science experiments for assignments

30 Best Science Experiments & Projects for High School

Welcome to our round-up of top science fair projects and science experiments tailored specifically for curious high school students.

Science fair is not just about the glitz and glamour of a first-place trophy; it’s about the passion, the inquiry, and the insatiable curiosity that drive every scientist, young and old. Hopefully, our curated list of the best hands-on science fair projects for high school students will ignite that curiosity in you.

Each project on this list offers a unique opportunity to dive deep into scientific inquiry and present findings with both clarity and flair.

Let’s dive in and make learning an unforgettable adventure!

1. Burn Calories

Don’t miss this opportunity to unravel the mysteries of energy transformation and uncover the scientific secrets hidden in the simplest of substances!

Learn more: Science Buddies

2. Extracting DNA from Strawberry

By following a series of simple yet insightful steps, students will witness the magical moment of DNA extraction, fostering a deeper appreciation for the fundamental building blocks of life.

Learn more: Extracting DNA from Strawberry

3. Build a Simple DIY Newton’s Cradle

As students assemble the materials and witness the rhythmic dance of swinging spheres, they will witness the scientific principles they’ve learned in the classroom come to life before their eyes.

4. Make a Monster Dry Ice Bubbles

Unleash your inner mad scientist and learn how to make Monster Dry Ice Bubbles with this high school science experiment!

Get ready to be captivated as you create giant, spooky bubbles that dance and swirl with the mysterious power of dry ice.

Learn more: Wonder How To

5. Soil Erosion Experiment

As stewards of our environment, it’s crucial to comprehend the impact of natural processes like soil erosion.

Through this experiment, students will gain a deeper appreciation for the significance of soil conservation and sustainable land management practices.

Learn more: Life is a Garden

6. Candle Carousel

This experiment combines the wonders of physics with the art of crafting, making it an enriching experience that ignites curiosity and fosters a deeper appreciation for the elegant dance of energy in our world.

7. Find Out if Water Conducts Electricity

In this captivating activity, students will explore the conductive properties of water and unlock the secrets of how electrical currents flow through different substances.

Learn more: Rookie Parenting

8. Roller Coaster Stem Experiment

By experimenting with various designs and track configurations, students will refine their problem-solving skills and gain valuable insights into the practical applications of physics and engineering.

Learn more: STEM Project

9. Lemon Battery

Engaging in this experiment not only teaches the basics of electrical circuits but also sparks curiosity about the natural world and the science behind it.

Learn more: Coffee Cups and Crayons

10. Watering Plants Using Different Liquids

Discover the wonders of plant hydration with the intriguing high school science experiment – “Watering Plants Using Different Liquids.” In this captivating project, students explore how various liquids impact plant growth and health.

Learn more: Lemon Lime Adventures

11. Measure Electrolytes Found in Sports Drinks

By conducting a series of tests and analyses, students will quantify the electrolyte content present in various sports drinks.

12. Relight the Flame Without Directly Touching It

This captivating project challenges students to learn about the intriguing properties of heat transfer and combustion.

By exploring different methods to reignite a candle flame without physical contact, students will uncover the secrets of heat conduction, convection, and radiation.

Learn more: Stevespangler

13. Conduct Fingerprint Analysis

This captivating project immerses students in the intriguing world of crime scene investigations, where they will uncover the uniqueness of fingerprints and their role in forensic science.

14. Separate Water Into Hydrogen And Oxygen Using Electrolysis

This electrifying project allows students to explore electrolysis and the decomposition of water into its elemental components.

Learn more: Navigating by Joy

15. Simple Color Detection Circuit 

This experiment not only introduces fundamental concepts in electronics and circuitry but also opens up endless possibilities for real-life applications, from automated sorting systems to color-sensitive devices.

16. Carbon Sugar Snake

This enchanting project allows students to witness a dazzling display of science as they combine common household ingredients to create a dark, coiling “snake” made of carbon.

Learn more: Kiwi Co

17. Build a Hydraulic Elevator

This captivating project invites students to learn about engineering and fluid mechanics. By constructing a working model of a hydraulic elevator, students will explore the principles of Pascal’s law and the fascinating concept of fluid pressure.

Learn more: Teach Beside Me

18. Brew up Some Root Beer

This enticing project invites students to explore the fascinating world of chemistry and fermentation while creating their own delicious and bubbly concoction.

Learn more: Home School Creations

19. Extracting Bismuth From Pepto-Bismol Tablets

This hands-on experiment not only sheds light on the principles of chemistry and lab techniques but also highlights the real-world applications of bismuth in medicine and various industries.

Learn more: Popscie

20. Solar-Powered Water Desalination

By designing and building a solar-powered water desalination system, students will learn how to harness the sun’s energy to purify saltwater and make it safe for consumption.

21. Applying Hooke’s Law: Make Your Own Spring Scale

By designing and constructing their very own spring scale, students will uncover the principles of Hooke’s Law and the relationship between force and displacement in a spring system.

22. Homemade Hand Warmer

By creating their own hand warmers using safe and easily accessible materials, students will witness the magic of heat generation through chemical processes.

Learn more: Steve Spangler

23. Explore the Concept of Symbiosis Involving Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria.

By investigating how certain plants form a mutually beneficial bond with these bacteria, students will gain insights into the essential role of nitrogen fixation in the ecosystem.

Learn more: Education.com

24. Center of Gravity Experiment

This fascinating project invites students to explore the concept of the center of gravity and its role in determining stability.

25. Power up Homemade Batteries

This captivating project invites students to learn about electrochemistry and energy generation.

Learn more: 123 Homeschool

26. Film Canister Explosions

Prepare for a blast of excitement and chemistry with the high school science experiment – “Film Canister Explosions!” This project teaches students about chemical reactions and pressure build-up.

27. Investigating Osmosis with Potato Slices

This hands-on experiment not only provides a practical understanding of osmosis but also highlights its relevance in everyday life, from understanding plant hydration to food preservation techniques.

28. Make Homemade Fly Trap

This captivating “Make Homemade Fly Trap!” project invites students to explore the principles of pest control and observe the behavior of flies.

29. Hydroponics: Gardening Without Soil

This exciting project invites students to explore innovative agricultural practices that harness water and nutrient solutions to grow plants.

By setting up their hydroponic system and nurturing plants through this method, students will witness the fascinating dynamics of root development and nutrient absorption.

30. Clothespin Airplane

As they test and modify their creations, students will learn about the principles of lift, thrust, and drag, gaining a deeper understanding of how these forces come together to keep airplanes soaring through the skies.

Learn more: Steamsational

Similar Posts:

• 68 Best Chemistry Experiments: Learn About Chemical Reactions
• 37 Water Science Experiments: Fun & Easy
• Top 40 Fun LEGO Science Experiments

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.

Science for Everyone

Science education, teaching resources, scientific literacy, and more!

• Feb 27, 2023
• 37 min read

100+ labs, activities, and science experiments for middle and high school students

Updated: Sep 12, 2023

Looking for fun and engaging lab ideas for use in your science class? You've come to the right place. Here's my list of practical activities and experiments you can try with your students, all in one place.

Introduction

I've been teaching MYP science (grades 6-10) internationally for over a decade. I try to devote about a third of my class time to experimental activities, which means we do a lot of labs. I'm also the only lab technician at my current school, so I'm responsible for set-up and cleanup as well. Needless to say, I've accumulated quite a bit of experience in the lab and can confidently recommend all of the following experiments. I have personally tried all of them with my students and in most cases have been conducting them for years.

Where can I get these labs?

Although I have provided links to just about every activity on my list, some are much better than others. You will often need to adjust them significantly for your classroom depending on the classes and number of students you teach, as well as the materials you have access to. Additionally, free lab guides usually do not include much in the way of background info, student questions or handouts, and teacher prep notes. For these reasons, I've created my own resources for most of the labs I do, which I'm currently in the process of uploading to my TPT store . You can access my complete experimental resource collection here . I'm adding new experiments regularly, but early purchasers will have access to all future activities at no additional cost! As you can see from the list below, I have quite a few more to add! Links to my individual lab activities have also been provided in the relevant sections.

The following list of experiments is organized by grade and unit. Click on the links below to jump to the section you need.

Scientific Method

Chemical and physical changes, characteristics of living things, earth and space science, objects in motion, atoms and elements, inheritance, earth systems and cycles, energy, work, and power, human impacts on the environment, electromagnetism, communication, body systems, organization of life, chemical reactions and bonding, forces and structures, pure substances and mixtures, health and disease, electricity, environmental chemistry, space exploration, organic chemistry, genetics and reproduction, radiation and radioactivity.

You can also access unit plan outlines for each of the above units in my store .

List of Experiments

1. Memory experiments - How many random words or objects can students memorize? Will students be able to identify a missing object (or classmate)? How reliable is eyewitness testimony? These are excellent activities for getting students to practice basic experimental design, as well as practical skills like collecting and analyzing data. As a bonus, many of these experiments require virtually no prep for you!

2. Accuracy and precision experiment - For this activity, all you need is a target and something that will stick to it. I've used a dart board, NERF guns with suction cup darts, or just a target drawn on the whiteboard with magnetic disks to throw at it. You could even make a target on the ground outside and have your students toss beanbags at it. Anything will do! Students take turns hurling things at the targets and recording the distance to the middle. Then they analyze the results in terms of accuracy (average distance to the center) and precision (range, standard deviation, and the number of decimal places).

3. Baking science experiment - I've long been a fan of incorporating food science into science class. What better way to get kids excited about chemistry while also learning a useful life skill? I've done many versions of this activity, but it always involves baking something, like cookies or cakes, by modifying a recipe to learn about variables. There are also many opportunities here for unit conversion practice.

4. Fire triangle oxygen experiment - For younger students who may not have had access to open flames before, this is a good place to start for developing safe handling practices. Students use candles and various glass containers to measure how long a flame will burn in a limited oxygen environment. You might as well demonstrate the rising water trick too since you're using all the same materials.

5. Bunsen burner temperature experiment - Students learn how the Bunsen burner works and attempt to find out what part of the flame is hottest. You'll need a temperature probe rated for high temperatures in order to get accurate data for this lab. Alternatively, you can just use a thin steel rod or a nail by holding it in different parts of the flame and recording any colour changes. Try comparing the orange and blue flames, as well as the top, bottom, middle, and sides of the flame. Almost all students fail to predict where the hottest region will be!

6. Fire extinguisher safety activity - You'll need to get some safety approvals for this one, but I think it's worth it. Who knows when you might have a real emergency to deal with? Go outside and start a simple fire in a safe place like a metal tray. Then use one of the school fire extinguishers to put it out. Have a few students try it, too. Discuss the locations of fire extinguishers, different types of fires, exit strategies, and so on. You may even want to coordinate with the local fire department and see if they can send someone to talk to the students about fire safety.

7. Lab equipment identification quiz - Another one for younger students who are just beginning to do lab work. Collect one piece of glassware or lab equipment for each student in your class (with a few extra, just in case). Put one on each desk before your students arrive. As students come in, give them a blank piece of paper and have them write down the name of the equipment in front of them. Then rotate to the next seat and repeat. Set a timer for ~30 seconds to keep things moving. You may also want to get students to draw the equipment as well, in which case they would need a bit of extra time. This works best as a review activity, but it can also be used as a chance to see what students already know.

8. Oobleck states of matter activity - After students have learned about solids, liquids, and gases, whip up a batch of oobleck (cornstarch + water) and have them explore its properties. Is it a solid, a liquid, or a bit of both? Have your students consider the particle interactions going on in this unusual fluid. A bit of research may be required on their part.

9. Salt or sugar crystal lab - Students dissolve and then evaporate a very small volume of concentrated salt or sugar solution to produce crystals. I prefer salt since it is less of a sticky mess, but you can do one or both. Check out the crystals under the microscope and compare them to mineral crystals if you have some to observe. You can also use this lab as a chance to explore saturation and give a really cool supersaturation demo using sodium acetate. Just Google 'hot ice'!

10. Separating salt and sand mixtures experiment - Give students a sample containing salt, sand, and (optionally) iron filings. Then tell them to figure out how to separate each substance. This will involve a combination of magnetism, dissolving, filtration, evaporation, and so on. There is more than one way to accomplish this task, which is what makes it interesting. Add to the challenge by having students compare the mass of their sample to the total mass of each separated substance (you'll need to allow time for proper drying) to see who managed to preserve the most material. Discuss industrial and everyday applications of these separation techniques.

11. Diffusion of potassium permanganate - Another classic chemistry experiment that involves the movement of purple crystals as they dissolve in water. You can have students record the time it takes to produce a uniform solution and then compare this at different water temperatures or volumes. It's also useful to get your students to take photos, or better yet, videos of the process to compare.

12. Dissolving cocoa experiment - Students try to find the best way to dissolve a specific quantity of cocoa in order to make hot chocolate effectively. This is great for winter or during the holiday season, but as far as I'm concerned there's never a bad time for hot chocolate. Make this as open-ended as you can, but have students write down their reasoning and the method used. Is it better to use milk or water? Should you add the liquid first or the powder first? How does the temperature affect how easily the cocoa dissolves? Obviously, you wouldn't want to use typical chemistry glassware for this one, so plan ahead if you want to allow your students to drink their creations.

13. Pond organisms microscope lab - Visit a local ecosystem and collect some water. It's better to get the 'chunky stuff' including mud, water plants, pond scum, and other organic material. Bring it back to the lab and have your students look for microorganisms under the microscope. With luck, you will be able to identify water fleas, vorticella, euglena, and other organisms in your samples. If you do this in the spring or summer, various insect larvae will likely be present as well.

14. Specialized cells microscope lab - Sure, you can easily find prepared slides of specialized cells, but it's much more interesting for your students if they create their own. Collecting cheek cells is simple, and I think students get a kick out of seeing their own cells for the first time. Root hair cells and leaf cells are easy to locate as well, although the species you choose makes a huge difference. Try a few and see what works best.

15. Energy in food (calorimetry) experiment - I've found this lab to be notoriously difficult unless you have very good equipment, but it has the potential to produce lots of interesting results and is endlessly customizable for your students. The flexibility alone makes it worthwhile to try, even if the results don't end up being as useful as you'd hoped. Burning sugary or oily foods works best. Try potato chips or marshmallows.

16. Comparing fuels experiment - In this lab activity, students burn equal quantities of various fuels to determine which makes the best fuel. Alcohols including methanol, ethanol, and propanol should be easy enough to obtain. The experiment itself is pretty straightforward, but there are a lot of factors to consider. Which fuel burns the hottest? Which burns the longest? Which is the cheapest or easiest to obtain? What about other factors, such as the smell? There's a lot for students to explore here.

