Science Activities for Kids

These science activities are great for preschoolers through elementary. Science experiments can often apply to a wide range of ages. Activities within this category include chemistry, physics, life science, and earth sciences.

Furthermore, the learning doesn't have to stop at the end of the activity. In other words, these science activities are the gift that keeps on giving with printables and further learning ideas to extend the lessons.

Peruse Science Activities Below

The Ultimate List of Light Energy Experiments for Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Science Tagged With: Easy Science for Kids, Kindergarten, Physics, Preschool This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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I scoured the internet to discover the BEST activities to explore light. This post includes dozens of light energy experiments for kids to keep you and your kids busy.

Light Energy Experiments for Kids

Build Your Own DIY Spectroscope from Buggy & Buddy

Kids will LOVE to make their own DIY spectroscope! The best part of this science activity is that it can be done with a few simple materials and explore the spectrum of different light sources. This science activity for kids makes a great addition to a unit on light or weather. Plus, you get to see rainbows so add it to an April preschool unit or St. Patrick's Day-themed unit.

Sky Science – Why does the sky change colors? from Steam Powered Family

Finally, have an answer to the age-old question: why is the sky blue? Even better explore why the sky changes color at sunrise and sunset. You can explain until you're blue in the face about the science of the sky colors but doing an experiment brings the understanding to a whole new level.

Learning about Optics with Two Fun Light Experiments! by From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom

Explore how light behaves with this activity! Furthermore, explain the concept of OPTICS as the study of how light works. This water and light experiment was showing him how light works.

Explore the Eye's Blind Spot from Carrots Are Orange

The blind spot is a little spot of the eye. Everyone has a blind spot. The blind spot is the point in the eye where all the nerve in the eye come together. The nerves form a bundle of nerves calls the optic nerve, a nerve that runs from the eye to the brain.

So, why makes the blind spot “blind'?

$Light Experiment - Refraction$

Simple Light Refraction Experiment from Look We're Learning

Learn an easy way to teach kids about light with this simple light refraction experiment!

Light Activities for Preschoolers – Learning about Light Energy from Carrots Are Orange

This post includes loads of light energy experiments and ideas to explore.

DIY Sundial from KC Adventures

Learn an easy way to make a sundial using simple materials.

UV Light Experiment from Inspiration Laboratories

Try this simple exploration to explore ultraviolet light with your child.

Exploring Science Through Art: Colour & Light by Childhood 101

This activity is sweet and to the point. What a lovely hands-on way to explore color and light.

Reflection Science with Light Patterns in a Box from Buggy & Buddy

A super cool and remarkably easy to put together light energy experiment.

Rainbow Science for Kids: Exploring Prisms from Buggy & Buddy

Prisms are one of the most beautiful and simple materials. Learn ways to explore light science with this simple object.

Easy Motion Science Experiment from Carrots Are Orange

Learn how movies are made with this easy motion science experiment. My sons have been on a “how does this work?” kick. This easy science experiment was one answer to “how do movies get onto a screen?”

Science for Kids: How to Make a Kaleidoscope

Learn how to make a kaleidoscope in this fun & easy science activity and a craft for kids. Kids will LOVE to explore light, reflections, and symmetry by making their own kaleidoscope.

The Ultimate List of Baking Soda & Vinegar Experiments

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Activities, Science Tagged With: Chemistry, Easy Science for Kids, Elementary, Kindergarten, Preschool This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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This post delivers the ultimate amazing list of baking soda and vinegar experiments for kids. We're talking baking soda and vinegar with balloons, rocket boosting baking soda and vinegar, color changing experiments, and so much more! Are you ready to dig into these ROCK star baking soda and vinegar experiments? Yeah, me, too…

The Science Behind Baking Soda & Vinegar

Baking Soda and vinegar react chemically we know that much simply by observing the experiments. We can see the chemical reaction. What it is about the two ingredients that react in such phenomenally cool ways?

The science is that baking soda and vinegar react with each other because of an acid-base reaction. Baking soda is a bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and vinegar is an acetic acid (HCH3COO). One of the products this reaction creates is carbon dioxide, which makes the bubbles.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments for Kids

Fizzing Colors from Happy Hooligans is not only fun science learning but it is also great fine motor skills work. This baking soda and vinegar experiment with food coloring adds a bit of pizazz to a child's day.

Busy Toddler adds a bit of a twist on the dropper food color experiment by Happy Hooligans. She presents the baking soda and vinegar activity with hidden colors. By adding this element of surprise, this activity has kids at ‘hello'.

My sons LOVED this baking soda & vinegar experiment. Chelsey from Buddy & Buddy nails this one with her exploding baggies.

