Looking for fun and educational activities to do at home with your family? At home science experiments are a great way for kids to have hands-on experience with science as well as a great way to spend time with your family.  

Try one of these science experiments today and have some laughs and wonders with your children!  

1.   Rain Clouds in a Jar  

The Rain Clouds in a Jar experiment is a great one to try with kids of any age. This experiment teaches students about how clouds and rain are made in such a fun and pretty way.  

Ingredients:  

-A Glass Jar

-Baby Oil

-Shaving Cream

-Blue Food Coloring

-Eye Dropper

 

Directions:  

1.   Fill the jar halfway with baby oil.

2.   Top the bottle with some shaving cream that will be the cloud.

3.   Mix water and two drops of blue food coloring.

4.   Use the dropper to drop the “rain” into the shaving cream cloud

5.   Enjoy the rain!  

2. Elephant Toothpaste  

The Elephant Toothpaste experiment is such a great one where the kids can really see science in action. This experiment allows children to see how sodium iodide reacts with hydrogen peroxide.  

During this reaction, oxygen is removed from the chemical make-up and when that happens, the oxygen gets trapped in the soap which produces a ball of foam. The reaction will also produce oxygen gas, water, and iodine.  

This reaction also can cause a big mess so be prepared for a little clean up!  

Ingredients:  

-Food coloring

-Water bottles

-Dry yeast

-Dish soap

-Hydrogen peroxide

-Funnel

-Safety glasses

-A Plastic Bin 

Directions:  

1.   Pour in 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide into a water bottle using a funnel

2.   Add a few drops of dish soap into the water bottle and mix.

3.   Add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture in the water bottle.

4.   In a separate bowl, add two tablespoons of dry yeast and 3 tablespoons of water into a bowl, then mix together.

5.   Place the water bottle with the hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and food coloring mixture into the plastic bin.

6.   Add the yeast mixture into the water bottle and watch it foam!  

3. Lemon Volcano Experiment  

This experiment is a twist on the traditional and well loved science experiment of seeing the reaction between mixing an acid and a base. Using a lemon actually creates a much better reaction using the natural citric acid in the lemon as well as using vinegar. So grab a couple lemons from your local grocery store and let’s get experimenting!  

Ingredients:  

-Lemons

-Knife

-Food Coloring

-Vinegar

-Baking Soda

-Dish Soap

-A Plastic Bin

-Popsicle Sticks

-Squirt bottle or squirt gun (just a fun twist)  

Directions:  

1.   Use a knife to cut off the ends of the lemons and then cut them in half.

2.   Use the popsicle sticks to stick in the lemons and separate the segments slightly from the rind.

3.   Add 5 drops of food coloring to each of the lemon halves.

4.   Add 2 drops of dish soap to each of the lemon halves.

5.   Add a 1 teaspoon of baking soda to each of the lemon halves.

6.   Use the popsicle to mix the food coloring, dish soap, and baking soda together.

7.   Squirt on the vinegar and watch it explode!  

Any of these science experiments use supplies everyone has available at home and are a great way to learn and grow as a family!  

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Optimus Learning School is a tutoring center in Brea serving Fullerton, Placentia, and Yorba Linda. Since 2008, we have been helping students from kindergarten through high school achieve their academic goals through our various programs such as our home school, after school program, homework help, and private tutoring. We also offer seasonal programs such as our popular summer camp. There are many enrichment classes year-round, such as coding, STEM, piano, and art which will help shape creative and well-rounded students. Are you ready to kickstart your child’s education? Send an inquiry form or contact us today!