12 Fun Experiments for Kids:
Easy Science Projects to Do at Home or in School

Experiments for kids are tons of fun, and you will find that most kids will spend hours going crazy about some easy science projects for kids that shocked them with their amazing reaction. 

The fun science projects on this page can easily be done at home, e.g. in the kitchen or bathroom or outside. Also they can serve as inspiration to fun science fair projects for school.

If you find you need more inspiration than you can find on this page, there are also great online resources that focus on children and science.

The truth is that there are hundreds of home science experiments, fun science experiments, science projects for kids, crazy kid science experiments, kids science games, science activities for kids, cool science experiments, easy science experiments, fun science experiments, and science games for kids that you can play - all you have to do is great creative.

On this site you will find many fun science experiments for kids, including:

• Gravity experiments
• Water experiments
• Magnetism experiments
• Earth science experiments
• A balloon experiment
• Chemistry experiments
• Experiments involving light bulbs
• Energy experiments
• Egg experiments
• Plant experiments
• Optical science experiments
• And all kinds of 4th grade science experiment and 5th grade science experiments for your kids

Have fun looking through the list of experiments for kids below, and maybe you'll find an experiment or two that you will enjoy doing just as much as your child!

The List of 12 Fun Science Experiments for Kids

1) Chocolate Fun - A Temperature Experiment

There are few things tastier than chocolate, but who knew that it could be an important part of your kids' science?

One of the best easy science projects for kids is one that determines how chocolate melts, which helps your kids to learn how the temperature is different under different conditions.

The first part of this one of easy science projects for kids:

Step 1: To begin, break a large bar of chocolate into a few pieces, and place one of the pieces on a sheet of paper.

Step 2: Take that piece out into your yard, and put it under a tree in the shade.

Step 3: See if the chocolate melts, and write down how long it took if it did. If not, see how soft it was after sitting there for 10 minutes.

The second part of this one of easy science projects for kids:

Step 4: Take another piece of chocolate and place it directly in the sunlight, and see how long it takes for the chocolate to melt.

The third part of this one of easy science projects for kids:

Step 5: Place one piece of chocolate on paper, and another on a ceramic plate to see if the surface also helps to heat up the chocolate faster. Record your findings.

The fourth part of this one of easy science projects for kids:

Step 6: Take a last piece of chocolate and place it on a plate in front of the window inside your air conditioned home. See if the chocolate takes as long to melt inside as it did outside, or if it takes longer due to the cooler temperature inside your house.

You can get creative with this test, trying to melt chocolate inside a bag, wrapped in tin foil above a space heater, in your mouth, or any other places you can think of.

Write down your observations and see what makes the chocolate melt faster and what prevents it from melting.

2) Quicksand - A Fun Friction Test

Quicksand is a terror of the jungles, and no doubt your kids have seen old Tarzan movies where the villain falls into the quicksand and drowns.

There is quicksand in many parts of the world, and the truth is that it can be a fascinating subject that will thrill your kids.

You can even make your own quicksand using a few simple ingredients found at home.

Step 1: To begin, mix a cup of corn flour with half a cup of water. The combination of these two ingredients will make a quicksand, and you can stir it to prove that it really does move. However, if you mix it up very quickly, you will find that it will get very hard, while stirring it slowly will keep it at the same consistency - an odd result.

You can take the opportunity to explain to your children that the grains in your quicksand will rub together, which causes friction.

If you stir them too quickly, they cannot move over and around each other, so they will harden and can actually have holes poked into them.

It will be a fascinating experiment that will delight your kids.

3) Solid AND Liquid ... at the Same Time

Most people know that materials go from liquid to solid or from solid to liquid, but imagine a material that was both solid and liquid.

This is one of the most fascinating types of experiments, and your kids will be amazed when they see how it works.

Step 1: What you will need to do is mix about two tablespoons of cornstarch with one tablespoon of water.

Step 2: Mix it until the cornstarch is still fairly thick, though it has been blended into the water. Use a plastic cup to mix the cornstarch, and pour it out onto your hand.

The mixture should pool nicely in your hand, and you may even feel like it will try to seep through the cracks in your fingers like any good liquid should.

However, if you quickly move the cornstarch around and pass it from hand to hand, it will form a solid that will maintain its shape. The minute you stop moving it around it will revert to a liquid, but while it is in motion it will remain a solid.

This experiment for kids works similar to the quicksand experiment, as the motion of the cornstarch in the mixture is limited thanks to the fact that the grains are moving quickly.

You will find that your child's eyes will widen as he sees the cornstarch ball transform back and forth from liquid to solid, and it is a mind blowing experiment.