17. Design a solar oven - This is an excellent project for students to tackle that requires only a few simple craft and household supplies. As a summative assessment, students can make use of their physics knowledge to conduct, reflect, insulate, and ultimately cook simple foods. I prefer not to tell them the exact method so that they can find out what works and what doesn't. We like to make s'mores and cheese toast - things that are still delicious even if they don't cook properly!

18. Thermal conductivity experiment - This lab has many variations, but most involve comparing the ability of different metals to transfer heat. If you can find wires of equal diameter and length made of copper, steel, etc. then it is pretty easy to compare the conductivity of these substances by putting one end in hot water and then measuring the temperature along its length using a digital thermometer. Alternatively, put the other end of the wire in cold water and measure the temperature after a given amount of time. The warmest liquid should indicate the best conductor.

19. Insulated drink experiment - This is a bit like the solar oven experiment, except that in this case, students are given a hot beverage and tasked with keeping it warm for as long as possible. Similar ideas and materials can be used, so it makes sense to do this as a follow-up experiment to that. Provide each group with a cup of boiled water and identical materials in order to make it a fair comparison. Then pop a thermometer in and see who has the warmest drink by the end of class.

20. Mark-recapture simulation - This mathematical exercise involves students estimating a population's size by 'marking' and 'capturing' beans or other small objects from a container. Various sample sizes are used to show how accuracy improves with the number of marked and captured individuals. Then discuss how accurate mark-recapture studies would be for different populations in the wild.

21. Quadrat study - Using square frames, students collect data on the plant or invertebrate species found in a local environment (the school playground will do!). They can use this information to estimate population sizes and species distribution, but it can also be used to identify possible community interactions, including competition, mutualism, commensalism, and predation.

22. Mesocosm experiment - Students set up small ecosystems in jars or soda bottles to observe nutrient cycling in action. If done well they can last for years. I've tried aquatic ecosystems with fish in the past, but for ethical reasons, we pretty much stick to plants and soil organisms only these days. I also like to keep it simple and do everything in large peanut butter jars. It can get pretty elaborate if you decide to make full eco-columns though.

23. Personal impact experiment - This is an open-ended investigation where students decide on a lifestyle change they will maintain for a few weeks in order to reduce their environmental impact. This could include things like reducing shower time, air drying their clothes, biking to school instead of getting a ride, and so on. They then attempt to estimate the impact they are making in terms of environmental and economic savings, both for the project duration and for a lifetime, if they were to keep it up indefinitely. Although most students quickly fall back into their regular routines, a few do recognize that small changes are manageable and decide to make compromises in the way they live.

24. Solar system scale model - This is a mathematical/visual investigation that shows kids the true scale of the solar system (it's mostly empty space!). We usually do this on two different scales - one that allows us to fit the solar system within the classroom, and another that requires us to go outside and cover some distance on the playground. Even at that scale, the largest planets are still only the size of a small ball and the Earth is minuscule.

25. Chocolate rock cycle - The rock cycle can be a bit dull and abstract considering the time scales and forces students are expected to imagine. Spice it up a little with the delicious addition of chocolate! Through mixing, grating, melting, hardening, and other processes, you can mimic most of the changes in the rock cycle and give students a clearer understanding of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock formation. Yum!

26. Rock and mineral identification with dichotomous keys - Once students have a grasp of the rock cycle, it's time to get them familiar with some of the more common rocks and minerals. This can be done outdoors with field guides and cameras, or inside with samples and a dichotomous key. Even with a key this can be pretty challenging and there is quite a bit of terminology to understand, but I still think it's worthwhile. Some kids get really into it!

27. Flashlight moon phases activity - With a couple of balls, a flashlight, and a darkened room, you can put small groups of students to work trying to simulate the movements of the Sun, Earth, and Moon as they orbit around each other. It is pretty funny watching kids trying to move everything correctly and position themselves to see the phases properly, but I think it gets the concepts across quite well. You can also simulate eclipses, and if you're feeling really ambitious, you can get Mars involved and demonstrate retrograde motion.

28. Human body systems of measurement activity - I use this exercise to teach students about units and what they are based on. In ancient times, a lot of measurement standards were based on the distances between or across body parts, including the hand, fingers, and arms. Most of the metric units in use today are based on much more complicated standards, but it can be surprising for students to realize that measuring devices can't really be made without standards of some kind.

29. Comparing ancient and modern maps - In the age of discovery (~1400-1600) a lot of early mapping was accomplished by Europeans. It wasn't all accurate, however, for a variety of reasons. This activity gives students a good crash course in cartography, which you might argue is more appropriate for geography and social studies, but it works well for this unit because it devotes a significant amount of time to understanding how we determine our location in space. Graphing using GPS coordinates is a significant part of this investigation.

30. GPS pathways activity - Since practically all of your students have access to an accurate GPS device of their own, this once-expensive activity is now easier than ever. You can use one of a handful of apps to track students as they walk various pathways around the schoolyard and elsewhere, which can then be analyzed and compared in terms of distance, time, acceleration, and changes in elevation. It can be particularly fun to compare the pathways students take to get to school. I couldn't find a good link for this activity, unfortunately.

31. Determining the acceleration of gravity using a pendulum - This lab always produces consistent results, provided students perform the calculations correctly. Since we use the acceleration of gravity so often in physics, I think it helps students to see that it can be determined with a relatively simple setup. Students will have only tiny pendulums to work with at their desks, but if you plan ahead, you can make a huge one that hangs from the ceiling to show that it works at larger scales, too.

32. Metals and non-metals identification - Depending on what materials you have available, this can be a really great introduction to the periodic table of elements. Chances are your lab already has a good selection of metals, as well as some non-metals like carbon and sulfur. Provide small samples of each material and allow students to rotate to different stations where they attempt to identify the materials using some simple techniques (like magnetism). You can do this entirely visually if you like, or give some obscure facts about each element to help them out.

33. Metal displacement reactions experiment - Students observe whether reactions occur between pure metals and various salt solutions in order to create a simple reactivity series. It's reasonable to test four or five metals in order to introduce the concept, but you'll need to explain that very reactive and unreactive metals are not realistic to test in school due to prohibitive costs and safety concerns. The reactivity series can then be used to discuss why certain metals are chosen for particular uses and why precious metals are so valuable and long-lasting.

34. pH indicator lab - There are many kinds of indicators that can be used to determine pH. Teach students about acids and alkalis, then give them a selection of common household substances like vinegar and soapy water to test with universal indicator. They can then use the results to create their own coloured pH scale in their notebooks and label each substance accordingly. If you want to go a little further, consider making your own indicator solution with purple cabbage!

35. Titration of NaOH with HCl - This classic chemistry experiment involves the neutralization reaction between hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. A small sample of NaOH containing the indicator phenolphthalein is given to each group (this is best done in pairs). Students slowly add acid to the pink alkali solution until it goes clear, at which point it should be neutral. If you have digital pH probes, get students to measure the changes throughout the experiment and plot them on a graph. You can also evaporate the resulting solution to show that salt (NaCl) crystals are formed in the process.

36. Fruit DNA extraction - In this simple lab activity, students use common household ingredients to isolate and observe the DNA found in fruits such as kiwis, bananas, and strawberries. The similarities should help illustrate the fact that DNA is a universal code common to all organisms. Although you can't see the molecular structure of the DNA in this exercise, it's still fun to have a look at your extracted nucleic acids under a microscope.

37. Life cycles investigation - There are a few ways to show students how various plants and animals complete their life cycles. For plants, beans grow quite quickly and the seeds are easy to collect and save. If you have some space and a bit more time, sunflowers are really fun to grow at school, too. Depending on the season, it may be possible to collect some tadpoles from a local pond and observe them as they grow and develop. Insect larvae and caterpillars are fun to watch as well, but a little less exciting until their final metamorphosis. You might even be able to contact a nearby chicken farm and get ahold of some fertilized eggs to incubate. Be sure to provide food and a decent living space for whatever creatures you investigate, of course, and have a plan for what to do with them after you are done observing them.

38. Phenotype investigation - Collect class data for a variety of common genetic traits and compare these to national or global averages. Blood type is ideal, but some students might not know theirs (everyone knows their blood type in Japan so this is an easy one for me!). Other possibilities include eye colour (here's a VERY detailed article on eye colour genetics ), dominant hand, hair colour, or earlobe shape. Avoid things like height, which might single out or embarrass some students. Also, don't do tongue rolling, because despite what you may have heard, the ability to roll your tongue is either mostly or entirely NOT determined by genes .

39. Determining the speed of sound experiment - This one requires some space, and by space, I mean distance. You'll want at least 200m with a clear line of sight for good results. Have a few students position themselves at 100m increments away from a group of observers (the rest of the class). These students will be equipped with some kind of noise-making device that can also serve as a visual cue. We use two blocks of wood clapped together above the head. The observers use a stopwatch to measure the time between when they see the blocks touch and when they hear the sound. This is then used to calculate the speed of sound. If you get really lucky on a stormy day, you can do a variation of this exercise using lightning (from indoors, of course). In that case, your students would be finding the distance of the lightning using an accepted speed of sound.

40. Create a pinhole camera - It's not really an experiment, but it's still a classic physics exercise and for good reason. Nothing more clearly illustrates the function of the eye and retina and the concept of light moving in straight lines than this ancient device. A small cardboard box or similar container forms the basis for the pinhole camera, along with a few other craft materials. Then look at a bright object like a lightbulb or candle to see the inverted image.

41. Hearing or colour sensitivity experiment - For this activity, students will use different videos or apps to determine how well they can differentiate between similar shades of a colour or hear high-pitched sounds. Have the whole class perform the tests and then analyze the results. Students love learning about themselves!

42. Reflection investigations - Using lasers and different types of mirrors, students observe the behaviour of light and construct ray diagrams. This is good practice for drawing clear and detailed diagrams. This can take a while, so it's probably best to split it into two lessons and keep plane and curved mirrors separate.

43. Playing a song with glasses of water - This is a pretty silly activity that I decided to do a few years ago, but there's some solid science behind it. Students can obviously make music on glasses of water without learning anything, so be sure to indicate (and possibly calculate) how and why the pitch changes with volume. Put on a concert at the end of class and get your cameras ready!

44. Water cycle simulation - With just a few simple materials you can easily show many of the processes involved in the water cycle. Get a fish tank and fill it with a small amount of water. Place some sand or a rock on one side to represent mountains. Cover the tank with a clear sheet of glass or plastic so you can still see what's going on. Put a tray of ice above the mountain to represent cold air in the upper atmosphere. Finally, place a heat lamp near the tank to represent the sun (you can also just use the actual sun!). A 'cloud' should form below the ice with lots of condensation which will drip down the mountains and back into the 'ocean'. If you want to speed up the process, try adding warm water to the tank.

45. Weather comparison investigation - Students look up weather information for a number of different cities and record things like temperature, wind speed, humidity, pressure, and so on for a week or two. Then they analyze the data and prepare a report or presentation on the similarities and differences between the chosen locations. They must use their knowledge of air and ocean currents, elevation, latitude, and other factors to explain any observed differences. This works best as a summative assessment comparing where you live to a selection of other cities chosen by the students themselves.

46. Plate tectonics simulation - I've tried several different materials to simulate the movements of tectonic plates, and each has its pros and cons. Slowly pushing crackers over a peanut butter or jam 'mantle' until they collide is pretty fun and shows some fault interactions reasonably well. I also like smashing layers of towels or paper into each other to show how mountains and unusual strata patterns can form. You can also try freezing the top few centimeters of a large container of water (just leave it outside if it's cold enough in winter!). Use a hammer to smash the surface and form a few 'plates'. Then move them across the surface to show plate movements and interactions. You can also use this to illustrate how the continents were once connected as a single land mass.

47. Human sense perception lab - This is one of my personal favourites. Students move around in pairs visiting a variety of stations that put their senses of hearing, touch, taste, sight, and smell to the test. In total students do 13 interactive sense activities that are easy to set up and fun to experience.

48. Plant tropism experiments - Use a fast-growing plant like beans to show how plants grow towards the light (phototropism) and away from gravity (gravitropism). Students can get a bit creative with this one by coming up with modifications to test. Some possibilities include growing a plant sideways or upside down, rotating a plant away from the sun every few days, or covering different parts of a growing shoot with various materials to see how phototropism is controlled.

49. Invertebrate stimuli and response experiments - Unlike mammals, invertebrates such as insects, worms, and snails exhibit mostly predictable responses to specific stimuli. Go outside and collect whatever tiny creatures you can from your local ecosystem. Then bring them back to the lab to test their responses to things like temperature gradients, moisture, light, sound, movement, and so on. Use this opportunity to discuss the ethical treatment of laboratory animals and make it clear that your students must do their best to avoid harming the creatures in their care. Release them where you found them after the experiments are done!

50. Human power experiment - Get your students running up flights of stairs to see how much power a human can generate! I like to kick off this activity by discussing horsepower and its origins as a unit of measurement. Inevitably students want to see how they compare to a horse (and each other), so this always gets competitive. Spoiler alert - your students can't beat a horse! To end the activity, we discuss situations in which a horse can be defeated by a human, focusing on an annual marathon that pits the two species against each other held in the UK. As it turns out, humans perform best when it's hot.

51. Impact crater experiment - This is good messy fun with applied physics! Students drop marbles into trays of flour from different heights and compare the diameter and depth of the impact craters. Use marbles with different masses and calculate the potential energy for each trial. This should equal the kinetic energy on impact. How does the kinetic energy affect crater size and depth? Graph it and find out!

52. Principle of moments lab - Students use a balance beam to solve problems and investigate the principle of moments. This is the idea that when two opposing turning forces act equally on either side of a pivot, they are balanced and no movement occurs. I like this activity because it can be completed in a number of ways, including trial and error, calculation, or a combination of both.

53. Gear ratios experiment - You'll need access to some specific equipment for this one. A bicycle should be easy enough to obtain (or borrow), but I use LEGO technic . Students build simple LEGO cars and switch out different gears to compare the force and speed produced. This takes a while and is definitely more complicated than just demonstrating with a stationary bicycle or similar setup, but it's far more hands-on. This is best for smaller classes or science clubs.

54. Pulley experiment - Here's another activity that requires you to have some materials on hand, although they can be easily purchased from a local hardware store for a reasonable price. Give students an object of known mass and a force meter. Then give them the pulley materials and set them to work on reducing the force needed to lift the mass by as much as possible. If they have already studied the theory behind pulleys, this should be doable, but the reality of setting up a working block and tackle is much more complicated than it seems if you've never done it before.

55. Greenhouse effect simulation - Using sealed jars or other containers, students modify atmospheric conditions to see how temperature is affected. There are many ways to conduct this experiment, so I recommend letting each group of students try something different. Start with a simple control (usually an empty container) and go from there. You can try adding different quantities of water, soil, or ice, or if you can get your hands on it, chunks of dry ice to increase the CO2 concentration.

