We’ve been through it all, the puzzles, the games, the run around the block, the online class, the mindless painting and drawing, but there’s still a little while to go before our kids will be fully activated back at school…So let’s get some more fun into the play – let’s experiment!
Most of these activities can be done with kitchen ingredients – but make sure to get it all ready before you start, so not to miss out on the essential ingredients – like lava/baking soda for the volcano! And… get an adult to help out.
Making Slime
Materials
• Baking soda
• Glue
• Lens solution
Process
- Get a bowl to mix your slime ingredients in.
- Pour your entire 6 oz Elmer’s Glitter glue into the bowl.
- Add your 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and mix in thoroughly. Also add 2 TBSP or more of water here (up to 1/4 cup) if you want a stretchier slime.
- Slowly add in your contact lens solution.
- Now mix until your slime forms and begins to harden. Take it out and knead, knead, knead.
Check out this video where Chris and Sienna show you how to make slime!
Volcano Experiment
Materials
- Vinegar
- Water
- Baking soda
- Dish soap
- Red food colouring
- Container
‘Process
- Combine the vinegar, water, dish soap and 2 drops of food colouring into the empty soda bottle.
- Use a spoon to mix the baking soda slurry until it is all a liquid.
- Eruption time! … Pour the baking soda slurry into the soda bottle quickly and step back!
See how Chris and Sienna make an erupting volcano here!
Walking Water Experiment
Materials
- Four glasses of equal height
- Water
- Food colouring
- Paper Towel
Process
- Position your two empty glasses about 2 inches apart. Pour water into one of the glasses until it is halfway full
- Add a few drops of food colouring into the water.
- Stir the food colouring until the water is all one colour.
- Grab a strip of paper towel that is about 1 to 2 inches wide.
- Place one end of the paper towel into the glass with the water. Then place the other end into the glass that is empty. Then leave the glasses to sit and come back to check on them in about an hour.
Make a Parachute
Materials
- A plastic bag or towel
- Scissors
- String
- A small object to act as the weight
Process
- Cut out a large square from your plastic bag or material.
- Trim the edges so it looks like an octagon.
- Cut a small hole near the edge of each side.
- Attach 8 pieces of string of the same length to each of the holes.
- Tie the pieces of string to the object you are using as a weight.
- Find a high spot to drop your parachute.
Jellyfish in a Bottle
Materials
- Cleaned clear bottle
- Clear plastic grocery bag
- Dyed water /food colouring
- Scissors
- White String
Process
- fill the bottle halfway with the dyed water.
- layout your plastic grocery bag. Start cutting it into small strips (you may need to do some trial runs with this.)
- Tie the strips together to form a jellyfish-like shape.
- Now, push the plastic “jellyfish” into the dyed water. Gently add more dyed water on top of it, leaving at least two or three inches of air at the top of the bottle.
- Tightly secure the top to the bottle, and then allow your children to play with the “jellyfish in a bottle”.
See how Chris and Sienna run into challenges when doing their Jellyfish below!
DIY Tornado
Materials:
- Mason Jar
- Water
- Dishwashing Detergent
Process:
- fill the mason jar about three-quarters of the way full with water
- add a few drops of the dishwashing detergent.
- Secure the top on the jar, and then shake it hard.
- Place the jar on a table, and a funnel should appear. Voila! Instant tornado!
Make you own Lava Lamp
Materials:
- an empty water bottle
- vegetable oil
- water
- food colouring of your choice
- Alka-seltzer tablets
Process:
- fill the empty water bottle about 2/3 full with vegetable oil.
- Fill the rest with water, leaving a little space at the top.
- Notice that the water sinks below the vegetable oil. Oil and water just do not mix. The oil floats on the surface because the water is heavier (has a higher density) than oil.
- Now, add the food colouring.
- The food colouring will only mix with the water, not the oil. Stir with a chopstick to mix the food colouring well with the water, don’t shake it.
- When you are ready for the fun, break an Alka-seltzer tablet into four pieces. Have your child drop in one piece at a time. LAVA-LAMP done!
See how Chris and Sienna make their lava lamp here!
Magic Mud
Materials
- Big bag of potatoes (if you don’t have, you can use corn starch)
- Water
- Tonic Water
Process
- Cut or food process the potatoes
- add hot water to cover completely
- grab bowl and strainer – pour potato and water into a strainer – a white lawyer will appear at the bottom of the bowl
- Poor all water out and you will see the white lawyer will stay at the bottom
- As it might be dirty – add some clean water, stir and pour into a clean jar
- shake it and leave for 10 minutes
- It will separate again with impurities in the middle
- dump out water again – it should take most of the impurities with it
- If you try stirring it you will see it looks like milk but acts differently
- Leave it for a day or two and it will end up like a powder
- Grab a few spoons of the magical powder into a bowl
- Add a small amount of tonic water to see what happens – it should act like yesterday – the difference now is, it’s fluorescent
- Play around with it in fluorescent light!
Rainbow in a Jar
Materials:
- 1 jar
- 1/2 cup blue dishwashing liquid
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- Food colouring
- 5 spoons
- 5 bowls for mixing
Procedure:
- Make your purple layer by mixing 1/2 cup of the light corn syrup with 1 drop of blue and 1 drop of red food colouring.
- Carefully pour it into the bottom of your jar.
- Carefully pour the blue dish soap down the side of the jar.
- Mix 1/2 cup of water with 2 drops of green food colouring.
- Carefully pour in your green water down the side of the jar.
- Gently pour 1/2 cup olive oil down the side of your jar.
- Mix 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol with 2 drops of red food colouring.
- Carefully pour the red rubbing alcohol down the inside of your jar.
- Being careful not to disturb your liquids, set your jar down on the table and enjoy your rainbow!
Self-inflating Balloon
Materials
Procedure
- Clean a 1 liter bottle and let dry. Using a funnel, add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the bottle.
- Place the small end of the funnel into the opening of the balloon. Hold carefully and pour the vinegar into the balloon.
- Carefully stretch out the open end of the balloon and place over the mouth of the bottle, while leaving the rest of the balloon hanging.
- Hold on to the balloon at the point where it is attached to the bottle. Lift up the rest of the balloon to pour the vinegar inside the bottle, while continuing to hold the balloon at the seal. When the vinegar interacts with the baking soda on the bottom of the bottom, it will start to bubble and inflate the balloon.When the vinegar and baking soda mix together, carbon dioxide gas is produced and this gas causes the balloon to inflate.