Along the same lines, Sarah from Frugal Fun for Boys & Girls created a rocket baking soda & vinegar experiment for her kids. Totally out of this world!

Katie from Preschool Inspirations tops the cake with her color changing baking soda & vinegar experiment.

A few years ago we explore chemistry with a baking soda and vinegar experiment with balloons. To celebrate Earth Day we use an earth balloon and really made the scientific point about expanding air.

Maria Montessori & Science

What is a scientist?… We give the name scientist to the type of man who has felt experiment to be a means guiding him to search out the deep truth of life, to lift a veil from its fascinating secrets, and who, in this pursuit, has felt arising within him a love for the mysteries of nature, so passionate as to annihilate the thought of himself. ~ Dr. Montessori

More Easy Science Experiments for Kids with Baking Soda & Vinegar

Kim from Life Over Cs does a fizzy baking soda and vinegar experiment with ice!

Darcy at Darcy and Brian creates a Melting Rainbow Baking Soda and Vinegar experiment.

I quickly added this baking soda and vinegar activity to our list. Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls made hot ice from a few items you likely have in your home at this current moment.

Life Over Cs presents us with a playdough volcano baking soda & vinegar experiment.

The Pinterested Parent takes her baking soda and vinegar experiment a step further by creating art from the volcano eruptions!

Bitz and Giggles created electric eels twist on the baking soda and vinegar experiment!

What's Next After All this Baking Soda & Vinegar Experimental Learning?

Try to add other substances such as carbonated water, hydrogen peroxide, or dish soap. Observe how the eruption changes.

10+ Amazing Ways to Make a Catapult with Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Activities, Science Tagged With: Easy Science for Kids, Physics This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Catapults are a classic building activity for kids. Believe it or not, catapults have been around since medieval times. Catapults are a tool used to launch an item a great distance without additional aid from explosives.

History & Purpose

They have been proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during warfare. That is pretty amazing given that making a catapult is relatively easy to do.

How Does a Catapult Work?

Don't forget to take the learning beyond making the catapult and into math and more science! The science behind a catapult is physics. A catapult launches with stored energy. The energy used with catapults include tension, torsion, and gravity.

The Best Catapult Ideas for Kids

Popsicle Stick Catapult

This popsicle stick catapult by Buggy and Buddy uses simple materials: rubber bands, plastic spoon, popsicle sticks, and pom poms.

Catapult with Legos

Learn how to build a catapult with legos by visiting this post on Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Use Tinker Toys

This post is particularly appealing because it outline where to take the learning once you build the catapult. There is measuring, estimations, and hypotheses being done!

Lincoln Log Catapult

Yes! Brain Power Boy offers a sweet & traditional version of a catapult. Learn how to build with Lincoln Logs!

Chocolate Launching Catapult

Build a Chocolate Launcher & win the hearts of children everywhere. Seriously. Like Everywhere.

PVC Catapult for the Win

A PVC Catapult is a bit more labor and material intensive simply because it involves a trip to the hardware store. You have to purchase a variety of PVC pipe sizes, connectors, and duct tape. Not too difficult to put together but requires some organization.

Pencil Catapult

So simple! This pencil catapult by Little Bins for Little Hands is a fun back to school activity that also requires very few materials: pencils & rubber bands.

Tissue Box

Frugal Fun for Boys & Girls shows us how to build a catapult with a tissue box! As you can see in this photo, you really don't need much else other than a glue gun, a cap, a paper hole punch, a straw, pencils, and scissors.

Paper Towel Tube

I love activities that require not much more than checking out the recycling bin. Master how to build a catapult with paper towel tubes, a bit of yarn, pom poms, tape, a wooden spoon, and rubber bands.

Cardboard Box

Use a cardboard box. iKatbag shows us a simple way to build a catapult with recycled materials and materials you have around your home.

Further Learning

Asking open ended questions is a fantastic way to keep the learning rolling.

Here are a few ideas for catapults:

Talk about projectile motion and ask for predictions on how far various objects will go
Switch up the launching object
Build other types of catapults and see how changing the materials mixes up the energy
Ask a lot of what happens if and what happens when questions

Learn more about how catapults work (and learn about the main types of catapults) by visiting one of my favorite sites!

[Baking Soda and Vinegar] Experiment with Balloons – Earth Day Science

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Science Tagged With: Chemistry, Earth Day This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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What better science experiment to do when discussing the earth's atmosphere than the classic baking soda & vinegar experiment?

This idea I credit to my middle son.

You see, I bought adorable earth balloons and stashed them away in my secret science shelves (also known as “my pantry”). Well, he discovered these balloons and begged for a “baking soda vinegar reaction activity” and how could I not deliver?