56. Chemical tests for macromolecules - This is a well-documented set of biochemistry procedures for identifying starch, simple sugars, proteins, and fats in small samples of common foods. You only need a few reagents which should be readily available in most middle or high school science labs. The results involve various colour changes that are pretty fun to observe. Get your students to predict which foods will contain each macromolecule and then test their predictions to see if they are right.

57. Plant nutrient deficiencies investigation - Teach your students how to recognize signs of nutrient deficiencies in plants. These can be seen by examining leaf growth and colour. Then go outside and see if your students can find examples of nutrient-deficient plants around the school. Beware of plants that are naturally red/purple in colour, which could be mistaken for phosphorous deficiencies, and definitely don't try this in the fall for obvious reasons.

58. Digestion simulation - In this activity, students take a sample of food and put it through a series of processes in order to simulate the stages of digestion. This doesn't sound that fun, but it involves a lot of smashing, squishing, and messy fun. Crush the food inside a plastic bag, add some water and hydrochloric acid, filter it through a pair of socks or stocking 'intestines', and then compact the leftover chunks to make 'poop' (kids love it). Combine this activity with the chemical tests from experiment 56 above for a more in-depth analysis. I like using cornflakes or a similar cereal as the carbs are pretty easy to break down and there is enough iron for you to actually extract and see.

59. Digestive system dissection - If your students aren't too squeamish, consider dissecting something to view its digestive system. Whole fish are easy to obtain here in Japan so that's what I use. Rather than opting for a class set, if you splurge for a big one, you can cut open the stomach and examine the contents. I did this several times with carp in college and there was always lots to see. If you happen to know a hunter, you might be able to get something much larger. Enjoy!

60. Protease enzyme experiment - Some fruits, such as pineapples, naturally contain protein-digesting enzymes. If you attempt to make gelatin with a sufficient quantity of these fruits, it won't solidify. Try a bunch of different fruits and see which ones contain enzymes and which don't. Make sure you use fresh fruits as canned varieties can be unreliable. Then discuss enzyme activity and its importance in digestive processes.

61. Cell respiration experiment - Use germinating beans or yeast to indirectly measure the rate of cell respiration at different temperatures. You can accomplish this by placing these organisms inside a sealed system called a respirometer and measuring their CO2 production. It's a little complicated to set up for students, but you can prepare some of the materials ahead of time yourself. This experiment encourages accurate measurement techniques and can be used on invertebrates as well!

62. Magnetic field investigation - Put a magnet on a piece of paper and sprinkle with iron filings. Then draw the resulting magnetic field lines. Try different magnet shapes, or add multiple magnets in different arrangements to see how the magnetic field changes. If you have clear sheets of plexiglass or even just a blank laminated sheet you can put the magnets underneath and make cleanup MUCH easier.

63. Make a compass activity - Float a magnetized needle on water and watch it point north. Everyone has probably done this one at some point, but for younger students, this is still a tried and true way to observe the Earth's magnetic field. Apparently, you can also just suspend a bar magnet on a string and accomplish the same thing, but I've never tried that. Might be worth a go!

64. Fruit and vegetable battery experiment - Use a lemon or potato to generate electricity and power a simple device like a fan or light bulb. That's the basic version, anyway. You can make it more of an experiment by comparing how pH affects the voltage produced or by adjusting the distance between the electrodes. Obviously, you can also compare different fruits and vegetables to see which works the best. Some of them might surprise you (try a pumpkin!).

65. Series and parallel circuits investigation - Build different kinds of circuits and compare the voltage and current at different points. You'll need quite a few materials for a full class activity, including batteries, components, and a lot of wire, so consider doing this as part of a station activity if supplies are limited. You can also get kits that simplify and streamline the building process, but I like making students do it the hard way!

66. Electrical conductivity experiment - Compare the resistance of various materials using a multimeter. It's as simple as it sounds and generates really good data. The hardest part is finding similar materials for a fair test, as your wires need to be the same length and diameter if you are comparing different metals. One version of this activity involves using graphite from pencil drawings to compare conductivity. Simply draw two large dots on paper and connect them with a line. Then measure by placing your multimeter on the dots. Try making long or short lines, waves, or other shapes. Increase the thickness of your lines to see if that makes a difference.

67. Total internal reflection experiment - Shine a laser into a semi-circular transparent block at different angles until it reflects back rather than refracting through. You can use a small clear container or fish tank as well. Get students to use a protractor to find the critical angle, which can be calculated and compared for that substance as well. There are better ways to observe total internal reflection, including streaming water and the use of fiber optics, but those work better as demos.

68. Audio format sound quality experiment - Convert lossless quality music files to MP3s at different bit rates and see if your students can hear the differences in quality. You can do this with a free music editor such as Audacity . It's harder than you think, even with good headphones. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read the linked article about file formats and audio quality. Compare WAV files to 320 kbps VBR MP3s and 192 kbps CBR MP3s. Let your students choose their favourite songs if you like, or give them some music education by choosing yours!

69. Wi-fi signal strength experiment - See how different variables affect the signal strength of wi-fi signals, such as the distance, number of connected devices, or physical obstructions. Download a free signal strength app that measures in dBm to compare signals and collect data. Since this is a logarithmic scale you can take the opportunity to teach students about that, too. This is a super practical experiment that students find quite relevant to their needs.

70. Sheep/pig brain dissection - Another dissection, this time with a medium-sized brain. In order to get the most out of this lab, it's best to frontload a lot of the terminology and be sure students are familiar with the main brain regions and their functions. I like to get kids to follow along with a video dissection, pausing as needed, or just use a document camera to guide them through it yourself if you're confident to do so. One word of wisdom - don't freeze your brains prior to dissection. I do this with hearts and thought it would be fine, but nope! Brains turn to mush when you thaw them out.

71. Properties of bone experiment - Cook and soak bones in acid to remove the substances that give them strength. Chicken bones are the easiest to obtain, especially if you plan to have enough for a full class (there might be a wing night or two in your future!). You can combine this lab with a microscope investigation of bone tissue, or look at cross-sections of bones from avian and non-avian species (images are fine).

72. Antagonistic muscle groups activity - Construct a model of an antagonistic muscle group (the biceps/triceps arm pair is almost always used) and observe how the bones and muscles work during flexion and contraction. There are many different materials that can be used to make this work. It can be as simple as popsicle sticks and elastic bands, or more complicated models using wood or PVC to represent the bones and stretch cords or balloons for the muscles.

73. Observing body tissues microscope lab - Students look at a variety of human tissues under the microscope and attempt to identify them. It's not that hard to create mounts of different plant tissues, but animal tissues are a lot less practical. For these, I like to get a good set of prepared slides and have students do an ID quiz by rotating around the room. I'll usually give them a list of possible tissue types to choose from, but I don't always teach them what to look for ahead of time. The reasoning behind their choices is usually very good and worth writing down.

74. Microscope / biological drawings lab - In this lab, we revisit some properties of cells from earlier courses and refresh the students' memories on proper microscope use. In the process I have them create very detailed microscope drawings of protists - usually paramecium at 400x. The goal is to draw for accuracy and scale. I also need to regularly emphasize that students draw what they see, not what they expect to see.

75. Organs diagram activity - Students are given cutouts of human organs and have to place them in their correct positions on a blank torso. You can do this at the beginning or end of a topic (or both!), but either way, it's pretty hilarious to observe at times. After students are fairly confident with their choices, I have them label and annotate their diagrams explaining what each organ does. Finally, we look at the actual diagram and make corrections where necessary (I usually use a student exemplar from someone who knows what they're doing!). I've also done a whole class version of this exercise where I draw a life-sized torso on the whiteboard and have students take turns placing organs on it. There's a lot of communication from the 'audience' and it's always entertaining.

75. Dichotomous key activity - Students create a dichotomous key to differentiate and identify a selection of everyday objects. Sure, you could do this with images of actual species, in which case I would stick with a group of closely related organisms (turtles, sharks, cats, bears, etc.), however, I find that this is much more engaging when done with objects that have nothing to do with biology. Save yourself time and money by using whatever you have on hand, like candies, school supplies, or weird and random objects from your 'junk' drawer!

76. Flame test lab - Always a student favourite, this lab involves burning small quantities of metal salts to produce coloured flames. These can be used to identify specific metals. It is also the basis for the colours seen in fireworks. While that connection is easy to make, it's much harder for students to understand why each metal produces a different colour, but this is actually a good opportunity to introduce electron configurations. Let your students use their phones for this lab and they'll enjoy taking lots of cool photos and videos.

77. Properties of ionic and covalent compounds experiment - There are lots of ways to do this (and lots of compounds to test), but the simplest one I know of is to compare salt (sodium chloride), sugar (sucrose), and paraffin wax. Students can examine a number of properties, including melting point and conductivity, to determine the typical features of ionic and covalent substances. A much more interesting version of this experiment involves giving students a bunch of unknown substances and asking them to determine whether they are ionic or covalent. This is most easily accomplished by testing for conductivity, but let them figure that out for themselves!

78. Properties of metals lab - Students test a bunch of common metals to investigate their properties. This can include both a qualitative (describe the colour and other physical features) and quantitative analysis (measuring the conductivity, density, and so on). I find it best if you can get equally sized samples of each metal, whether that be cubes, wires, or strips. I usually have students fill out a table of all the properties. I also include a few rare metals (like gold, platinum, iridium, etc.) that they have to research and add to the table themselves).

79. Electroplating experiment - Students use a zinc solution and electricity to coat a copper plate with a thin layer of zinc. I make this a seasonal activity by drawing holiday-themed designs on the copper using a permanent marker. When removed, it creates a nice contrast between the dull grey zinc and shiny orange copper metals. Heat it lightly in a Bunsen burner and you'll create brass instead. Then punch a hole in the top and you've got a unique ornament for your Christmas tree.

80. Preventing rust experiment - Take a selection of iron nails and coat them with different protective substances before placing them in water. Leave them in there for a few days to see how much they rust. The goal is to learn about the factors that contribute to corrosion and to see if we can prevent it with readily available materials. You can also do a follow-up experiment where you use things like acid to remove the layer of rust.

81. Newton's 3rd law skateboard experiment - There are lots of versions of this, but I like to get kids up and moving a bit using rollerblades or skateboards if possible (safety first!). Get a student to sit on the skateboard and then toss a medicine ball. Measure how far they threw the ball and how far they rolled, and then repeat this with different masses of medicine balls (and students!). Do lots of trials to smooth out inconsistent data. If you don't have skateboards you can always just use balloon-powered rockets or cars to show the same concepts.

82. Hooke's law elastic spring constant experiment - With nothing more than a few small weights and an elastic band, you can investigate Hooke's law. This is so simple and quick that I would recommend doing it more than once with either different elastics or springs . As the name implies, springs produce better data, but you might not have enough for a full class, and once they're stretched out, that's pretty much the end of them.

83. Center of gravity experiment - Students try to find an accurate way of locating the center of gravity for irregularly shaped objects. I don't tell them how to do it at first to see if anyone can come up with a decent method. We might even test a few ideas if they seem reasonable, but otherwise, we'll go to the prescribed lab to complete the activity. All you need is a thick paper cut into irregular shapes. I use pieces of cardboard or old greeting cards.

84. Engineering challenges activity - Create and test towers and bridges using craft materials or building sets, then test them for strength and efficiency. Normally I do this at the end of our unit on forces and structures, but this year we did it twice - once at the beginning and then again after they had learned some more about construction and engineering. The results were greatly improved! My resources for this particular experiment are freely available here , by the way.

85. Types of mixtures lab - This is another great example of an experiment that makes use of what you have, saving you time and hopefully a shopping trip. Students mix household solids and liquids to explore different types of homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures. Use small quantities as this lab can generate a lot of waste that needs to be cleaned up. You can also illustrate the Tyndall effect by shining a flashlight through your mixtures to see if they scatter the light.

86. Dialysis or potato osmosis experiment - Use dialysis tubing to illustrate the concept of osmosis, typically with sugar, salt, or starch solutions of varying concentrations. Unfortunately, I rarely have dialysis tubing on hand, so we do the potato version with saltwater instead. I've been keeping our data for many years, however, so we compare and combine the data to arrive at much better results. My big breakthrough with this method has been to use cookie cutters when preparing the potato samples. It makes the sizes and surface areas much more consistent, although you still have to weigh each sample. 24 hours is a perfect amount of time to leave your samples in solution.

87. Molecular gastronomy spherification lab - Students make bubble tea using fruit juice. This is a fairly challenging experiment, but the result is often worth the effort (plus, you can eat it). Molecular gastronomy has a lot more to explore and honestly I wish I knew more about it. I've always wanted to try an activity to have students create and taste unusual flavour combinations based on similar chemical compounds, but I've never gotten around to it.

88. Chromatography crime lab - Separate the pigments in marker ink using various solvents in order to solve a 'crime'. You can go full CSI on this one if you're inspired to do so, and I think kids appreciate it. The experiment itself is not that thrilling, so you really have to play up the forensics angle and focus on the practical aspects of the technique.

89. Infection simulation - Give each student a solution that represents their body fluids. One student is 'infected' with a different solution. Students mingle around sharing fluids for a few rounds before testing the liquids to see who else is now infected. The cups containing the infected solution turn bright pink when phenolphthalein indicator is added. This is one of my favourite activities for exploring immunity, vaccination, and viruses. It also lends itself very well to discussions on STIs.

90. Graveyard survivorship and life expectancy investigation - Visit a local graveyard and collect as much data as you can. Then analyze it over the next couple of lessons. This is very location dependent, but luckily you can access similar records online using sites like Find A Grave . I still think going to the actual site where people are buried is much more meaningful, but it works either way. Use the results to create survivorship curves, compare life expectancy over time, and look for specific birth and death events. Try doing this as an interdisciplinary activity with social studies!

91. Electron flow student simulation - Kids act out an electrical circuit by pretending to be electrons. It sounds stupid, but it works beautifully and even older students usually come around once they try it. Increase the voltage by having students move faster. Add components and batteries using chairs or levels to show gaining and losing energy. Add switches to stop and start the flow of students. Then create a series or parallel circuit and get students to adjust their movements accordingly. Surprisingly I couldn't find a decent online version of this, so I guess I need to upload mine soon!

92. Fuse wire experiment - Use fuse wires of variable thickness to explore the relationship between current and resistance. You'll need a low-voltage power supply and the wires themselves, as well as other standard electrical circuit materials. This has the potential to be slightly dangerous, so be sure to prepare students adequately beforehand and make safety requirements clear.

93. Water quality investigation - There are many aspects of water that can be tested in schools, including hardness, pH, and the presence of nitrates. Purchase water quality testing kits to save yourself a ton of effort. I send each kid home with a small container and tell them to get some water. Most kids will bring their tap water, but some get creative and scoop a sample out of a puddle, pond, stream, or toilet (ew...). Label everything accordingly and then start analyzing those samples! I really love showing the film Erin Brockovich in combination with this activity as it's directly related and based on a true story.

