Parents are always looking for fun, exciting ways to keep their kids entertained. You would want to find activities that will stimulate your kids’ minds and ensure that they learn something while they play safely at the same time. The last thing you want is for your kids to spend their time off doing nothing productive and forgetting everything they had learned at school. Using your family time to engage in cool experiments is not only an effective educational activity, but it is also great fun for the whole family. You make memories together while encouraging your kids to take an interest in science.
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So, check out these fun experiments that you and your kids can easily try at home, and have a great time doing it.
Making Your Own Playdough
Why keep spending a lot of money on playdough when you can actually make it with your kids and have fun in the process. Playdough is already a very stimulating activity for children because it not only boosts their creativity, but it also enhances their hand-eye coordination. Making your own playdough is easy and will get the kids engaged in the kitchen, allowing them to get messy. The process is just as valuable for a child’s development as playing with the dough itself.
All you need to do is mix 8 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of salt in a large bowl. Use another bowl to mix 3 cups of water with a few drops of food coloring; here, you can let your kids have some fun and pick what color play dough they want. Pour the colored water into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and start kneading the dough. Finally, refrigerate the dough in a plastic bag and make sure it’s airtight so it remains fresh. Pull out your cookie cutters and start getting creative whenever you’re ready to play.
Making A Volcano
Another fun experiment that would unleash your kids’ inner scientists is to make a volcano. You can find a lot of similar experiments when you browse this site, which has a lot of innovative ways to motivate kids with an aptitude for STEM education. For the volcano experiment, make sure you carry out this experiment outdoors, preferably in your backyard as it can get messy. Through this experiment, you want to create carbon dioxide through a chemical reaction between vinegar and baking soda, which will give you the erupting volcano effect. These types of experiments encourage children to take an interest in science.
To get started with your volcano, blend 400 ml vinegar, 100 ml of cold water, 10 ml of dish soap, and 2 drops of the food coloring of your choice, and pour it into an empty 2-liter soda bottle. Fill up half a glass with baking soda and the other half with water, and mix with a spoon until the whole mixture is a liquid. Then, pour your baking soda mixture into the soda bottle, step away, and watch your volcano erupt!
Making A Lava Lamp
Another interesting science experiment for the whole family is making a lava lamp. This experiment can teach your kids about chemistry through oil and water since it is about the changes in density as gas is added or taken out of water. Kids learn that things that are denser than the liquid will sink, and things that are less dense will float. Making a lava lamp can be one of the most enticing ways to teach your children about chemistry. Begin by filling up a quarter of a clean plastic bottle with water and pour either vegetable oil, baby oil, or mineral oil in the same bottle until it is almost full. Wait until the water and the oil separate before adding a few drops of the food coloring of your choice.
You will soon notice that the coloring will sink through the oil. You can use that time to make observations with your kid on whether the color blended in with the water straight away, or did it float above for a bit first. Snap a fizzing tablet in half and place one half into the bottle, and watch the bubbles appear. You can turn off the lights while dropping in the other half, and shine a flashlight through the bottle and watch the bubbling blobs in your new lava lamp.
These experiments are fun and easy to implement at home. All you need are a few key ingredients to create your very own science lab. Having your kids engage in these stimulating activities will not only benefit their education, but it will also keep them entertained. Your kids will be jumping for joy at the idea of trying these cool experiments. What better way to learn about STEM education than to learn through play!
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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