My boys would choose to do science experiments all day long and that is quite all right with me. They tinker, they build, and they iterate along the way. This type of activity is critical. The iteration as an experiment fails is key to embracing failure a la Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset approach (an amazing book by the way – see below for a list of resources mentioned in this post).

Baking Soda & Vinegar Reaction

What happens when you mix baking soda & vinegar?

My second born discovered these balloons and probably thanks to some youtube video begged to have access to the baking soda and vinegar. My sons cannot get enough of science.

We are a lab on most days experimenting with various substances and reactions.

Celebrate Earth Day with this fun baking soda and vinegar experiment with balloons!

How could a mom resist? Really?

Seriously, look at that face? Such awe. I can't resist.

Baking Soda Vinegar Science

This experiment is so incredibly easy to put together. Plus the learning is hands-on and kids' jaws drop when they observe the reaction.

Materials for this Activity

Earth balloons
White vinegar
Baking Soda
Funnel
Plastic Bottle

Baking Soda and Vinegar – Science Process

Gather your materials
Place the balloon opening around the opening of the funnel
Pour a cup of baking soda using a funnel to fill the balloon half way or so
Use the funnel to fill the plastic bottle with a cup of white vinegar
Place the balloon opening around the mouth of the bottle
Hold the balloon up so the baking soda falls into the bottle
Observe & grab some paper towels

Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.
~ Marcus Aurelius

The Science Behind Baking Soda & Vinegar Chemistry

Baking soda and vinegar have chemistry. Furthermore, we know that these two substances react with each other because of an acid-base reaction. Baking soda is bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and vinegar is acetic acid (HCH3COO). One of the products this reaction creates is carbon dioxide, which makes the bubbles.

When the baking soda meets the vinegar, there is a chemical reaction as carbon dioxide gas is created and fills the balloon causing it to inflate. Carbon dioxide is an important gas in the earth's atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide plays a vital role in regulating the earth's temperature. Baking soda and vinegar have an acid-based reaction, which results in the gas that fills the balloon.

Carbon Dioxide & the Earth's Atmosphere

Before I go I have to equip you with some back pocket scientific knowledge to impart on your children.

What is the role of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere?

Well, I am glad that you asked because carbon dioxide plays several important roles in our environment. First of all, carbon dioxide is found in the air but also in water as part of the carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps infrared radiation heat in the atmosphere. Furthermore, it plays a crucial role in the weathering of rocks. Carbon dioxide is the carbon source for plants.

Why is Carbon Dioxide So Important?

Carbon dioxide plays a critical part in plant and animal processes. Examples include photosynthesis and respiration. Photosynthesis occurs as green plants convert carbon dioxide and water into food compounds, such as glucose, and oxygen.

How Do Humans Interact with Carbon Dioxide?

Carbonated beverages, of course! Well, that is certainly one example but there are many additional ways human being use carbon dioxide. We also rely on carbon dioxide in baking. For instance, it is released by baking powder or yeast makes cakes and other delicious food items rise.

Other uses include putting out fires with fire extinguishers. Carbon dioxide is denser than air so works well to extinguish the fire as it suffocates or blankets the fire because it is heavier. If oxygen cannot get to a fire, it will die out.

Carbon dioxide exists predominantly in the form of gas, but it also has a solid and a liquid form. It can only be solid when temperatures are below -78 ^oC. The solid form of carbon dioxide, commonly known as Dry Ice, is used in theatres to create stage fogs, to do super cool science experiments, and make things like “magic potions” bubble.

Liquid carbon dioxide mainly exists when carbon dioxide is dissolved in water. Carbon dioxide is only water-soluble when pressure is maintained. After pressure drops the CO2 gas will try to escape to air. This event is characterized by the CO2 bubbles forming into the water.

{Source: https://www.lenntech.com/carbon-dioxide.htm}

Further Baking Soda & Vinegar Learning

What happens when you switch up the ratios a bit?
Or what happens if you add dish soap or food coloring to the baking soda & vinegar explosion?
If you want lots of fizz, try adding a liquid soap and see how the reaction changes.
Does more vinegar mean more bubbles? You bet it does!

If you enjoy science as we do, check out these popular posts:

Super Fun & Easy Solar Eclipse Activities for Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Activities, Science Tagged With: Astronomy, Easy Science for Kids, Geography This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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“So, like, the last time this happened you were a baby??? That was, like, a million years ago!!” All three of my sons burst into a fit of laughter. I am okay with being the brunt of their happiness and rock star STEAM learning & experiences, especially when it comes to solar eclipse activities!