94. Acid rain plant germination and growth experiment - Various concentrations of acidified water are used on germinating seeds and healthy plants to observe the effects on their growth and general health. You can use vinegar as the experiment here suggests, but I make a more realistic batch of 'acid rain' by combining nitric and sulfuric acids in order to get a pH below 5. We then dilute this solution as necessary to use on our plants. I like to use radishes since they grow so quickly and require very little space/depth. You can grow them right in the classroom with a few trays or planters.

95. Natural selection simulation - Students act as predators to capture prey using a variety of utensils. Both predator and prey populations change with each 'generation', but only the strongest survive! I really like this activity for introducing or reviewing the concept of natural selection, and it pairs well with the board game Evolution .

96. Hominid migration mapping activity - This website is awful, but the activity is great. Students use hominid fossil data to plot locations on a map and then suggest migration routes our ancestors might have taken. There is one typo in the data but I always forget to write down which one it is. Don't worry, your students will find it! When finished you can refer them to this updated interactive which helps explain human migration patterns.

97. Kepler's laws investigation - This is really a collection of experiments to explore the laws of planetary motion outlined by Johannes Kepler about 400 years ago. Students will be drawing and performing calculations related to ellipses and learning about centripetal force. There's a decent amount of geometry and other maths involved, so you might want to coordinate with the math department if that's something that interests you.

98. Lenses investigation - Using a series of lasers and lenses, students refract light and produce images on a screen to find focal lengths. This can be difficult without the proper equipment so I think it's worth investing in a couple of decent optics sets for your lab. Treat them well and they should last practically forever.

99. Eye dissection - Cow eyes are typically used for this investigation of eye structure and function. It's simple enough, but I haven't done it in years since it's hard to get the materials where I live. If you want to avoid the mess, there are many virtual options or videos you can use instead.

100. Doppler effect experiment - A simple smartphone app is used to explore the way motion affects sound frequencies. The experiment itself is pretty easy to do, but it's important to then link these concepts back to light and the expanding universe, which is responsible for the red-shift observed with very distant objects.

101. Night sky investigation - Another set of app investigations that use star-gazing software on your phone or tablet to explore the locations and movements of celestial objects. The good thing about these apps is that you can complete them in broad daylight, but I still think it's worth organizing a star-gazing event at night with telescopes so that students can view actual planets and moons. If you aren't confident running this yourself (I'm not), ask a physics teacher or contact your local astronomy club/observatory.

102. DIY Spectrometer experiment - Got a pile of useless CDs? Use them to create your own spectrometer to observe the spectral lines from different light sources. There are far more complicated designs available online if you are a tinkerer, but I find that this one works well enough for our purposes. There are some apps that will analyze a photo of spectral lines and suggest what elements might be present, but there isn't a single one that I would really recommend at this time. Explore what's available on your device as apps are constantly changing.

103. Molecular modeling activity - I'll take any excuse to get out the modeling kits. For this activity, students practice making various organic functional groups. I sometimes give each group equal components and see what kinds of different isomers they can come up with. It's easy to get caught up with complicated naming procedures in organic chemistry so I find that this hands-on activity helps to put some of the theory in perspective without being too demanding. If you want to challenge your students on a rainy afternoon (or whenever) give them something really big to make, like a phospholipid, or a section of DNA.

104. Esters investigation - Making esters by combining carboxylic acids with alcohols is relatively straightforward, if you have access to the necessary reactants. Students get to smell a bunch of things and relate this to compounds found naturally in foods and those artificially added to perfumes and other products. This lab makes use of concentrated sulfuric acid, which only you should handle for safety reasons.

105. Polymer slime activity - Making slime is fun for all ages, but you might wonder why I do it with grade 10 as it's more of an elementary school type of activity. Although younger students love to make and play with slime, they can't really appreciate the chemistry behind it, so that's why I toss this in at the end of a tough organic chemistry unit. You don't have to make the usual borax / PVA slime, but I find that it is simple and flexible enough to illustrate all of the concepts I want to hit. We also use this as a jumping-off point to discuss the use of plastics and other polymers as well as their effects on the environment.

106. Identifying plastics lab - Not all plastics are created equal in terms of their suitability for recycling. In this experiment, students will use the density of various plastic samples to identify them. We often watch a documentary associated with this experiment, such as Plastic Problem or Plastic Wars , both from PBS.

107. PCR and gel electrophoresis experiment - If your school has a PCR and electrophoresis machine, you're good to go and can begin examining samples of DNA without much effort, but if you don't, you'll need to connect with another organization that does. In the past, I've taken students to local universities in order to make use of their equipment, which they are usually happy to share for educational purposes. Sometimes they even prepare the lesson for us!

108. Flower anatomy investigation - If you plan to teach this unit in the warmer months you'll have access to all kinds of flowers you can dissect and examine. If you want to leave them on the plants you can just take photos I guess, but you'll miss out on exploring what's inside. Large flowers such as lilies are among the best and most straightforward examples of flower anatomy, but be sure to have a look at other flower types, including composites like sunflowers to see if your students can still identify all of the structures. Don't just look at flower structure, however. Make sure you discuss the functions of each part, and more importantly, why each species has evolved in a particular way. This is a good chance to talk about pollination as well.

109. Radioactive decay simulation - This is a statistics activity using dice to determine radioactive decay events. The experiment involves graphing, half-life calculations, and discussions on nuclear waste, so it's a well-rounded activity for any unit on radiation.

Pin this article to save it for later:

• Project-Based Learning

Related Posts

How to have a successful science fair

How I gained my students' respect by experimenting on myself

Tips for minimizing waste in science class

Science Bob

• Experiments
• Science Fair Ideas
• Science Q&A
• Research Help
• Experiment Blog

Okay, this is the hardest part of the whole project…picking your topic. But here are some ideas to get you started. Even if you don’t like any, they may inspire you to come up with one of your own. Remember, check all project ideas with your teacher and parents, and don’t do any project that would hurt or scare people or animals. Good luck!

• Does music affect on animal behavior?
• Does the color of food or drinks affect whether or not we like them?
• Where are the most germs in your school? ( CLICK for more info. )
• Does music have an affect on plant growth?
• Which kind of food do dogs (or any animal) prefer best?
• Which paper towel brand is the strongest?
• What is the best way to keep an ice cube from melting?
• What level of salt works best to hatch brine shrimp?
• Can the food we eat affect our heart rate?
• How effective are child-proof containers and locks.
• Can background noise levels affect how well we concentrate?
• Does acid rain affect the growth of aquatic plants?
• What is the best way to keep cut flowers fresh the longest?
• Does the color of light used on plants affect how well they grow?
• What plant fertilizer works best?
• Does the color of a room affect human behavior?
• Do athletic students have better lung capacity?
• What brand of battery lasts the longest?
• Does the type of potting soil used in planting affect how fast the plant grows?
• What type of food allow mold to grow the fastest?
• Does having worms in soil help plants grow faster?
• Can plants grow in pots if they are sideways or upside down?
• Does the color of hair affect how much static electricity it can carry? (test with balloons)
• How much weight can the surface tension of water hold?
• Can some people really read someone else’s thoughts?
• Which soda decays fallen out teeth the most?
• What light brightness makes plants grow the best?
• Does the color of birdseed affect how much birds will eat it?
• Do natural or chemical fertilizers work best?
• Can mice learn? (you can pick any animal)
• Can people tell artificial smells from real ones?
• What brands of bubble gum produce the biggest bubbles?
• Does age affect human reaction times?
• What is the effect of salt on the boiling temperature of water?
• Does shoe design really affect an athlete’s jumping height?
• What type of grass seed grows the fastest?
• Can animals see in the dark better than humans?

Didn’t see one you like? Don’t worry…look over them again and see if they give you an idea for your own project that will work for you. Remember, find something that interests you, and have fun with it.

To download and print this list of ideas CLICK HERE .

• The scientific method
• science fair resources
• a little helpful advice

ADS (these ads support our free website)

Share this page.

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

37 Cool Science Experiments for Kids to Do at Home

General Education

Are you looking for cool science experiments for kids at home or for class? We've got you covered! We've compiled a list of 37 of the best science experiments for kids that cover areas of science ranging from outer space to dinosaurs to chemical reactions. By doing these easy science experiments, kids will make their own blubber and see how polar bears stay warm, make a rain cloud in a jar to observe how weather changes, create a potato battery that'll really power a lightbulb, and more.

Below are 37 of the best science projects for kids to try. For each one we include a description of the experiment, which area(s) of science it teaches kids about, how difficult it is (easy/medium/hard), how messy it is (low/medium/high), and the materials you need to do the project. Note that experiments labelled "hard" are definitely still doable; they just require more materials or time than most of these other science experiments for kids.

#1: Insect Hotels

• Teaches Kids About: Zoology
• Difficulty Level: Medium
• Messiness Level: Medium

Insect hotels can be as simple (just a few sticks wrapped in a bundle) or as elaborate as you'd like, and they're a great way for kids to get creative making the hotel and then get rewarded by seeing who has moved into the home they built. After creating a hotel with hiding places for bugs, place it outside (near a garden is often a good spot), wait a few days, then check it to see who has occupied the "rooms." You can also use a bug ID book or app to try and identify the visitors.

• Materials Needed
• Shadow box or other box with multiple compartments
• Hot glue gun with glue
• Sticks, bark, small rocks, dried leaves, bits of yarn/wool, etc.

#2: DIY Lava Lamp

• Teaches Kids About: Chemical reactions
• Difficulty Level: Easy

In this quick and fun science experiment, kids will mix water, oil, food coloring, and antacid tablets to create their own (temporary) lava lamp . Oil and water don't mix easily, and the antacid tablets will cause the oil to form little globules that are dyed by the food coloring. Just add the ingredients together and you'll end up with a homemade lava lamp!

• Vegetable oil
• Food coloring
• Antacid tablets

#3: Magnetic Slime

• Teaches Kids About: Magnets
• Messiness Level: High (The slime is black and will slightly dye your fingers when you play with it, but it washes off easily.)

A step up from silly putty and Play-Doh, magnetic slime is fun to play with but also teaches kids about magnets and how they attract and repel each other. Some of the ingredients you aren't likely to have around the house, but they can all be purchased online. After mixing the ingredients together, you can use the neodymium magnet (regular magnets won't be strong enough) to make the magnetic slime move without touching it!

• Liquid starch
• Adhesive glue
• Iron oxide powder
• Neodymium (rare earth) magnet

#4: Baking Soda Volcanoes

• Teaches Kids About: Chemical reactions, earth science
• Difficulty Level: Easy-medium
• Messiness Level: High

Baking soda volcanoes are one of the classic science projects for kids, and they're also one of the most popular. It's hard to top the excitement of a volcano erupting inside your home. This experiment can also be as simple or in-depth as you like. For the eruption, all you need is baking soda and vinegar (dishwashing detergent adds some extra power to the eruption), but you can make the "volcano" as elaborate and lifelike as you wish.

• Baking soda
• Dishwashing detergent
• Large mason jar or soda bottle
• Playdough or aluminum foil to make the "volcano"
• Additional items to place around the volcano (optional)
• Food coloring (optional)

#5: Tornado in a Jar

• Teaches Kids About: Weather
• Messiness Level: Low

This is one of the quick and easy and science experiments for kids to teach them about weather. It only takes about five minutes and a few materials to set up, but once you have it ready you and your kids can create your own miniature tornado whose vortex you can see and the strength of which you can change depending on how quickly you swirl the jar.

• Glitter (optional)

#6: Colored Celery Experiment

• Teaches Kids About: Plants

This celery science experiment is another classic science experiment that parents and teachers like because it's easy to do and gives kids a great visual understanding of how transpiration works and how plants get water and nutrients. Just place celery stalks in cups of colored water, wait at least a day, and you'll see the celery leaves take on the color of the water. This happens because celery stalks (like other plants) contain small capillaries that they use to transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.

• Celery stalks (can also use white flowers or pale-colored cabbage)

#7: Rain Cloud in a Jar

This experiment teaches kids about weather and lets them learn how clouds form by making their own rain cloud . This is definitely a science project that requires adult supervision since it uses boiling water as one of the ingredients, but once you pour the water into a glass jar, the experiment is fast and easy, and you'll be rewarded with a little cloud forming in the jar due to condensation.

• Glass jar with a lid
• Boiling water
• Aerosol hairspray

#8: Edible Rock Candy

• Teaches Kids About: Crystal formation

It takes about a week for the crystals of this rock candy experiment to form, but once they have you'll be able to eat the results! After creating a sugar solution, you'll fill jars with it and dangle strings in them that'll slowly become covered with the crystals. This experiment involves heating and pouring boiling water, so adult supervision is necessary, once that step is complete, even very young kids will be excited to watch crystals slowly form.

• Large saucepan
• Clothespins
• String or small skewers
• Candy flavoring (optional)

#9: Water Xylophone

• Teaches Kids About: Sound waves

With just some basic materials you can create your own musical instrument to teach kids about sound waves. In this water xylophone experiment , you'll fill glass jars with varying levels of water. Once they're all lined up, kids can hit the sides with wooden sticks and see how the itch differs depending on how much water is in the jar (more water=lower pitch, less water=higher pitch). This is because sound waves travel differently depending on how full the jars are with water.

• Wooden sticks/skewers

#10: Blood Model in a Jar

• Teaches Kids About: Human biology

This blood model experiment is a great way to get kids to visual what their blood looks like and how complicated it really is. Each ingredient represents a different component of blood (plasma, platelets, red blood cells, etc.), so you just add a certain amount of each to the jar, swirl it around a bit, and you have a model of what your blood looks like.

• Empty jar or bottle
• Red cinnamon candies
• Marshmallows or dry white lima beans
• White sprinkles

#11: Potato Battery

• Teaches Kids About: Electricity
• Difficulty Level: Hard

Did you know that a simple potato can produce enough energy to keep a light bulb lit for over a month? You can create a simple potato battery to show kids. There are kits that provide all the necessary materials and how to set it up, but if you don't purchase one of these it can be a bit trickier to gather everything you need and assemble it correctly. Once it's set though, you'll have your own farm grown battery!

• Fresh potato
• Galvanized nail
• Copper coin

#12: Homemade Pulley

• Teaches Kids About: Simple machines

This science activity requires some materials you may not already have, but once you've gotten them, the homemade pulley takes only a few minutes to set up, and you can leave the pulley up for your kids to play with all year round. This pulley is best set up outside, but can also be done indoors.

