14 Fun Science Experiments for Kids: Guidelines for Kids Projects and Learning Games

When it comes to teaching your kids science, there are many science experiments for kids that you can do at home to help make it fun and entertaining.

There are kids science experiments, kids science games, science activities for kids, projects of real science for kids, kids science worksheets, science games for kids online, science kits for kids, science articles for kids, and all kinds of fun experiments for kids that you can use to make learning science a blast for your kids.

If you think back to your childhood, you will find that all of the fun that you had learning science came when doing science for kids experiments and games. Sure, you learned only one thing at a time, but man it was fun to make a volcano and make eggs bounce!

All these fun science experiments for kids make learning worth it, which is why you remember so much about the effects of baking soda, what happens when you shake a soda bottle, and why diet coke and Mentos should not be mixed ;-)

Want to teach your kid science?

Below you will find some great science projects for kids that you can use to help teach kids science to your child, no matter how old.

Why not make the science fun as well as educational?

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Tips for Teaching Science for Kids

If you want to teach science for kids using science experiments for kids, it's important that you know how to make it fun.

After all, learning science can either be very boring or very entertaining, and it's up to you how you are going to teach it.

Here are some tips to help make your child's science education as fun as possible:

1. Go Outside - Just getting out of the house opens the door to all kinds of wonder, and real science 4 kids begins the moment you step outside.
   
   You can learn all about the ecosystem, weather, plants, creatures, animals, and more just by going outdoors ... and if you do science experiments outside, it doesn't matter that much if you spill some water - the plants might even appreciate it ;-)
   
   
2. Prepare a Science Kit - Science kits for kids can actually be packed with a lot of fun, and you can turn a magnifying glass, a few bottles, some magnets, and a few other items into a magical chest of wonder by packing them into a kit.
   
   
3. Surprises Rock - Kids love it when you surprise them with fun activities, and you will find that randomly heading outside or into the kitchen for easy science experiments for kids can be all kinds of fun for them.
   
   Plan in advance, but act spontaneously to surprise your kids with kid science experiments at unexpected times.
   
   
4. Recap and Summarize - Don't forget that your kids will actually need to recall the facts of the easy science experiments in order to learn them, so ask your kids what they remember.

Have them recap the experiment, or use kids science worksheets to help them review the purpose and outcome of their experiments.

It may sound like a lot of work to pull off science experiments for kids, but you can bet your boots that making them fun will be the secret to enthralling kids in science and all its many wonders!

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14 Fabulous and Fun Science Experiments for Kids

Let's get down to a few fun kid science experiments that you can do with your kids:

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1) The Classic Erupting Volcano Experiment

This is the classic experiment, and your kids will ask to repeat this one over and over.

How is it done?

Step 1: Use papier-mâché to make a solid mountain, building it around a hole in the center (made using two toilet paper rolls).

Step 2: Once the papier-mâché has dried, pour a couple of spoons full of baking soda into the hole.

Step 3: Have the children stand back as you pour 1/3 of a cup of vinegar (with red food coloring added) into the hole in the volcano.

Step 4: Enjoy seeing their reactions as the volcano almost explodes upwards when the baking soda and the vinegar have a reaction.

With this science experiment, you can teach your kids two things:

1) Teach them how vinegar and baking soda have a reaction, as well as how baking soda and water have a similar reaction when they are mixed in bread or cake.

2) Teach them how the volcano has to explode upwards into the sky seeing as the sides of the volcano will not allow it to flow into the rock.

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2) Floating Eggs in Salt Water

Making eggs for breakfast is tasty, but using them for science can be lots of fun.

Did you know that you can make your eggs float?

Step 1: Pour some drinking water into a glass until the glass is roughly halfway full.

Step 2: Add roughly 6 tablespoons of salt into the glass of water, and stir it thoroughly.

Step 3: Pour more water in slowly until the glass is almost completely full, being careful not to mix the fresh water in with the salty water too much.

Step 4: Drop in the egg and marvel at how it floats.

Scientific theory behind this example of fun experiments for kids:

With this experiment, you can teach kids how salt makes things float, due to the fact that the salt water has a higher density than regular water.

With regular water the egg will sink, but putting the egg in salt water means that the water is denser than the egg and thus will cause the egg to float.

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3) Non-Mixable Oil and Water - the Eternal Enemies

If your kids are constantly trying to mix random ingredients to make "secret potions", it is important to teach them what will and won't mix.

Here is a great experiment to teach them about mixing oil and water:

Step 1: Put water in a cup, and drop in a bit of food coloring (the color doesn't matter).

