproof coats often have a wax or plastic coating to keep water out, and cutlery is usually made from stainless steel as it doesn't rust and is strong.

More activities for learning about the properties of materials

Learn about stretchy materials with a stretchy materials challenge.

Find the best materials to make a superhero cape.

Investigate insulating materials with a save the ice pop challenge.

Last Updated on June 9, 2025 by Emma Vanstone

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Have you ever wondered why balls bounce? This activity uses differently shaped balls to investigate how and why balls bounce differently.

I've included FREE instructions for a science investigation to find the bounciest ball with a handy table for recording results.

Balls to use:

• Rugby ball
• Football
• Tennis Ball
• Ping pong Ball
• Basketball
• Squash ball

Look at the differently shaped balls and try bouncing them on the floor. What do you notice?

Things to think about

Which ball do you think will be the hardest to bounce in the direction you want it to bounce?

Are there any similarities between the balls that bounce the highest? What kind of sport are they used for?

Can you bounce each ball into a container? Are some harder than others? Is this related to the type of game they are usually used for?

Why do balls bounce science investigation

This simple science experiment investigates how the shape and size of a ball affects how far and for how long it bounces.

You'll need
Pen and paper
Different types of balls
Tape measure
Chalk

Instructions
Look at the different types of balls and try bouncing them gently on the floor.

Place the balls in order from most bouncy to least bouncy.

Use a long ruler or tape measure and chalk to mark heights of 0.25m, 0.5m, 0.75m, 1m, 1.25m, 1.5m and 1.75m on a wall outdoors.

Drop the balls gently one by one and record the height of the first bounce. Try to use the same force each time and drop each ball from the same height.

Record the number of bounces each ball makes before stopping.

Repeat 3 times for each ball and calculate the average height reached and number of bounces.

More investigation ideas

Try dropping the ball without extra force and then applying force to find out when it bounces higher.

Observe which balls jump straight upwards and which bounce off at an angle.

Remember - when comparing how different balls bounce, consider the conditions you should keep the same, such as the height from which the ball is dropped and the force used to drop it.

Why do balls bounce?

When a ball is dropped, gravity pulls it toward the ground, slowing it down so that each bounce is shorter and shorter until, eventually, the ball stops bouncing.

The force of the ball hitting the hard ground puts an equal force back onto the ball, meaning it bounces back up. This happens because balls are made from an elastic material, allowing them to be squashed or stretched and then return to their original shape. If the ball was made of a softer material, like plasticine, it would be squashed on the ground and wouldn't bounce back up, or if it were made of a hard material, such as glass, it would break when dropped.

Why do balls stop bouncing?

When a ball is held in the air, it has potential energy ( this is the energy stored in the ball because of its height ). When the ball is dropped, gravity pulls it down, and the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. When the ball hits the ground, some energy is lost in the collision, and so the ball loses energy each time it bounces until there's no energy left.

Remember - energy is always conserved; the total energy is not lost, but changes form.

Extension ideas

Try bouncing your balls on different surfaces to investigate how changing the surface, changes the bounce.

More Sporty Science for Kids

Test your reaction time using just a ruler! This is great fun to do with a friend to find out who has the fastest reaction time. You can also investigate to find out if your reaction time can be improved.

Try one of my 20 easy sports science investigations for kids! These include finding out how much sugar certain drinks contain, how to keep bones strong and healthy and even making a model lung!

Try this fun investigation into skipping rope lengths from Science Buddies.

We've also got lots more exciting science experiments to try. I'd love you to take a look around!

Don't forget to tag me on social media if you try any of our easy science experiments for kids. We loved seeing them in action!

Last Updated on June 14, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

The post Why do balls bounce? appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.

Did you know you can separate salt and pepper with static electricity? It works because pepper is lighter than salt, so while both salt and pepper are attracted to an object charged with static electricity, only the lighter pepper jumps up.

Static electricity is the build-up of electrical charge on the surface of an object. It is created when objects are rubbed together or pulled apart. Positive charges build up on the surface of one object, and negative charges on the other.

How to separate salt and pepper with static electricity

You'll need

Salt

Pepper

Bowl

Balloon/plastic spoon or PVC pipe

Wool clothing

Instructions

Mix a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl.

Blow up the balloon and rub it for about 30 seconds on a wool garment or your hair.

Hold the balloon over the bowl of salt and pepper. Only the pepper will jump up to the balloon. If you listen carefully, you'll hear a cracking sound like static electricity!

The same happens when a PVC pipe or plastic spoon is charged with static electricity.

Why does static electricity separate salt and pepper?