• Clothesline
• 2 clothesline pulleys

#13: Light Refraction

• Teaches Kids About: Light

This light refraction experiment takes only a few minutes to set up and uses basic materials, but it's a great way to show kids how light travels. You'll draw two arrows on a sticky note, stick it to the wall, then fill a clear water bottle with water. As you move the water bottle in front of the arrows, the arrows will appear to change the direction they're pointing. This is because of the refraction that occurs when light passes through materials like water and plastic.

• Sticky note
• Transparent water bottle

#14: Nature Journaling

• Teaches Kids About: Ecology, scientific observation

A nature journal is a great way to encourage kids to be creative and really pay attention to what's going on around them. All you need is a blank journal (you can buy one or make your own) along with something to write with. Then just go outside and encourage your children to write or draw what they notice. This could include descriptions of animals they see, tracings of leaves, a drawing of a beautiful flower, etc. Encourage your kids to ask questions about what they observe (Why do birds need to build nests? Why is this flower so brightly colored?) and explain to them that scientists collect research by doing exactly what they're doing now.

• Blank journal or notebook
• Pens/pencils/crayons/markers
• Tape or glue for adding items to the journal

#15: DIY Solar Oven

• Teaches Kids About: Solar energy

This homemade solar oven definitely requires some adult help to set up, but after it's ready you'll have your own mini oven that uses energy from the sun to make s'mores or melt cheese on pizza. While the food is cooking, you can explain to kids how the oven uses the sun's rays to heat the food.

• Aluminum foil
• Knife or box cutter
• Permanent marker
• Plastic cling wrap
• Black construction paper

#16: Animal Blubber Simulation

• Teaches Kids About: Ecology, zoology

If your kids are curious about how animals like polar bears and seals stay warm in polar climates, you can go beyond just explaining it to them; you can actually have them make some of their own blubber and test it out. After you've filled up a large bowl with ice water and let it sit for a few minutes to get really cold, have your kids dip a bare hand in and see how many seconds they can last before their hand gets too cold. Next, coat one of their fingers in shortening and repeat the experiment. Your child will notice that, with the shortening acting like a protective layer of blubber, they don't feel the cold water nearly as much.

• Bowl of ice water

#17: Static Electricity Butterfly

This experiment is a great way for young kids to learn about static electricity, and it's more fun and visual than just having them rub balloons against their heads. First you'll create a butterfly, using thick paper (such as cardstock) for the body and tissue paper for the wings. Then, blow up the balloon, have the kids rub it against their head for a few seconds, then move the balloon to just above the butterfly's wings. The wings will move towards the balloon due to static electricity, and it'll look like the butterfly is flying.

• Tissue paper
• Thick paper
• Glue stick/glue

#18: Edible Double Helix

• Teaches Kids About: Genetics

If your kids are learning about genetics, you can do this edible double helix craft to show them how DNA is formed, what its different parts are, and what it looks like. The licorice will form the sides or backbone of the DNA and each color of marshmallow will represent one of the four chemical bases. Kids will be able to see that only certain chemical bases pair with each other.

• 2 pieces of licorice
• 12 toothpicks
• Small marshmallows in 4 colors (9 of each color)
• 5 paperclips

#19: Leak-Proof Bag

• Teaches Kids About: Molecules, plastics

This is an easy experiment that'll appeal to kids of a variety of ages. Just take a zip-lock bag, fill it about ⅔ of the way with water, and close the top. Next, poke a few sharp objects (like bamboo skewers or sharp pencils) through one end and out the other. At this point you may want to dangle the bag above your child's head, but no need to worry about spills because the bag won't leak? Why not? It's because the plastic used to make zip-lock bags is made of polymers, or long chains of molecules that'll quickly join back together when they're forced apart.

• Zip-lock bags
• Objects with sharp ends (pencils, bamboo skewers, etc.)

#20: How Do Leaves Breathe?

• Teaches Kids About: Plant science

It takes a few hours to see the results of this leaf experiment , but it couldn't be easier to set up, and kids will love to see a leaf actually "breathing." Just get a large-ish leaf, place it in a bowl (glass works best so you can see everything) filled with water, place a small rock on the leaf to weigh it down, and leave it somewhere sunny. Come back in a few hours and you'll see little bubbles in the water created when the leaf releases the oxygen it created during photosynthesis.

• Large bowl (preferably glass)
• Magnifying glass (optional)

#21: Popsicle Stick Catapults

Kids will love shooting pom poms out of these homemade popsicle stick catapults . After assembling the catapults out of popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and plastic spoons, they're ready to launch pom poms or other lightweight objects. To teach kids about simple machines, you can ask them about how they think the catapults work, what they should do to make the pom poms go a farther/shorter distance, and how the catapult could be made more powerful.

• Popsicle sticks
• Rubber bands
• Plastic spoons
• Paint (optional)

#22: Elephant Toothpaste

You won't want to do this experiment near anything that's difficult to clean (outside may be best), but kids will love seeing this " elephant toothpaste " crazily overflowing the bottle and oozing everywhere. Pour the hydrogen peroxide, food coloring, and dishwashing soap into the bottle, and in the cup mix the yeast packet with some warm water for about 30 seconds. Then, add the yeast mixture to the bottle, stand back, and watch the solution become a massive foamy mixture that pours out of the bottle! The "toothpaste" is formed when the yeast removed the oxygen bubbles from the hydrogen peroxide which created foam. This is an exothermic reaction, and it creates heat as well as foam (you can have kids notice that the bottle became warm as the reaction occurred).

• Clean 16-oz soda bottle
• 6% solution of hydrogen peroxide
• 1 packet of dry yeast
• Dishwashing soap

#23: How Do Penguins Stay Dry?

Penguins, and many other birds, have special oil-producing glands that coat their feathers with a protective layer that causes water to slide right off them, keeping them warm and dry. You can demonstrate this to kids with this penguin craft by having them color a picture of a penguin with crayons, then spraying the picture with water. The wax from the crayons will have created a protective layer like the oil actual birds coat themselves with, and the paper won't absorb the water.

• Penguin image (included in link)
• Spray bottle
• Blue food coloring (optional)

#24: Rock Weathering Experiment

• Teaches Kids About: Geology

This mechanical weathering experiment teaches kids why and how rocks break down or erode. Take two pieces of clay, form them into balls, and wrap them in plastic wrap. Then, leave one out while placing the other in the freezer overnight. The next day, unwrap and compare them. You can repeat freezing the one piece of clay every night for several days to see how much more cracked and weathered it gets than the piece of clay that wasn't frozen. It may even begin to crumble. This weathering also happens to rocks when they are subjected to extreme temperatures, and it's one of the causes of erosion.

• Plastic wrap

#25: Saltwater Density

• Teaches Kids About: Water density

For this saltwater density experiment , you'll fill four clear glasses with water, then add salt to one glass, sugar to one glass, and baking soda to one glass, leaving one glass with just water. Then, float small plastic pieces or grapes in each of the glasses and observe whether they float or not. Saltwater is denser than freshwater, which means some objects may float in saltwater that would sink in freshwater. You can use this experiment to teach kids about the ocean and other bodies of saltwater, such as the Dead Sea, which is so salty people can easily float on top of it.

• Four clear glasses
• Lightweight plastic objects or small grapes

#26: Starburst Rock Cycle

With just a package of Starbursts and a few other materials, you can create models of each of the three rock types: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Sedimentary "rocks" will be created by pressing thin layers of Starbursts together, metamorphic by heating and pressing Starbursts, and igneous by applying high levels of heat to the Starbursts. Kids will learn how different types of rocks are forms and how the three rock types look different from each other.

• Toaster oven

#27: Inertia Wagon Experiment

• Teaches Kids About: Inertia

This simple experiment teaches kids about inertia (as well as the importance of seatbelts!). Take a small wagon, fill it with a tall stack of books, then have one of your children pull it around then stop abruptly. They won't be able to suddenly stop the wagon without the stack of books falling. You can have the kids predict which direction they think the books will fall and explain that this happens because of inertia, or Newton's first law.

• Stack of books

#28: Dinosaur Tracks

• Teaches Kids About: Paleontology

How are some dinosaur tracks still visible millions of years later? By mixing together several ingredients, you'll get a claylike mixture you can press your hands/feet or dinosaur models into to make dinosaur track imprints . The mixture will harden and the imprints will remain, showing kids how dinosaur (and early human) tracks can stay in rock for such a long period of time.

• Used coffee grounds
• Wooden spoon
• Rolling pin

#29: Sidewalk Constellations

• Teaches Kids About: Astronomy

If you do this sidewalk constellation craft , you'll be able to see the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt in the daylight. On the sidewalk, have kids draw the lines of constellations (using constellation diagrams for guidance) and place stones where the stars are. You can then look at astronomy charts to see where the constellations they drew will be in the sky.

• Sidewalk chalk
• Small stones
• Diagrams of constellations

#30: Lung Model

By building a lung model , you can teach kids about respiration and how their lungs work. After cutting off the bottom of a plastic bottle, you'll stretch a balloon around the opened end and insert another balloon through the mouth of the bottle. You'll then push a straw through the neck of the bottle and secure it with a rubber band and play dough. By blowing into the straw, the balloons will inflate then deflate, similar to how our lungs work.

• Plastic bottle
• Rubber band

#31: Homemade Dinosaur Bones

By mixing just flour, salt, and water, you'll create a basic salt dough that'll harden when baked. You can use this dough to make homemade dinosaur bones and teach kids about paleontology. You can use books or diagrams to learn how different dinosaur bones were shaped, and you can even bury the bones in a sandpit or something similar and then excavate them the way real paleontologists do.

• Images of dinosaur bones

#32: Clay and Toothpick Molecules

There are many variations on homemade molecule science crafts . This one uses clay and toothpicks, although gumdrops or even small pieces of fruit like grapes can be used in place of clay. Roll the clay into balls and use molecule diagrams to attach the clay to toothpicks in the shape of the molecules. Kids can make numerous types of molecules and learn how atoms bond together to form molecules.

• Clay or gumdrops (in four colors)
• Diagrams of molecules

#33: Articulated Hand Model

By creating an articulated hand model , you can teach kids about bones, joints, and how our hands are able to move in many ways and accomplish so many different tasks. After creating a hand out of thin foam, kids will cut straws to represent the different bones in the hand and glue them to the fingers of the hand models. You'll then thread yarn (which represents tendons) through the straws, stabilize the model with a chopstick or other small stick, and end up with a hand model that moves and bends the way actual human hands do.

• Straws (paper work best)
• Twine or yarn

#34: Solar Energy Experiment

• Teaches Kids About: Solar energy, light rays

This solar energy science experiment will teach kids about solar energy and how different colors absorb different amounts of energy. In a sunny spot outside, place six colored pieces of paper next to each other, and place an ice cube in the middle of each paper. Then, observe how quickly each of the ice cubes melt. The ice cube on the black piece of paper will melt fastest since black absorbs the most light (all the light ray colors), while the ice cube on the white paper will melt slowest since white absorbs the least light (it instead reflects light). You can then explain why certain colors look the way they do. (Colors besides black and white absorb all light except for the one ray color they reflect; this is the color they appear to us.)

• 6 squares of differently colored paper/cardstock (must include black paper and white paper)

#35: How to Make Lightning

• Teaches Kids About: Electricity, weather

You don't need a storm to see lightning; you can actually create your own lightning at home . For younger kids this experiment requires adult help and supervision. You'll stick a thumbtack through the bottom of an aluminum tray, then stick the pencil eraser to the pushpin. You'll then rub the piece of wool over the aluminum tray, and then set the tray on the Styrofoam, where it'll create a small spark/tiny bolt of lightning!

• Pencil with eraser
• Aluminum tray or pie tin
• Styrofoam tray

#36: Tie-Dyed Milk

• Teaches Kids About: Surface tension

For this magic milk experiment , partly fill a shallow dish with milk, then add a one drop of each food coloring color to different parts of the milk. The food coloring will mostly stay where you placed it. Next, carefully add one drop of dish soap to the middle of the milk. It'll cause the food coloring to stream through the milk and away from the dish soap. This is because the dish soap breaks up the surface tension of the milk by dissolving the milk's fat molecules.

• Shallow dish
• Milk (high-fat works best)

#37: How Do Stalactites Form?

Have you ever gone into a cave and seen huge stalactites hanging from the top of the cave? Stalactites are formed by dripping water. The water is filled with particles which slowly accumulate and harden over the years, forming stalactites. You can recreate that process with this stalactite experiment . By mixing a baking soda solution, dipping a piece of wool yarn in the jar and running it to another jar, you'll be able to observe baking soda particles forming and hardening along the yarn, similar to how stalactites grow.

• Safety pins
• 2 glass jars

Summary: Cool Science Experiments for Kids

Any one of these simple science experiments for kids can get children learning and excited about science. You can choose a science experiment based on your child's specific interest or what they're currently learning about, or you can do an experiment on an entirely new topic to expand their learning and teach them about a new area of science. From easy science experiments for kids to the more challenging ones, these will all help kids have fun and learn more about science.

What's Next?

Are you also interested in pipe cleaner crafts for kids? We have a guide to some of the best pipe cleaner crafts to try!

Looking for multiple different slime recipes? We tell you how to make slimes without borax and without glue as well as how to craft the ultimate super slime .

Want to learn more about clouds? Learn how to identify every cloud in the sky with our guide to the 10 types of clouds .

Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa) .

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Get Your ALL ACCESS Shop Pass here →

50 Fun Kids Science Experiments

Science doesn’t need to be complicated. These easy science experiments below are awesome for kids! They are visually stimulating, hands-on, and sensory-rich, making them fun to do and perfect for teaching simple science concepts at home or in the classroom.

Top 10 Science Experiments

Click on the titles below for the full supplies list and easy step-by-step instructions. Have fun trying these experiments at home or in the classroom, or even use them for your next science fair project!

Baking Soda Balloon Experiment

Can you make a balloon inflate on its own? Grab a few basic kitchen ingredients and test them out! Try amazing chemistry for kids at your fingertips.

Rainbow In A Jar

Enjoy learning about the basics of color mixing up to the density of liquids with this simple water density experiment . There are even more ways to explore rainbows here with walking water, prisms, and more.

This color-changing magic milk experiment will explode your dish with color. Add dish soap and food coloring to milk for cool chemistry!

Seed Germination Experiment

Not all kids’ science experiments involve chemical reactions. Watch how a seed grows , which provides a window into the amazing field of biology .

Egg Vinegar Experiment

One of our favorite science experiments is a naked egg or rubber egg experiment . Can you make your egg bounce? What happened to the shell?

Dancing Corn

Find out how to make corn dance with this easy experiment. Also, check out our dancing raisins and dancing cranberries.

Grow Crystals

Growing borax crystals is easy and a great way to learn about solutions. You could also grow sugar crystals , eggshell geodes , or salt crystals .