Step 2: Pour the water into a small soda bottle, and add a couple of spoons full of cooking oil as well.

Step 3: Screw the lid on tightly, and have the kids shake the bottle as hard as they can.

Step 4: Set the bottle down on the table, and give it a second to sit. Once it has sat for a couple of seconds, your kids will notice that the oil and water separate.

Quick theory behind this fun science experiment:

Some ingredients will mix together, but you can explain that oil and water will never form a solution because the molecules of each liquid are more attracted to the other molecules of its kind than the molecules of the other liquid.

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4) Is the Speedy Egg Boiled or Raw?

Want to teach your children to know whether an egg is raw or boiled?

Here is a neat experiment that can be fun and tasty:

Step 1: Place a raw egg and a boiled egg on the counter in front of your children, and ask them to tell you which is cooked and which is not.

Step 2: When they cannot tell the difference, tell them to spin the eggs.

Step 3: The egg that is raw will wobble slightly when you spin it, and it will not spin as fast or as long as the cooked egg.

Step 4: The cooked egg will spin much faster and without any wobbling.

Quick scientific explanation behind this one of science projects for kids:

You can explain to your kids that the wobble is caused by the fluid moving around inside the raw egg, which alters its center of gravity as it spins (explain to them about the center of gravity as well).

They can always know whether an egg is cooked or not just by seeing if the center of gravity remains constant in the boiled egg or changes in the raw egg.

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5) Self-inflating Soda Balloons

Want to blow up balloons for a party but are sick and tired of feeling dizzy from lack of air?

Here is a fun way you can teach your kids to blow up balloons without ever touching them to your mouth.

Step 1: Stretch your balloon out thoroughly to be sure it can blow up easily.

Step 2: Pour 1/5 of a cup of water into a soda bottle, along with a teaspoon of baking soda. Use a straw to stir until the soda and water are well mixed.

Step 3: Add a spoonful or two of lemon juice, and quickly place the balloon mouth over the mouth of the bottle.

Step 4: See the balloon blown up by the chemical reaction.

This is another great chance for you to explain to your kids all about the reaction of acid (lemon juice) with baking soda, and you can help them to start learning about chemical reactions in everyday items.

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6) Twister in a Bottle - Make Your Own Tornado

If you want to make a tornado in a bottle, you will find that this fun experiment can be a great way to teach your kids all about the weather and how it works:

Step 1: Fill a small soda bottle with regular water, making sure it is roughly ¾ full.

Step 2: Drop in a small amount of liquid dish soap, along with a bit of glitter to make the tornado easily visible.

Step 3: Screw the cap on as tightly as you can, and turn the bottle upside down.

Step 4: Move the bottle around in a circle as quickly as you can to get the water spinning, and continue spinning for a few seconds until you can see the tornado forming. Stop and repeat until the tornado forms.

Wow, how does this science experiment for kids work?

It's actually quite simple, as making the bottle spin in a circle will cause the water to go along the inner walls of the bottle and look like a tornado.

You can teach all about centrifugal and centripetal force with this experiment, as well as how tornados, waterspouts, and hurricanes are formed.

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7) Sparkling Water with Black Light

Kids love to make stuff glow, but did you know that you can make your water glow by adding a few simple ingredients?

Here is how:

Step 1: Carefully cut open a highlighter pen with a cutter blade, and soak the cut pen in a small bowl of water for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 2: Once the pen has soaked, remove the empty cartridge and pour the water into a bowl.

Step 3: Bring the bowl of water to a room that is completely dark (no external light filtering in).

Step 4: Shine a black light on the bottle of water, or use a black light bulb to make the entire room light up with black light.

So what's happening in this example of science experiments for kids?

The black light is radiating UV light, which causes the phosphors in the ink of the highlighter to shine brightly. This is a great trick that is cheap, easy, and lots of fun for your kids.

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8) Water Miracle Defying Gravity

With this trick, you can learn how pressure holds things in place even when you remove the force that was originally holding them there.

Step 1: Fill a glass to the brim with water.

Step 2: Place a piece of cardboard over the mouth of the glass, and hold it in place with your hand.

Step 3: Turn the glass of water upside down, being very careful to hold the cardboard in place.

Step 4: Take your hand away from the cardboard and see how it stays in place.

If you do this experiment right, the water pressure will hold the cardboard in place, giving you a great chance to teach your kids about pressure and exerting forces.

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9) The Magical Ice Cutter

This is an awesome trick that will show your kids how you can cut through a solid block of ice just by using pressure:

Step 1: Place a cube of ice on top of a cup or a container. Make sure to place a tray or bowl underneath the cup to catch the water from the melting it.

