These playful, cool and easy science experiments for kids at home are not only fun to make but can also help your child learn more in a short time. Most of the materials used in the project are available in the house. You don’t have to go out of the way to carry out any of these science experiments. However, make sure you are there with your kids to avoid any accidents or injuries.
We have brought some exciting DIY science projects for kids at home. Let’s get started!
DIY Science Experiments for Kids at Home
These science projects for kids are quite safe and can be performed with the help of an adult. When you plan on carrying out these science experiments at home, then make sure you explain the process to them as well so that they also learn a new thing with every experiment.
We have chosen six DIY science experiments for kids that require minimum equipment and materials.
Balloon Inflator
Did you know that you can inflate a balloon using an acid-base reaction? Learn how to carry out this simple DIY science experiment for kids. You need the following things:
- An empty plastic bottle
- Small balloon
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup vinegar
- Funnel
How to create a balloon inflator?
Take an empty plastic bottle and pour some vinegar into it. Fill a balloon half way with baking soda using a funnel. Tie the balloon with a knot to the bottle without spilling its content. Lift the balloon to see the baking soda and vinegar reaction at work. The balloon will inflate because of the acid-base reaction. The reaction of vinegar and baking soda releases carbon dioxide which fills up the entire bottle and then spreads further to inflate the balloon.
Your kids will be excited to see the chemical reaction at work and the resultant inflated balloon.
Motor Boat Powered by Liquid Soap
For this DIY motorboat to work, you don’t need powerful batteries. A basic principle of science is at work – surface tension. How does it work? Let’s find out. But first, take a look at the list of things you would need for this simple DIY science experiment for kids at home.
- A cardboard
- Scissors
- Glue
- Liquid soap
- Toothpick
- Clean tray filled with water
How does a DIY motorboat work?
Take a piece of cardboard and cut out the shape of the motorboat. Use a triangular shape in the front and have a small triangular notch towards the tail. If you want to make things interesting, cut out triangular shaped flags, paint them and stick them on a toothpick. Now, place these flags on the cardboard-cut motorboat. Take a toothpick and dip into some liquid dishwashing soap and apply it at the end of the notch. Now, place the motorboat into the water-filled tray and watch it scoot across the water.
How did it work? Well, the liquid soap that you applied at the tail of the motorboat breaks the surface tension of water. As the surface tension is broken up, it creates a force that pushes the light-weight motorboat to scoot across the surface.
Erupting Volcano
This is perhaps the easiest science experiment to carry out. You don’t need a lot of things and yet the effect of seeing a volcano erupt in front of your eyes is exciting. So, what would you need for this particular DIY science project for kids? Let’s take a look:
- A volcano made out of paper mache technique or simply create a small mountain from the soil in your garden if you don’t have the time to make a volcano
- A small container (It could be anything – maybe an empty bottle of pills)
- Vinegar
- Orange food colouring
- Liquid soap
How to get an erupting volcano?
Make the volcano mountain using paper mache technique or plaster of paris. Now, fix a small container into the volcano’s hole. Add about 2 tsp of baking soda. Add some liquid soap into it. Let the colour catch up. Now, pour some liquid dish soap. Now, comes the fun part. Pour some vinegar onto it and watch the lava erupt from the volcano!
Starch Slime
You don’t need to buy the slime box for your kid to keep him active and busy. Make one from these simple ingredients:
- Water
- Glue
- Liquid starch
- Food colouring
How to make your own slime?
Take a mixing bowl. Mix ¼ cup of white glue and equal amounts of water. Now, add 6 drops of food colouring. Let the colour catch up. Mix ¼ cup of liquid starch and mix it well. You will see the slime stretch and become a blob again. Your slime is ready to use! You can easily store the slime in a ziplock bag, when you are not using it.
The glue is a liquid polymer, which means that the tiny molecules in the glue are in strands like a chain. When you add the liquid starch, the strands or chain from the polymer glue combine together, contributing to the slimy feel. The liquid starch basically acts as a cross-linker which links all the polymer strands together – making the slime ball.
Lava Lamp
This one is a cool DIY science experiment for kids to try at home. You need the following ingredients to create a lava lamp:
- 1 litre plastic bottle
- Water
- Lots of oil
- Food colouring of your choice
- Fizzing tablets
- Flashlight to act as a lamp
You need to pour some water in a bottle and fill the bottle up to the brim with oil. Wait for a few minutes and let the oil and water separate completely. Make sure you take a 1 litre bottle for this science experiment for kids at home. Put some drops of food colouring. You will see that the colour passes through the oil and goes all the way down and mixes up with water. Now add the fizzing tablets and see a reaction in the bottle. You will see blobs of colour in the bottle appearing quite fast like a lava erupting. Now, for a lava lamp keep a flashlight underneath the bottle and let the blobs of colour glow!
The science behind this project is that oil and water do not mix due to intermolecular polarity. Because water is dense and oil is lighter, the oil stays above the water in the bottle. When you add the fizzing tablets to the bottle they go all the way down and start dissolving. These fizzing tablets create gas and as the gas bubbles rise, they take some of the coloured water with them. That is why you see coloured blobs in a bottle.
Dancing Ghosts
To make a dancing ghost, you first need to make a ghost out of a tissue paper. Check out the things you will need to carry out this DIY science experiment for kids.
- Marker
- Tissue paper
- Balloon
- Scissors
- Your hair
How to create a dancing ghost?
Cut the shape of a ghost from a tissue paper. Mark the eyes with a marker. Now, stick the tip of the ghost to the surface so that you can easily control the ghost. Blow up a balloon and tie a knot in its tail. Rub the balloon on your hair fast for 10 seconds to create static electricity. Now, bring the balloon near the ghost which will begin to rise toward the balloon. Control the ghost by moving the balloon and you have a dancing ghost!
How does the ghost start dancing? When you rub the balloon through your hair, you basically create a charge. Invisible electrons having a negative charge build up on the balloon’s surface.
The electrons can pull any light-weight object that has a positive charge towards it. That is how static electricity can make the ghosts dance as you move the balloon. In the winter season, static electricity can cause greater problems. Some of which are receiving an electric shock when you touch the metal handle of any door or your hair gets electrified. Check out our detailed blog on how to make your home static-free.
These were some fun DIY science projects for kids that you can try out during school holidays. You can also take a look at some fun activities for kids during school closures. Stay tuned to the best real estate blog in Pakistan. Don’t forget to write to us at blog@zameen.com and we will get back to you. Subscribe to our Newsletter which appears on the right hand side of the page.