Lava Lamp Experiment

It is great for learning about what happens when you mix oil and water. a homemade lava lamp is a cool science experiment kids will want to do repeatedly!

Skittles Experiment

Who doesn’t like doing science with candy? Try this classic Skittles science experiment and explore why the colors don’t mix when added to water.

Lemon Volcano

Watch your kids’ faces light up, and their eyes widen when you test out cool chemistry with a lemon volcano using common household items, baking soda, and vinegar.

Bonus! Popsicle Stick Catapult

Kid tested, STEM approved! Making a popsicle stick catapult is a fantastic way to dive into hands-on physics and engineering.

Grab the handy Top 10 Science Experiments list here!

Free Science Ideas Guide

Grab this free science experiments challenge calendar and have fun with science right away. Use the clickable links to see how to set up each science project.

Get Started With A Science Fair Project

💡Want to turn one of these fun and easy science experiments into a science fair project? Then, you will want to check out these helpful resources.

• Easy Science Fair Projects
• Science Project Tips From A Teacher
• Science Fair Board Ideas

Easy Science Experiments For Kids

Science Experiments By Topic

Are you looking for a specific topic? Check out these additional resources below. Each topic includes easy-to-understand information, everyday examples, and additional hands-on activities and experiments.

• Chemistry Experiments
• Physics Experiments
• Chemical Reaction Experiments
• Candy Experiments
• Plant Experiments
• Kitchen Science
• Water Experiments
• Baking Soda Experiments
• States Of Matter Experiments
• Physical Change Experiments
• Chemical Change Experiments
• Surface Tension Experiments
• Capillary Action Experiments
• Weather Science Projects
• Geology Science Projects
• Space Activities
• Simple Machines
• Static Electricity
• Potential and Kinetic Energy
• Gravity Experiments
• Magnet Activities
• Light Experiments

Science Experiments By Season

• Spring Science
• Summer Science Experiments
• Fall Science Experiments
• Winter Science Experiments

Science Experiments by Age Group

While many experiments can be performed by various age groups, the best science experiments for specific age groups are listed below.

• Science for Toddlers
• Science for Preschoolers
• Science for Kindergarten
• Elementary Science by Season
• Science for 1st Grade
• Science for 2nd Grade
• Science for 3rd Grade
• Science for 4th Grade
• S cience for 5th Grade
• Science for 6th Grade
• Science for Middle School

How To Teach Science

Kids are curious and always looking to explore, discover, check out, and experiment to discover why things do what they do, move as they move, or change as they change! My son is now 13, and we started with simple science activities around three years of age with simple baking soda science.

Here are great tips for making science experiments enjoyable at home or in the classroom.

Safety first: Always prioritize safety. Use kid-friendly materials, supervise the experiments, and handle potentially hazardous substances yourself.

Start with simple experiments: Begin with basic experiments (find tons below) that require minimal setup and materials, gradually increasing complexity as kids gain confidence.

Use everyday items: Utilize common household items like vinegar and baking soda , food coloring, or balloons to make the experiments accessible and cost-effective.

Hands-on approach: Encourage kids to actively participate in the experiments rather than just observing. Let them touch, mix, and check out reactions up close.

Make predictions: Ask kids to predict the outcome before starting an experiment. This stimulates critical thinking and introduces the concept of hypothesis and the scientific method.

Record observations: Have a science journal or notebook where kids can record their observations, draw pictures, and write down their thoughts. Learn more about observing in science. We also have many printable science worksheets .

Theme-based experiments: Organize experiments around a theme, such as water , air , magnets , or plants . Even holidays and seasons make fun themes!

Kitchen science : Perform experiments in the kitchen, such as making ice cream using salt and ice or learning about density by layering different liquids.

Create a science lab: Set up a dedicated space for science experiments, and let kids decorate it with science-themed posters and drawings.

Outdoor experiments: Take some experiments outside to explore nature, study bugs, or learn about plants and soil.

DIY science kits: Prepare science experiment kits with labeled containers and ingredients, making it easy for kids to conduct experiments independently. Check out our DIY science list and STEM kits.

Make it a group effort: Group experiments can be more fun, allowing kids to learn together and share their excitement. Most of our science activities are classroom friendly!

Science shows or documentaries: Watch age-appropriate science shows or documentaries to introduce kids to scientific concepts entertainingly. Hello Bill Nye and the Magic Schoolbus! You can also check out National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, and NASA!

Ask open-ended questions: Encourage critical thinking by asking open-ended questions that prompt kids to think deeper about what they are experiencing.

Celebrate successes: Praise kids for their efforts and discoveries, no matter how small, to foster a positive attitude towards science and learning.

What is the Scientific Method for Kids?

The scientific method is a way scientists figure out how things work. First, they ask a question about something they want to know. Then, they research to learn what’s already known about it. After that, they make a prediction called a hypothesis.

Next comes the fun part – they test their hypothesis by doing experiments. They carefully observe what happens during the experiments and write down all the details. Learn more about variables in experiments here.

Once they finish their experiments, they look at the results and decide if their hypothesis is right or wrong. If it’s wrong, they devise a new hypothesis and try again. If it’s right, they share their findings with others. That’s how scientists learn new things and make our world better!

Go ahead and introduce the scientific method and get kids started recording their observations and making conclusions. Read more about the scientific method for kids .

Engineering and STEM Projects For Kids

STEM activities include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In addition to our kids’ science experiments, we have lots of fun STEM activities for you to try. Check out these STEM ideas below.

• Building Activities
• Self-Propelling Car Projects
• Engineering Projects For Kids
• What Is Engineering For Kids?
• Lego STEM Ideas
• LEGO Engineering Activities
• STEM Activities For Toddlers
• STEM Worksheets
• Easy STEM Activities For Elementary
• Quick STEM Challenges
• Easy STEM Activities With Paper  

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

~ projects to try now ~.

Science Fun

Science Experiments for Kids:

Science experiments you can do at home!  Explore an ever growing list of hundreds of fun and easy science experiments. Have fun trying these experiments at home or use them for science fair project ideas. Explore experiments by category, newest experiments, most popular experiments, easy at home experiments, or simply scroll down this page for tons of awesome experiment ideas!

Making A Volcano:

Acids and Bases Can Erupt in Your Faces

Orange Fizz:

Awesome Experiments:

New Experiments:

Check Out Our Newest Experiments

Top Experiments:

Easy Experiments:

Storm In A Glass:

Home Made Play Dough:

Snow Fluff:

Snow Globe:

Squishy Turkeys:

Rainbow in a Glass:

Sizzlin’ Snowballs:

Jello Lenses:

Ice Fishing:

Super Cool Soda:

Jack-O-Cano:

Dancing Hearts:

Marbled Gift Wrap:

Massive Expanding Soap:

Surface Tension Art:

Fizzy Fruit:

Rotting Pumpkin:

Explode A Bag:

Invisible Extinguisher:

Paper Hovercrafts:

Fun Fossil Stamps:

Cool Crystals:

Balloon Pop! Not!

Solar Eclipse Kit:

Moldy Apples:

Cool Off Volcanoes:

Vinegar Pops:

Make It Rain:

Black Light Blue Beverage:

Changing of the Leaves:

Snowflakes:

Water Fireworks:

Mind of a Student:

Balloon Speakers:

Polar Bear Blubber:

Gorgeous Gooey Gobstoppers:

Olympic Medals:

Dyed Flowers:

Rain, Rain, Don’t Go Away Gauge:

Blossoming Beans:

Butter Fingers:

Polishing Pennies:

Dancing Liquid:

Floating Egg:

Bendy Bones:

Pot Of Gold:

Layers of Liquids:

Crystal Candy:

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• MEMBER LOGIN

Hands On As We Grow®

Hands on kids activities for hands on moms. Focusing on kids activities perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

50 Amazingly Simple Science Experiments for Kids at Home

Science Kindergartners Preschoolers Experiment Resources 30 Comments

Kids love experimenting , and these 50 simple science experiments for kids at home from Brigitte are perfect for all ages! Plus, you probably already have the basic supplies at home.

My daughters and I have had a lot of fun doing science experiments. Each year when we create our spring and summer list , we make sure to include “science days” which are days filled with science experiments.

Sometimes our science experiments don’t work according to plan, but I have been told that all scientists have failures with experiments from time to time.

It’s okay if they aren’t all successes.

Get the FREE Science Experiments Download

50 Simple Science Experiments with Supplies You Already Have

I love these 50 simple science experiments for you to try with your little scientists. They all use basic household supplies that you probably already have at home!

Most of these are experiments my daughters and I have done together. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Get little ones involved with these easy toddler-friendly science experiment ideas!

Simple Science Experiments with Water

Not only can water  be a blast to play in, but water plus a few basic supplies equals a lot of science fun!

• Make an orange sink and float with an orange buoyancy experiment from Playdough to Plato.
• Compare the amount of salt in different types of water with this salty egg experiment  as seen on Uplifting Mayhem.
• Do a little more sinking or floating with a fun sink or float experiment  even toddlers can do from Hands On As We Grow.
• Use the free printable to record what sinks or floats in an outdoor experiment from Buggy and Buddy.
• Create some beautiful pieces of paper with this rainbow paper experiment from Science Kiddo.
• Talk about solutions as you try the “what dissolves in water” experiment  as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Learn about water absorption with this simple experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands.
• Mix some fun colors with this oil and water experiment  from Fun Learning for Kids.
• Make your own lava lamp , just like on  Hands On As We Grow.
• Can you keep all the water in the bag? Try it with a  leak-proof bag experiment  as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Learn about surface tension with this  magic finger pepper experiment  found on Hands On As We Grow.
• Make your own  water cycle in a bottle  as seen on A Dab of Glue Will Do.

Simple Science Experiments with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Baking soda + vinegar = a great chemical reaction! This fizzy reaction can fuel a variety of simple science experiments at home.

First of all, we have tested and found out the absolute best combination of baking soda and vinegar to get the best reaction possible. It makes a difference if you add vinegar to baking soda or vice versa! And how much you use!

• Inflate a balloon without blowing into it with a baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment  as seen on Little Bins for Little Hands.
• Practice colors as you do a baking soda and vinegar with color experiment as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Have fun outside with an outdoor volcano eruption  as seen on Preschool Inspirations.
• Have more volcano fun by making apple volcanoes as seen on The Resourceful Mama.
• Learn about acids and bases and the chemical reaction that occurs when you make apple seeds dance with a   jumping apple seeds experiment  as seen on JDaniel4s Mom.
• Watch some rice dance with a   dancing rice experiment as seen on Green Kid Crafts.
• Continue your dance party by making raisins dance with a dancing raisin experiment  as seen on 123 Homeschool 4 Me. What other items can you get to dance?
• Learn more about acids and bases by dissolving a sea shell as seen on Teach Beside Me.
• Make an egg shell disappear with this disappearing egg activity  as seen on Premeditated Leftovers.
• See how far you can launch a soda bottle with this baking soda powered boat as seen on Science Sparks.
• Make your own rocks (or eggs) with this fizzy treasure rocks experiment as seen on Living Life and Learning.
• Have some fun this summer with this frozen vinegar experiment as seen on Inspiration Laboratories.

Plant Themed Simple Science Experiments

Enjoy learning about seeds, plant parts, and how plants grow with these simple science experiments.

• Learn about how plants soak up water through their stems with a flower experiment for kids  from Growing A Jeweled Rose.
• Watch seeds sprout as you grow seeds in a jar  as seen on Teaching Mama.
• Learn about the parts of the seed with a seed coat experiment as seen on Gift of Curiosity.
• Build a house out of sponges and then watch it sprout with this sprout house as seen on The Stem Laboratory.
• Learn what liquids allow seeds to grow the best with this seed experiment  as seen on Gift of Curiosity.
• Explore how plants grow towards the light with this shoe-box maze experiment from Plants for Kids.

Animal Themed Simple Science Experiments

Learning about animals can be even more fun with some simple hands-on simple science experiments.

• Find out more about giraffes and create some giraffe spots  as seen on Preschool Powol Packets.
• Learn about how animals in the Arctic keep warm by making an arctic glove  as seen on Steve Spangler Science.
• Discover how penguins stay dry with a penguin feather experiment as seen on Raising Little Superheroes.
• Learn about different bird beaks with a bird beak experiment as seen on Blessed Beyond a Doubt.
• Explore how fish (and hermit crabs) breathe with this gill experiment  as seen on Preschool Powol Packets.
• Learn about sharks with a   shark buoyancy experiment as seen on Little Bins for Little Hands.

Even More Simple Science Experiment for Kids at Home!

If you are still looking for more science fun, you may enjoy the following simple science experiments.

• Find out how sugary drinks hurt teeth with an  eggs-periment  as seen on Feels Like Home Blog.
• Discover geodes (the state rock of Iowa) with this eggshell geode crystal experiment  as seen on Science Bob.
• Learn about air pressure with an egg and bottle experiment  as seen on Science Sparks.
• Find out what causes an apple to brown with this apple science experiment  as seen on Teach Beside Me.
• Make an  edible bubble apple with an experiment as seen on Preschool Powol Packet.
• Learn more about surface tension with a penny and water experiment  as seen on Artful Parent.
• Mix colors like magic with this color changing milk experiment  from Hands On As We Grow.
• Blow up a balloon with this soda and balloon experiment from Learn Play Imagine.
• Practice letters by making beautiful crystal letters as seen on Books and Giggles.
• Make your own indoor hovercraft  as seen on Living Life and Learning.
• Learn about colors with this beautiful butterfly chromatography craft  as seen on Buggy and Buddy.
• Make soap souffle  as seen on Steve Spangler Science.
• After talking about liquids and solids (and finding them in your own home), create oobleck  as seen on Babble Dabble Do. Is it a liquid, or is it a solid?
• Learn about frost by making some indoor frost as seen on Little Bin for Little Hands.
• Make your own homemade butter in a jar as seen on Happy Hooligans.

What scientific experiment will you try first?

About Brigitte Brulz

Brigitte Brulz is a homeschooling mom of two daughters, wife of her high school sweetheart, and author of Jobs of a Preschooler and Pickles, Pickles, I Like Pickles. She offers free coloring pages and activity ideas on her website at BrigitteBrulz.com .

More Hands on Kids Activities to Try

Reader Interactions

30 comments.

college brawl says

March 13, 2024 at 1:05 am

Wow, these experiments look like so much fun! I can’t wait to try them out with my kids. We’re always looking for new and creative ways to learn about science at home, and these experiments look like they’ll be perfect for us. Thanks for sharing! 😊

threadsBay says

August 31, 2023 at 3:13 am

I love science experiments! This one is really simple and easy to do.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

What Parents Have to Say…

Shop ebooks of activities.

Get activity plans delivered to your inbox, every week!

Activities that hands-on parents absolutely love.