We're headed to the see the eclipse in TOTALITY (yes, that is 100% complete darkness) in Casper, Wyoming. As I gear up for the road and camping trip, I researched loads of amazing eclipse activities for kids!

Of course, I had to share these activities with you.

{Source: Wyoming Eclipse Festival 2017}

Easy & Fun Solar Eclipse Activities for Kids

I gathered solar eclipse activities for elementary and preschool-aged kids.

Grab a Book of Already Prepared Eclipse Activities for Kids

The Ultimate Total Eclipse Activity Book is the ultimate road trip and camping tool. My boys devoured these books and we haven't even left the house, yet. Perfect for those of us running short on time.

Create a Solar Eclipse

{Source: Inspiration Laboratories}

Create a Solar Eclipse with a golf ball and a slightly larger plastic ball. Doesn't get much easier than that learning activity!

Make a DIY Solar Eclipse Viewer

{Source: The Mama Workshop}

We've seen a million eclipse viewers out there but this one from The Mama Workshop takes the cake. I love how the creator decorated her viewer and really made it her own. Plus, she made it out of a recycled pampers box. What is not to love?

Moon Observation Journal

{Source: Buggy & Buddy}

This truly hands-on recommendation comes with a FREE Moon Journal printable so get on it! Plus Buggy and Buddy knows what she is talking about and offers loads of high quality, creative astronomy learning activities for kids.

Total Eclipse T-Shirt

I already snagged one of these perfect for the Total Eclipse occasion t-shirts.

Learn Cartography

As usual, NASA delivers amazing math & science with this resource. This NASA link outlines the center, the umbras, and the center line of the 2017 eclipse. Plus, the NASA page has images and information on past eclipses.

Other Total Eclipse Resources

Get Arty with the Total Eclipse – You have to check out these beautiful and fun total eclipse art projects for kids from Nasa's website. Beyond these activities, NASA offers loads of learning resources for parents and teachers across a wide range of age.
K thru 12 Activities for Kids from NASA – Everything from information about the sun to a wide range of activities for kids K thru 12.
Total Eclipse Word Search (Free Download)
Eye on the Sky Lessons about the Sun
Learn about shadows
Learn about light energy
25 Open Ended Questions for Kids
Ways to Encourage Scientific Thinking

The Ultimate List of Experiments on Friction

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Science activities engage and intrigue kids in ways not possible by other topics. Hands-on science experiments are even better. Get kids moving and involved in the science lesson and you're on your way. You've created a lifelong scientist! Exploring science rarely takes many out of the ordinary materials, often materials you can find around your home. Check out these experiments on friction for tons of learning fun!

What is Friction?

Friction is part of the science of physics. This explanation from the Khan Academy is terrific so I will borrow it:

“The force of static friction is a force between two surfaces that prevents those surfaces from sliding or slipping across each other. This is the same force that allows you to accelerate forward when you run. Your planted foot can grip the ground and push backward, which causes the ground to push forward on your foot. We call this “grippy” type of friction, where the surfaces are prevented from slipping across each other, a static frictional force. If there were absolutely no friction between your feet and the ground, you would be unable to propel yourself forward by running, and would simply end up jogging in place (similar to trying to run on very slippery ice).”

Friction Experiments for Kids

Friction experiments are some of the easiest, inexpensive, and most enjoyable for kids. Below are my favorite and super cool friction activities for kids.

Easy & Amazing Experiments on Friction

Exploring Ramps & Friction from Pre-K Pages

What a cool and easy way to experiment with friction! Kids love cars and ramps. So, why not introduce a little science learning with a friction activity? This science lesson involves mostly things from around the house, too, which is always a bonus!

Cool Experiments with Friction from JDaniel4'sMom

This activity is similar to the above but gives additional ideas for exploring different surface tensions with cars and ramps. I love the textures used in this friction activity! This activity completes the learning circle with making predictions, noting observations, and examining the results. This science activity integrates math and other less tangible skills such as focus and concentration by completing the activity!

Hockey Science from Creative Family Fun

I love this activity for so many reasons. It demonstrates friction in a fun and cool way. Kids love this activity and it includes a worksheet to bring the friction learning home.

Easy Science of Friction Activity

One of outnumbers all-time favorite science lessons of all time. Does it get any easier than a bottle, rice, and a chopstick? Okay, there is a funnel involved in the experiment, also. The best part is how mesmerized children are by being able to pick up a bottle of rice with a chopstick alone. Science is indeed magical. Explore Newton's 3rd Law of Motion with this activity!

Make a Hovercraft from Science Sparks

Does science get any cooler than making a hovercraft? You will be hard-pressed to find a more engaging and easy friction experiment. Kids have fun and make a really cool machine on top of it.

Enjoy!

Marnie

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