Science Experiments for Kids
Try using science experiments for kids in your home based daycare. It won’t matter if you don’t understand complicated scientific concepts. The activities and experiments in this section are all so e-a-s-y… anyone can use them to teach children.
Science experiments for kids are especially fun because kids see science activities the same way they see magic tricks. They are in awe of the way the world works.
You have the ability to instill a love of science in the children in your care by using these activities as part of your home daycare curriculum.
Remember that children learn best through repetition so it’s best to use the kids science ideas as part of a theme. Especially for preschool activities, choose science experiments for kids that involve sight or hearing during a week when you are teaching about the five senses. Or, use activities that involve colors when you are teaching about…well, colors.
Of course, sometimes it’s just fun to share a kid’s science activity for no reason at all. The best part? You get to be right there when the “light bulb goes off” and you realize they “get it”. That is, after all, what teaching is all about.
All the science experiments for kids listed below make great preschool activities and are helpful as well for kindergartners and homeschoolers.
So, let’s get started…
Science Experiments for Kids
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Hear Your Own Heartbeat
Attach a flexible tube to the small end of a funnel. Tape securely in place. Cover the large end of the funnel with paper. Tape this securely also, making sure there are no openings for air to pass through. Place the large end of the funnel over your heart, and the end of the tube close to your ear. Listen as sound travels and you can hear your own heartbeat.
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Make Salt Crystals
Put one half cup of warm water and a tablespoon of salt in a dark colored bowl. Make sure the salt is dissolved. Place the bowl in a sunny spot so the water can evaporate. This may take a few days. Use a magnifying glass to see the salt crystals that are left behind.
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Make Sound Travel
Tie a fork to the center of a length of thread. Wrap one end of the thread to your right index finger and the other end to your left index finger. Place your fingers next to your ears. Have someone tap the fork with any metal object. The sound will travel up the thread to your ears and you’ll hear a loud ringing.
With all the science experiments for kids, be caareful. Do not wrao the thread too tightly. Have the child bend forward slightly so the fork is free floating. Tap the fork lightly.
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Make an Optical Illusion
Place a pencil in a clear glass filled with water. Look at the pencil from every angle. It will appear as though your eyes are playing tricks on you. This is caused by light that moves slower through water than it does through air.
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Jumping Rice
Stretch cling wrap over the top of a bowl. Make sure it is really tight. Sprinkle some raw rice over the top of the cling wrap. Hold a pie pan over the bowl and hit it with a metal spoon. Sound makes the air vibrate. The vibrations will travel and make the rice jump.
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The Magic Coin
Place a coin in a colored bowl. Slowly back away from the bowl until you can no longer see the coin. Have someone pour water into the bowl. You’ll then be able to see the coin because the water bends the light reflecting from the coin around the edge of the bowl.
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Pepper Dash
Fill a bowl with water and add a dash of pepper. Put one drop of dish soap in the center of the bowl. Watch the pepper move to the edges of the bowl. This is because the tension on the water pulls the pepper away from the soap.
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Floating Egg
Fill two bowls with warm tap water. Add a few tablespoons of salt to one of the bowls and mix well to dissolve the salt. Carefully place an egg in each bowl. Why does one egg float? Because salt water is heavier than tap water, the egg will float because it doesn’t have to push as much water away to make room for itself.
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Homemade Rainbow
Fill several small jars with water and add several drops of different colored food coloring to each one. Place the jars on a table in a row and attach a sheet of paper to the wall in front of the jars. Stand behind them and shine a flashlight through the glass jars toward the paper. What happens? You can explain that light bends twice in this experiment, once when it enters the glass and again when it leaves. This causes the light to separate into individual colors.
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Everyday Objects Close Up
Give a child a magnifying glass to look at everyday objects. Let them tell you what they can see that they couldn’t see using just their eyes. Try this also with a drinking glass. Hold it above an object and have the child look down into it. Add water to the glass and see what happens.
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Looking for more science experiments for kids? Simply choose another page.
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