50+ Simple Activities for Toddlers

40+ Awesome Number Activities for Preschoolers

6 Different Activities for 6 Lines of Tape

Why Routines for Kids are Important

What Toddler Crafts & Art Projects Can We Do? 30 Ideas

Top Physical Activities for Toddlers! Mom, Embrace the Energy!

Get started having fun with your kids.

PLAN THE FUN WITH THE FREE KIDS ACTIVITIES PLANNER! AND RECEIVE ACTIVITIES EVERY WEEK!

• Preschoolers
• Kindergartners
• Grade School
• Literacy & ABCs
• Math & 123s
• Art Projects
• Gross Motor
• Shop Activity Plans
• Member Login

We have emailed you a PDF version of the article you requested.

Can't find the email?

Please check your spam or junk folder

You can also add [email protected] to your safe senders list to ensure you never miss a message from us.

20 Awesome Science Experiments You Can Do Right Now At Home

Complete the form below and we will email you a PDF version

Cancel and go back

IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.

For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out our Privacy Policy

Complete the form below to listen to the audio version of this article

Advertisement

Subscribe today for our  Weekly Newsletter  in your inbox!

Morenike Adebayo

Guest Author

DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION

We can all agree that science is awesome. And you can bring that awesomeness into your very own home with these 20 safe DIY experiments you can do right now with ordinary household items.

1. Make Objects Seemingly Disappear Refraction is when light changes direction and speed as it passes from one object to another. Only visible objects reflect light. When two materials with similar reflective properties come into contact, light will pass through both materials at the same speed, rendering the other material invisible. Check out this video from BritLab  on how to turn glass invisible using vegetable oil and pyrex glass.

2. Freeze Water Instantly When purified water is cooled to just below freezing point, a quick nudge or an icecube placed in it is all it takes for the water to instantly freeze. You can finally have the power of Frozone from The Incredibles on a very small scale! Check out the video on this "cool" experiment. 

3. Create Oobleck And Make It Dance To The Music Named after a sticky substance in a children’s book by Dr Seuss , Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid, which means it can behave as both a solid and a liquid. And when placed on a sound source, the vibrations causes the mixture to gloopily dance. Check out these instructions from Housing A Forest  on how to make this groovy fluid funk out in every way.

4. Create Your Own Hybrid Rocket Engine With a combination of a solid fuel source and a liquid oxidizer, hybrid rocket engines can propel themselves. And on a small scale, you can create your own hybrid rocket engine, using pasta, mouthwash and yeast. Sadly, it won’t propel much, but who said rocket science ain’t easy? Check out this video from NightHawkInLight on how to make this mini engine.

5. Create "Magic Mud" Another non-Newtonian fluid here, this time from the humble potato. "Magic Mud" is actually starch found in potatoes. It’ll remain hard when handled but leave it alone and it turns into a liquid. Make your own “Magic Mud” with this video.

6. Command The Skies And Create A Cloud In A Bottle Not quite a storm in a teacup, but it is a cloud in a bottle. Clouds up in the sky are formed when water vapor cools and condenses into visible water droplets. Create your own cloud in a bottle using a few household items with these wikiHow instructions .

7. Create An Underwater Magical World First synthesized by Adolf van Baeyer in 1871, fluorescein is a non-toxic powder found in highlighter pens, and used by NASA to find shuttles that land in the sea. Create an underwater magical world with this video from NightHawkInLight .

9. Make Your Own Lava Lamp Inside a lava lamp are colored bubbles of wax suspended in a clear or colorless liquid, which changes density when warmed by a heating element at the base, allowing them to rise and fall hypnotically. Create your own lava lamp with these video instructions.

10. Create Magnetic Fluid A ferrofluid is a liquid that contains nanoscale particles of metal, which can become magnetized. And with oil, toner and a magnet , you can create your own ferrofluid and harness the power of magnetism! 

12. Make Waterproof Sand A hydrophobic substance is one that repels water. When sand is combined with a water-resistant chemical, it becomes hydrophobic. So when it comes into contact with water, the sand will remain dry and reusable. Make your own waterproof sand with this video .

13. Make Elephant's Toothpaste Elephant’s toothpaste is a steaming foamy substance created by the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, which sort of resembles giant-sized toothpaste. Make your own elephant’s toothpaste with these instructions.

14. Make Crystal Bubbles When the temperature falls below 0 o C (32 o F), it’s possible to freeze bubbles into crystals. No instructions needed here, just some bubble mix and chilly weather.

15. Make Moving Liquid Art Mixing dish soap and milk together causes the surface tension of the milk to break down. Throw in different food colorings and create this trippy chemical reaction.

16. Create Colourful Carnations Flowers absorb water through their stems, and if that water has food coloring in it, the flowers will also absorb that color. Create some wonderfully colored flowers with these wikiHow instructions .

17. "Magically" Turn Water Into Wine Turn water into wine with this  video  by experimenter Dave Hax . Because water has a higher density than wine, they can switch places. Amaze your friends with this fun science trick.

18. Release The Energy In Candy (Without Eating It) Dropping a gummy bear into a test tube with potassium chlorate releases the chemical energy inside in an intense chemical reaction. That’s exactly what's happening when you eat candy, kids.

19. Make Water "Mysteriously" Disappear Sodium polyacrylate is a super-absorbent polymer, capable of absorbing up to 300 times its own weight in water. Found in disposable diapers, you can make water disappear in seconds with this video .

20. Create A Rainbow In A Jar Different liquids have different masses and different densities. For example, oil is less dense than water and will float on top of its surface. By combining liquids of different densities and adding food coloring, you can make an entire rainbow in a jar with this video .

There you have it – 20 experiments for you to explore the incredible world of science!

ARTICLE POSTED IN

experiment,

fluorescein,

rocket engine,

hydrogen peroxide,

sodium acetate,

ferrofluid,

More Space and Physics Stories

link to article

Atoms Captured In Rare Hidden “Edge State” Could Help Power Lossless Energy Transmission

The Russell-McPherron Effect Could Light Up The Skies With Stunning Auroras Soon

Polaris Dawn Eyes Up Monday For Historic Launch, Following SpaceX Investigation

Tossing Puffins, Python Vs Python, And Homeopathy. Is. Not. Science

IFLScience The Big Questions: How Did Dinosaurs Have Sex?

When Was The First Fire On Earth?

Discover the Joy of Science: 16 Experiments Perfect for Elementary Students

WOW! The 5th graders at Northridge Elementary School participated in our lesson NEWTON’S 2nd LAW OF MOTION. Their experiments helped them understand force, mass, and acceleration. https://t.co/IRMc0iv6RJ pic.twitter.com/a93gleNPnL — WPAFB EO Office (@wpafbeo) March 2, 2022

SCIENCE 4 FUN

Science Experiments

Keep enjoying science! Learn by doing things and don’t forget to read the “explanation” paragraph at the end of every experiment to fully understand the concept. I hope you will find our science experiments section entertaining and full of fun.

Color Changing Liquid

How to Make Soap Bubbles

Egg in a Bottle

How to Make Hoop Glider

How to Make a Balloon Rocket

How to Make Foamy Fountain

How to Make Boat Powered by Soap

How to Make Lava Lamp at Home

Water in Upside Down Glass

Make Your Own Flubber at Home

How to Inflate Balloon with Vinegar and Baking Soda

How to Make Rock Candy at Home

Floating Eggs in Salt Water

How to Make Invisible Ink

How to Make Simple Electromagnet

How to Make Rainbow on Paper

How to Make Disc Hovercraft

Boil water in Paper bag

How to Make Vinegar Volcano

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

• FREE Experiments
• Kitchen Science
• Climate Change
• Egg Experiments
• Fairy Tale Science
• Edible Science
• Human Health
• Inspirational Women
• Forces and Motion
• Science Fair Projects
• STEM Challenges
• Science Sparks Books
• Contact Science Sparks
• Science Resources for Home and School

10 of the Best Colourful Science Experiments

September 5, 2024 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

Colourful science experiments are often much more engaging for younger children than less colourful activities. Adding colour to a lava lamp, volcano or density demonstration makes the activity feel extra special.

I’ve pulled together a list of my 10 favourite colourful science experiments for kids of all ages.

10 Colourful Science Experiments for kids

Create a skittles rainbow.

The infamous Skittles experiment will never let you down. It’s inexpensive, simple and looks fantastic.

Children can turn it into an investigation by using different temperature water and arranging the Skittles in different ways.

Rainbow in a hosepipe

Create a rainbow on a sunny day day using just a hosepipe. All you need to do is stand with your back to the sun, spray the hosepipe and a rainbow will appear in the droplets!

DIY Colour Mixing Wheel

A colour mixing wheel is a fun way to learn about primary and secondary colours. Children can create their own or use my handy template.

Another fun way to learn about colour mixing is to make colour mixing squishy bags .

Colourful Jar Activity

Creating firework type swirls of food colouring in a glass of water is a brilliant, very visual science activity for kids of all ages.

Colourful Potions

Baking soda and vinegar potions can be made colourful by adding food colouring or using red cabbage indicator . Red cabbage indicator is especially fun to use as it changes colour depending on whether you add an acid ( vinegar ) or alkali ( baking soda ).

The addition of a little dish soap makes an extra foamy potion.

Coloured Density Jar

A multicoloured density jar can be made from water, salt and food colouring!

The blue-coloured water contains salt, which makes it denser than the orange water, which does not contain salt. The denser liquid stays on the bottom and does not mix with the less dense liquid on the top. If the glasses were placed with the salt water on top, it would sink to the bottom and the colours would mix.

Colourful Flowers

White flowers can be made colourful by placing them in a vase of coloured water. The colourful water rises up the stem into the white petals, filling them with colour.

This is a great science activity for demonstrating transpiration .

Colourful Baking Soda Volcano

A baking soda volcano is an ever popular science activity. We made this one extra special by using two colours for the lava!

If you have snow this winter, snow volcanoes are easy to set up and almost mess-free. We made four different colour volcanoes a couple of years ago.

Paper Chromatography with Felt Tip Pens

Colourful paper chromatography is a simple science activity that can be done using paper towel if you don’t have filter paper.

The different inks in the felt-tip pens move through the kitchen towel at different speeds, separating the colours.

Black pens often contain the most different colour inks and are a great example of how this technique can be used as a method of separation.

Colourful Salt Crystals

Creating colourful salt crystals is a fun science activity for a hot day and a visual way to learn about evaporation.

More colourful science experiments

Set up a walking water experiment . This is a fantastic way to learn about capillary action and looks brilliant when it’s complete.

Learn about surface tension with a magic milk display .

Create a colourful slushy drink using the cooling power of ice and salt.

Do you have a favourite colourful science activity?

Last Updated on September 5, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Rich Hill designated for assignment by Red Sox after four outings

Hill struggled in his two most recent bullpen outings for the red sox..

By Conor Roche

The Rich Hill experiment appears to be over for the Red Sox.

Hill was designated for assignment by Boston in order to make room for pitcher Luis Guerrero on the active roster on Friday.

The 44-year-old Hill recently began his fourth stint with the Red Sox. After sitting out the first few months of the 2024 season in order to coach his son’s Little League team, Hill signed with Boston on Aug. 18. He signed a minor league contract, spending just over a week with Triple-A Worcester before getting called up on Aug. 27.

Hill, who’s been a starting pitcher for the majority of his 20-year MLB career, was exclusively used as a reliever during his brief stint with the Red Sox. He had a 4.91 ERA over four outings, but struggled in his two most recent appearances. He gave up two runs in just 2/3 of an inning in a 4-1 loss to the Tigers on Sunday.

Hill’s struggles continued in his outing on Wednesday. He wasn’t charged with a run, but he walked in two runs with the bases loaded and gave up a third run on a sacrifice fly after relieving Kenley Jansen in an 8-3 loss to the Mets. His day ended after the sacrifice fly, pitching just 1/3 of an inning.

It was uncertain if Hill would plan to step away from the game for good after the 2024 season. He could still pitch in the minors for the Red Sox or sign with another team.

If Wednesday was his final outing, he would end his career with a 90-74 record and a 4.01 ERA. He’s one of the few starting pitchers in recent years to record an outing after turning 40, pitching for 13 teams over his career. The Milton native had his first stint with the Red Sox from 2010-12 before rejoining the team for the 2015 and 2022 seasons.

As for Guerrero, he’s a 24-year-old right-handed pitcher who’s impressed as a reliever with Triple-A Worcester this season. He’s 5-3 with a 3.31 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and a 1.31 WHIP in 54 1/3 innings over 42 outings. Guerrero was selected by the Red Sox in the 17th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Boston’s bullpen could certainly use a spark. It has a league-worst 6.77 ERA since Aug. 9 and is arguably the biggest reason why it’s slipped in the playoff race recently.

Sign up for Red Sox updates⚾

Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during baseball season.

Be civil. Be kind.

Most Popular

Mass. school takes amazing leap in WSJ list of best colleges

Karen Read says in interview that murder case left her in 'purgatory'

98.5 The Sports Hub undergoing more changes to 'Toucher and Hardy'

A hitman serving life in prison gets more time for killing ‘Whitey’ Bulger

Bill Belichick's reported girlfriend welcomes him to Instagram

In Related News

Ceddanne Rafaela’s clutch gene strikes again in Red Sox’ win vs. White Sox

Red sox snap 5-game skid, hand white sox 110th loss, with 3-1 win, ‘there’s a good chance’ trevor story returns to red sox’ lineup saturday, boston.com newsletter signup boston.com logo.

Stay up to date with everything Boston. Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.

Enter your email address

More From Forbes

Youtuber nikocado avocado reveals surprise 250 pound weight loss.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

In a video entitled "Two Steps Ahead," YouTuber Nikocado Avocado began by wearing a panda head ... [+] costume similar to the one shown here before revealing how things about him haven’t exactly been “black and white.” (Photo: Getty)

Nikocado Avocado, who has 3.9 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, began his latest video—entitled “Two Steps Ahead”—wearing a panda costume head. But this wasn’t his typical “muckbang” video. Instead, Avocado seemed to guac his fans’ worlds with what he then said and did. After removing the panda head, Avocado revealed how things about him haven’t exactly been “black and white.”

Avocado, who is Ukrainian-American and has declared himself as the “King of Mukbangs,” had indicated that he weighed 359 pounds in a YouTube video seemingly from earlier this year. Keep in mind the word “seemingly.” Avocado wasn’t the originator of the whole “mukbang video” thing and there is no official mukbang royalty. The mukbang trend had originated in South Korea but has since spread kind of worldwide. Such videos feature people eating large amounts of food on camera like the last video before the “Two Steps Ahead” one uploaded on Avocado’s YouTube channel seven months ago. That one showed him feasting on a mountain of spicy cheesy fire noodles.