4) Bath Salts - A Fragrance Experiment

Bath salts are popular for those that like to enjoy a relaxing bath, but most kids don't know what they are much less understand how they are made.

This example of experiments for kids can help you to teach your kids about bath salts, how they can make them, and how they can be used to add fragrance to your bath.

It can even be a nice gift to give to someone else, and it won't be too costly either.

Step 1: You will need a cupful of washing soda, a small amount of essential oils used for fragrances, and a plastic bag.

Step 2: Place the washing soda into the bag, and use a glass bottle or a rolling pin to smooth out the lumps and crush them as much as possible. It will take a bit of effort to get it right, but it can be good practice for baking time with your kids.

Step 3: Once the lumps have been crushed, empty the bag into a plastic container.

Step 4: Use a spoon to mix some food coloring into the mixture, stirring well and adding as many colors as you want until you get just the right shade.

Step 5: Drop in a bit of the essential oils, and stir well to ensure that the oil is nicely absorbed by the soda.

Step 6: After that, just put the soda into a number of different containers - making sure that the containers are properly dry before putting in the soda.

When the soda comes in contact with the water, it will form a nice lather and the chemical reaction of the salt in the water will release the pleasant scent to make your bath much nicer and more relaxing!

5) Bacteria Farming

Most people see mold on bread or fruit as being harmful, but the truth is that this bacteria has many uses.

You can use this one of experiments for kids to explain how cheese is made, how yoghurt is made, how bread is made, and how many foods are made - all using bacteria.

It is such a central part of our lives, and you will find that few of the things you eat don't contain bacteria of some sort.

Step 1: To do this experiment, you will need a petri dish that contains agar, a number of Q-tipped cotton swabs, and some pieces of newspaper.

Step 2: What you will do is use the swabs to collect samples of dust or germs from around the house, and you will apply that sample to the petri dish. Make sure to put the lids back on tight, as that ensures that no oxygen gets in - oxygen can kill bacteria.

Step 3: Place the dishes that you are using in a warmer area of the house, as the warm temperature will promote the growth of the bacteria.

Step 4: Check the dishes daily to see how your bacteria are growing, and you will be surprised by how fast they multiply in such a pleasant condition. You can get bacteria from just about any place, and you will find that it will grow easily in these favorable conditions.

Just make sure to wrap the bacteria-filled dishes in newspaper when throwing them out, as you don't want to allow the bacteria to run loose in your garbage can and cause all your food to rot quickly!

6) How Big are Your Lungs?

Your lungs are responsible for your oxygen intake, but they also ensure that your body gets rid of carbon dioxide.

Everyone has a different lung capacity - meaning the amount of oxygen that they can hold - and you can use this simple experiment to measure just how much your lungs and your kids' lungs can hold!

Step 1: With this one of experiments for kids, you are going to need a plastic tube - a thin gardening hose should be fine - and a plastic bottle.

Step 2: Fill your bottle with water all the way to the top, and fill your sink with water as well.

Step 3: Carefully place your hand over the mouth of the bottle as you turn it upside down, and place it in the sink below the water level. No water should escape and the bottle should stay full.

Step 4: Without removing the bottle from the water, insert the tube into the bottle. Suck in as much oxygen as you can, and blow into the tube with all of your strength.

Your breath will push the water out of the bottle, replacing it with air. You can measure the amount of air that was pushed into the bottle, and that will tell you what your lung capacity is.

See who can get the most air into the bottle, and that will tell you who has the strongest and biggest lungs.

7) Homemade Lava Lamp - A Fun Bubble Experiment

Isn't it nice to look at a lava lamp at night, watching how the different parts of the lamp move and swirl soothingly?

You can make your own lava lamp with your kids at home, and you may be surprised to find that it is actually quite an easy thing to do.

It is a simple chemical reaction that will get the job done, and it is a fascinating experiment.

Step 1: Fill a clear plastic bottle to roughly ¼ of the way with water, and fill the rest of the bottle with oil - any cooking oil should do. You will notice that the water stays bunched up in large globs, as it does not mix with the oil.

Step 2: Add a bit of food coloring to your water, and you will be amazed at how each drop works its way through the oil to blend with the water - the end result being colored water.

Step 3: Get an Alka-Seltzer tablet, cut it into a few small pieces, and drop a piece into the bottle as you close the lid.

You will find that the lava lamp will begin to move around, as the Alka-Seltzer is causing a chemical reaction that releases gas - carbon dioxide gas specifically.

The water is moved by the Alka-Seltzer, which makes it rise to the top along with the gas bubbles. You can add another piece when the reaction stops, and it will keep going as long as you want it to!

8) Your Better Half - A Fun Brain Experiment

Everyone has a brain that is divided into two halves, and each half of the brain controls a different part of your body.