Step 2: Tie two lead weights to the ends of a piece of string roughly half the length of your forearm.

Step 3: Hang the string over the block of ice, making sure the weights are hanging off the ends of the container and pulling downwards.

Step 4: Watch as the weighted string slowly cuts through the ice, which usually takes about 5 minutes to do.

Explanation behind this one of fun science experiments for kids:

The pressure from the weight actually causes the ice immediately beneath the string to melt, which allows the string to pass through the piece of ice without your touching it.

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10) Fun with Static Electricity and Balloons

Your kids will love this trick, as they can use the static electricity they generate to give each other mild electric shocks.

Step 1: Blow up two balloons per child, making sure they are as full of air as possible.

Step 2: Rub one of the balloons on the back of your head, and see if it will stick to the wall.

Step 3: Rub both of the balloons against a woolen sweater, and see if they will be attracted towards each other.

Step 4: Rub one of your balloons against your arm for 1 minute, and place it on a table near an aluminum can. See if the aluminum can rolls towards your balloon, and move it away from the can to pull the can along with it.

Have a contest with each of your children to stick a balloon to the wall for the longest amount of time using nothing but static electricity.

Quick theory behind this example of fun science experiments for kids:

Rubbing the balloons against your hair and your sweater will cause friction, and that friction will generate static electricity.

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11) The Floating Orange

This experiment is designed to teach your kids about how things float, and you use the orange to illustrate the difference between things that float and things that sink.

Step 1: Fill a drink glass ¾ of the way with water. Make sure that the glass is wide enough for the orange to fit inside it.

Step 2: Place the orange inside the glass with the peel on, and see how the orange floats.

Step 3: Peel the orange, place it inside the glass of water, and watch as it sinks to the bottom of the glass.

Scientific explanation of this one of science experiments for kids:

Explain to your children that the reason the orange floats with the peel on is due to the air bubbles inside the peel.

When you remove the air bubbles by peeling the orange, the orange is unable to float and thus sinks to the bottom of the glass.

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12) Black and White Heat Absorption

This experiment can help your kids learn about what objects absorb heat and light more than others, and you will use a few different objects to test it:

Step 1: Pull out two drinking glasses, and tape a piece of white paper around the outside of one glass and a piece of black paper around the outside of the other glass.

Step 2: Fill the glasses half way with regular drinking water, and make sure that the water is the same temperature when you fill the glasses.

Step 3: Place both glasses outside under the hot sun, and leave them there for exactly two hours. Try and do it at midday when the sun is high and hot.

Step 4: Place a thermometer in the cup of water with white paper on it, and see how the temperature compares to the cup of water with black paper on it.

Explanation behind this one of fun science experiments for kids:

The white paper tends to reflect the light, while the black paper absorbs the light.

You can teach your kids about how painting your roof white or light colors can help to prevent it from absorbing the heat from the sun, and why they get so hot when they wear black clothing in the heat of the day.

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13) The Smell Taste Blindfolded Test

Did you know that your nose is necessary for your mouth to taste foods?

You can teach your kids about the importance of both of these senses with the simple experiment below:

Step 1: Cut a piece of apple and a piece of potato, and have your child taste both of them. The difference will be obvious.

Step 2: Now, place a blindfold on your child's eyes, have them hold their nose, and have them take a bite of each.

Without using your nose, your mouth will have no idea what it is tasting. When your child covers his eyes, he cannot see the food, and it will be tasteless without his nose getting its scent.

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14) Sugar Dissolving

This interesting experiment will show your kids how substances dissolve differently at different temperatures:

Step 1: Pour cold water in one glass, and add a few cubes of ice to the water.

Step 2: Pour hot water in another glass, making sure the water is the temperature that you would use to make tea.

Step 3: Drop a spoonful of sugar in the glass that has the cold water, and add one into the glass of the hot water as well.

Step 4: Start a stopwatch the second you drop the spoons of sugar into the glasses, and see which takes longer to dissolve the sugar.

Quick scientific theory behind this example of fun science experiments for kids:

The heat of the hot water is able to dissolve the sugar much more quickly, and this is due to the fact that the molecules of the hot water are moving faster than those in the cup of cold water. The molecules are farther apart, meaning more space for sugar molecules than the densely packed molecules in the cold water.

These are just a few science experiments for kids that you can do at home, and you will find that they will delight your kids and help them learn all about science.

Your Positive Parenting Ally,
Birgitte

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