So, if you’re a fan of Avocado’s channels, you probably expected the next video to simply show him as his usual self feasting on another set of food items. But that would be getting ahead of yourself. Instead, in his “Two Steps Ahead” video uploaded on Friday, Avocado toasted what he described as “the greatest social experiment of my entire life.” He then removed his panda head to reveal a seemingly much lighter version of himself than what fans had gotten accustomed to seeing, as you can see here :

In this video, Avocado explained, “Today, I woke up from a very long dream and I also woke up from having lost 250 pounds off of my body.” He continued by saying, “Yet, just yesterday, people were calling me fat and sick and boring and irrelevant, people, people are the most messed up creatures on the entire planet.”

iPhone 16 Release Date Latest: What To Expect When—And Where

Former ufc champion and mma legend retires in emotional speech, apple iphone 16: unexpected design change leaked in new report.

Now, this weight loss likely didn’t occur overnight. That would have been kind of impossible. Instead, in another video in another of Avocado’s channels, Avocado admitted, “I haven’t made a video for like two years.” So, it looks like a number of his videos posted over the past year or two may have been pre-recorded in advance. Only Avocado knows for sure his timeline for losing weight and what approach he used. I’ve reached out to Avocado for further comment.

One of the things that the “Two Steps Ahead” video ended up highlighting is the ongoing problem of fat shaming, which is when one ridicules others about their body weight. It’s indeed a shame how common fat shaming remains in our society. Just jump on to social media or listen to what some politicians keep saying and you’ll find plenty of examples. That’s why The Roundtable on Obesity Solutions organized by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine has had to continue addressing this problem and the problem of weight stigma, in general.

Weight stigma arises from the major misconception that obesity is simply the result of lack of control, eating too much and moving around too little. In actuality, many people struggling with obesity are very careful about what they eat and maintain very disciplined exercise regimens and lifestyles. The fact is people can differ significantly in what’s inside and outside them. Different genetics, physiologies, social situations, environments, economic conditions and other factors can substantially affect one’s body weight and composition over time.

That being said, while mukbang videos can be entertaining, you probably shouldn’t be using many of them for regular dietary guidance. That would be kind of like using the movie Deadpool and Wolverine for exercise regimen or career guidance. Many mukbang sequences do feature portion sizes that are way too large and far to much added salt, sugar and other stuff.

Plus, it can be hard to tell whether the person in the video really ended up eating everything shown. What you see on YouTube videos don’t necessarily represent reality. And Avocado’s “Two Steps Ahead” video is further evidence of that.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

This week: the arXiv Accessibility Forum

Help | Advanced Search

Computer Science > Data Structures and Algorithms

Title: an effective tag assignment approach for billboard advertisement.

Abstract: Billboard Advertisement has gained popularity due to its significant outrage in return on investment. To make this advertisement approach more effective, the relevant information about the product needs to be reached to the relevant set of people. This can be achieved if the relevant set of tags can be mapped to the correct slots. Formally, we call this problem the Tag Assignment Problem in Billboard Advertisement. Given trajectory, billboard database, and a set of selected billboard slots and tags, this problem asks to output a mapping of selected tags to the selected slots so that the influence is maximized. We model this as a variant of traditional bipartite matching called One-To-Many Bipartite Matching (OMBM). Unlike traditional bipartite matching, a tag can be assigned to only one slot; in the OMBM, a tag can be assigned to multiple slots while the vice versa can not happen. We propose an iterative solution approach that incrementally allocates the tags to the slots. The proposed methodology has been explained with an illustrated example. A complexity analysis of the proposed solution approach has also been conducted. The experimental results on real-world trajectory and billboard datasets prove our claim on the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed solution.

Submission history

Access paper:.

• HTML (experimental)
• Other Formats

References & Citations

• Google Scholar
• Semantic Scholar

BibTeX formatted citation

Bibliographic and Citation Tools

Code, data and media associated with this article, recommenders and search tools.

• Institution

arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs .

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Have you entered to win this adorable math giveaway? ✨

Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

40 Easy Kindergarten Science Experiments for Hands-On Learning

Every day brings a new discovery!

Every day is chock-full of new discoveries when you are a kindergartner! These hands-on kindergarten science experiments and activities take advantage of kids’ boundless curiosity. They’ll learn about physics, biology, chemistry, and more basic science concepts, gearing them up to become lifelong learners.

To make things even easier, we’ve rated every one of these kindergarten science experiments based on difficulty and materials:

Difficulty:

• Easy: Low or no-prep experiments you can do pretty much anytime
• Medium: These take a little more setup or a longer time to complete
• Advanced: Experiments like these take a fairly big commitment of time or effort
• Basic: Simple items you probably already have around the house
• Medium: Items that you might not already have but are easy to get your hands on
• Advanced: These require specialized or more expensive supplies to complete

Food Science Experiments for Kindergarten

Water science experiments for kindergarten, more kindergarten science experiments.

What better way to dive into the world of science than to play with your food? These food science experiments for kindergartners are sure to grab their interest.

Use apples to learn what science is all about

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Basic

This apple investigation is a great way to start. It encourages kids to examine an apple using a variety of techniques to learn its properties. Get a free printable worksheet for this activity at the link.

Learn more: Apple Investigation at Preschool Play & Learn

Eat your way through soil layers

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium ADVERTISEMENT

Layer a variety of foods to represent the soil layers, from bedrock on up. If candy doesn’t fit your school’s nutritional guidelines, use fruits, yogurt, granola, and other healthy options. Either way, the results are scrumptious!

Learn more: Edible Soil Layers at Super Teacher Blog

Dehydrate your own raisins

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Easy

Have students dry grapes in the sun over a period of days to see them turn into raisins. Then talk about the process of dehydration as a method of preserving food.

Learn more: Homemade Raisins at Learn Play Imagine

Cook up edible glass

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Basic

Just like real glass, this edible glass is made from tiny opaque grains, but in this case from sugar instead of sand. Cooked and then cooled, it becomes what’s known as an “amorphous solid.” So cool!

Learn more: Edible Glass at Go Science Kids

Paint with salt

OK, little learners probably won’t remember the word “hygroscopic,” but they’ll enjoy watching the salt absorb and transfer colors in this neat kindergarten science experiment.

Learn more: Salt Painting at A Dab of Glue Will Do

Play with “magic” milk

Sometimes science seems like magic! In this case, dish soap breaks down milk fats and causes a colorful swirling reaction that will mesmerize little learners.

Learn more: Magic Milk Experiment (With Free Printable Student Recording Sheet)

Explore buoyancy with oranges

Expand your exploration of buoyancy with this cool demo. Kids will be surprised to learn that even though an orange feels heavy, it floats. That is, until you peel off the skin!

Learn more: Orange Buoyancy at Playdough to Plato

Bounce popcorn with sound waves

Sound may be invisible to the naked eye, but you can see the waves in action with this demo. The plastic wrap–covered bowl is the perfect stand-in for an eardrum.

Learn more: Popcorn Sound Waves at Premeditated Leftovers

Build a Three Little Pigs STEM house

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Medium

Can your little engineers create a house that protects a little piggie from the Big Bad Wolf? Try this kindergarten STEM challenge and find out!

Learn more: Three Little Pigs STEM Challenge at Sweet Sounds of Kindergarten

Make egg geodes

Engage your students in the steps of the scientific method to create these stunning lab-grown geodes. Compare the results using sea salt, kosher salt, and borax.

Learn more: Egg Geodes at TinkerLab

Water play is a kindergarten favorite, so use it to engage them in these projects and activities. They make science for kindergarten students to much fun!

Change the color of flowers

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium

This is one of those classic kindergarten science activities everyone should try at least once. Learn how flowers “drink” water using capillary action, and create beautiful blooms while you’re at it!

Learn more: Capillary Action at Fun Learning for Kids

Assemble a lava lamp

Help your students make their very own lava lamp using simple household ingredients. Then personalize the lamps by adding a couple of drops of food coloring to each bottle.

Create a tower of instant ice

Place a water bottle in the freezer for a couple of hours, but don’t let it freeze all the way through. Then, pour some of the water onto a couple of ice cubes perched on top of a ceramic bowl and watch a tower of ice form.

Learn more: Instant Ice at Only Passionate Curiosity

Watch colored water walk

Fill three small jars with red, yellow, and blue food coloring and some water. Then place empty jars in between each. Fold paper towel strips and place them in the jars as shown. Kids will be amazed as the paper towels pull the water from full jars to empty ones, mixing and creating new colors!

Learn more: Walking Water at Messy Little Monster

Create a tornado in a jar

As you fill in the weather during daily calendar time, you might have a chance to talk about severe storms and tornadoes. Show your students how twisters form with this classic tornado jar experiment.

Learn more: Tornado in a Jar at One Little Project

Suspend water inside a jar

Lots of kindergarten science activities involve water, which is terrific because kids love to play in it! In this one, show your students how air pressure keeps water in a jar, even when it’s upside down.

Learn more: Water Pressure Experiment at A Mothership Down

See popcorn kernels dance

Here’s an activity that always feels a bit like magic. Drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet into a glass of water with popcorn kernels, and watch as the bubbles cling to the kernels and make them rise and fall. So cool!

Learn more: Dancing Popcorn Experiment (With Free Student Printable Recording Sheet)

Find out what sinks and what floats

Kids learn about the property of buoyancy and get some practice making predictions and recording the results with this easy experiment. All you need is a container of water to get started.

Learn more: Sink or Float? at Buggy and Buddy

Make it rain with shaving cream

Here’s another neat weather-related science experiment. Make shaving cream “clouds” on top of the water, then drop food coloring in to watch it “rain.”

Learn more: Shaving Cream Clouds at One Little Project

Bend light with water

Light refraction produces some incredible results. Your students will think it’s magic when the arrow on the paper changes direction … until you explain that it’s all due to the way water bends the light.

Learn more: Light Water Play at Go Science Girls

We’ve got even more ideas about teaching science to kindergarten students here, from plant and dirt science to static electricity and more.

Craft some recycled paper

Teach your kindergartners how to transform something old into something new. Use scrap paper, old newspapers, and magazine pages to create beautiful handcrafted paper.

Learn more: Homemade Paper at The Craftaholic Witch

Make their hair stand on end

Kids love to play with balloons! Find out all about the properties of static electricity with these three fun and super-easy balloon experiments. ( Get more fun balloon experiments here. )

Create a model of the human spine

Kindergarten science students love to learn through play. Make this simple egg carton spine model to encourage your students’ interest in the human body and how it works.

Learn more: Spine Model at Mombrite

Inflate a balloon without blowing into it

Teach your students the magic of chemical reactions using a plastic bottle, vinegar, and baking soda to inflate a balloon. This classic experiment is a wonderful way to explore science for kindergarten kids.

Learn more: Balloon Experiments

Move a paper butterfly’s wings with static electricity

Part art project, part science lesson, all fun! Kids make tissue paper butterflies, then use the static electricity from a balloon to flap the wings.

Learn more: Static Electricity Butterfly at I Heart Crafty Things

Race balloon rockets

Introduce little ones to the laws of motion with easy-to-make balloon rockets. When the air shoots out one end, the balloons will sail off in the other direction. Whee!

Learn more: Balloon Rockets at Hands On Teaching Ideas

Lift a bag with balloons

You’ll need helium balloons for this one, and kids are gonna love it. Ask them to guess (hypothesize) how many balloons it will take to lift various items in a bag attached to the strings.

Learn more: Helium Balloon Experiment at Mess for Less

Discover how plants breathe

Kids might be surprised when you tell them that trees breathe. This kindergarten science experiment will help prove it’s true.

Learn more: Leaf Transpiration at KC Edventures With Kids

Learn how germs spread

There’s never been a better time to add a handwashing experiment to your list of kindergarten science activities. Use glitter as a stand-in for germs, and learn how important washing your hands with soap really is.

Explore the properties of mystery items

Mystery bags are always a hit with kids. Tuck a variety of objects inside, then encourage kids to feel, shake, smell, and explore as they try to determine what the items are without looking.

Learn more: Mystery Bags at Raising Lifelong Learners

Play with fizzing ice cubes

While kinders may not entirely understand the concept of acid-base reactions, they’ll still get a kick out of spraying these baking soda ice cubes with lemon juice and watching them fizz away!

Learn more: Fizzing Ice at The Play-Based Mom

Sniff scented sensory bottles

Here’s another way to engage the senses. Drop essential oils onto cotton balls, then seal them inside spice bottles . Kids sniff the bottles and try to identify the smell.

Learn more: Scent Jars at Share and Remember

Play with magnets

Magnet play is one of our favorite kindergarten science activities. Place a variety of items into small bottles, and ask kids which ones they think will be attracted to the magnets. The answers may surprise them!

Learn more: Magnet Jars at Left Brain Craft Brain

Waterproof a boot

This experiment lets kindergartners try their hand at “waterproofing” a boot with a variety of materials. They use what they already know to predict which materials will protect the paper boot from water, then experiment to see if they’re right.

Learn more: Waterproof a Boot at Science Sparks

Dig into some soil science

Ready to get your hands in the dirt? Scoop up some soil and examine it more closely, looking for rocks, seeds, worms, and other items.

Learn more: Dirt Science at Go Science Kids

Mix up some oobleck

Perhaps no book leads so perfectly into a science lesson as Dr. Seuss’s Bartholomew and the Oobleck . Just what is oobleck? It’s a non-Newtonian fluid that looks like a liquid but takes on the properties of a solid when squeezed. Weird, messy … and so much fun!

Learn more: Oobleck at ABCs of Literacy

Grow crystal letters

No list of kindergarten science activities would be complete without a crystal project! Use pipe cleaners to make the letters of the alphabet (numbers are good too), then grow crystals on them using a supersaturated solution.

Learn more: Crystallized Letters at Gift of Curiosity

Blow up your fingerprints

You don’t need a microscope to look at fingerprints up close! Instead, have each student make a print on a balloon, then blow it up to see the whorls and ridges in detail.

Learn more: Balloon Fingerprints at The Natural Homeschool

Play a marble maze game

Tell kids they’re going to move a marble without actually touching it, and watch their eyes widen in surprise! They’ll have fun drawing mazes to guide a metal marble through with a magnet from underneath.

Learn more: Magnet Marble Maze at Go Science Girls

Germinate a seed

There’s something about seeing a seed develop roots and shoots with your very eyes that’s just so incredible. Sprout bean seeds in paper towels inside a glass jar to give it a try.

Learn more: Germinate a Seed at How Wee Learn

Keep the learning going with these Kindergarten Math Games That Make Numbers Fun From Day One .

Plus, sign up for our newsletters to get all the latest teaching tips and ideas straight to your inbox.

You Might Also Like

Magic Milk Experiment: How-To Plus Free Worksheet

This classic experiment teaches kids about basic chemistry and physics. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256