Which side is your dominant side, the side that is more in control of your body?

You can test this by doing a simple experiment that tests out your different body parts, and the result will help you discover which side if your dominant side.

First part of this one of easy science experiments for kids:

You will need to make two columns on a piece of paper, with one marked "right" and the other marked "left".

After that, it's time to get to testing:

• Which foot do you use for kicking?
• Which hand do you write with?
• Which hand grabs items?
• Which hand throws things?
• Which foot do you jump from?
• Which way do you stand on a surfboard?
• Which eye winks more comfortably?
• Which eye looks into a telescope or tube?

Write down which side it was, and go on to another experiment.

Second part of this one of easy science experiments for kids:

Step 1: Make a hole with your hands about the size of a quarter, and hold it out to the length of your arm.

Step 2: Look through the hole and see what is visible on the other side.

Step 3: Close your left eye to look through with your right, and then close your right eye to look through with your left. The view through the hole should change with just one eye, and it is the other eye that is linked to the dominant side of your brain.

Remember that the right side of your body is controlled by the left side of your brain, and the left side of your body is controlled by the right side of your brain. You will find that the side that does more things is dominant.

9) Bubbly Eggs - Exciting Egg Experiments

Did you know that you can cause eggs to form bubbles around the shell of an egg, just by using hot water?

This example of experiments for kids will intrigue your kids, and you will find that it will be one of the best and simplest experiments that you can try.

Step 1: To begin, place a raw egg inside a glass jar or beaker.

Step 2: Heat water on the stove until it is hot - not boiling, just simmering.

Step 3: Carefully pour some of the water into the glass jar. Make sure to pour enough that the egg is completely submerged, or you can fill up the beaker - whatever you prefer.

Let it sit for a few minutes, and come back and examine it later.

When you take a look at the egg, you will notice that there are tiny bubbles forming around the shell of the egg. Some of the bubbles will be so small that you will need a magnifying glass to see them, and you can watch through the glass as the bubbles form, cling to the surface of the egg for a short time, and then slowly bubble up to the surface of the water.

What happens is that the egg's shell isn't actually 100% waterproof, and the air trapped inside the egg can get out by escaping through the tiny pores in the eggshell.

The air inside gets heated as the hot water heats up the shell of the egg, and the air expands until its air pocket is too small to contain it.

The only thing it can do is leave the shell, which exposes it to the water. Seeing as air is lighter than water, it will rise to the surface of the water.

10) Traveling Water - Fun Water Experiments about Absorbtion

This is a fascinating experiment that can teach your kids about how water is absorbed, as well as how this absorption can actually cause the water to travel.

It will take a bit of time for the experiment to work, but it is a fascinating one!

Step 1: What you will need to do is fill a glass about one-quarter full with water.

Step 2: Place an empty glass immediately next to it.

Step 3: Twist a piece of paper towel into something resembling the wick of a candle, and place one end in the empty cup.

Step 4: Place the other end into the cup with water, ensuring that the end is inside the water.

The water will actually appear to travel up the paper towel, into the other glass, and slowly fill it up until the water levels in the two cups are the same.

It will amaze you when you realize that water is adhering to the paper towel rather than adhering to itself, and the result is water that travels from one cup to the other.

11) Moving Molecules - Fun Water Experiments

Have you ever wondered whether cold water moves faster than hot water, or the other way around?

This one of experiments for kids can help you to determine whether the molecules are moving faster in slow or hot water, and this is a great project that you can use to help your kids learn more about the molecules that make up everything around them.

Step 1: Pour hot water into a glass cup until it is nearly full, and pour cold water into another glass cup.

Step 2: Use two eyedroppers to drop a bit of food coloring into each glass, and watch how the water mixes with the food coloring at different speeds.

The hot water will actually move the food coloring along faster, and this is because the molecules inside the water are moving so quickly.

In fact, the molecules are moving so fast that they are bouncing off each other and causing friction, and the result of that friction is heat.

The cold water molecules are moving very slowly, so the food coloring will move slowly too.

12) Farming - Fun Plant Experiments

Your kids can learn all about farming and how plants grow just by planting a few seeds of their own.

Step 1: All you will need is a few pots, some potting soil, and some random seeds and beans - as long as they are fresh, it doesn't matter what you use.

Step 2: Plant the seeds inside the soil, and place the pots somewhere the sun will shine down on them for a few hours a day.

Step 3: Make sure to water the plant regularly, as it needs moisture in order to grow. Use a notebook to keep track of which plants grow more quickly, and which take longer to grow.

These are a few fun experiments for kids, but there are many more on the other pages. Take the time to browse the rest of the site and find a whole lot more useful experiments and science projects for kids!

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