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Try this at home: turn your kitchen into a science lab! Simple experiments like making slime or baking soda volcanoes can spark a lifelong love for science.
Engaging in kitchen science activities is a fantastic way to introduce kids to the wonders of chemistry and physics, using everyday items you already have at home. Here are a few fun and educational experiments to try: Baking Soda Volcano: Mix baking soda and vinegar in a small container to create a fizzy, bubbling "eruption." This classic experiment demonstrates an acid-base reaction and the release of carbon dioxide gas. Rainbow Milk: Add a few drops of food coloring to a plate of milk, then dip a cotton swab in dish soap and touch it to the milk. Watch as the colors swirl and dance, illustrating the interaction between fat molecules and soap. Oobleck: Mix cornstarch and water to make a substance that acts like a liquid when poured and a solid when pressure is applied. This experiment explores the properties of non-Newtonian fluids. At Kiddie Science, we believe that science can be explored everywhere, even (especially) in your own home. These simple experiments not only provide hours of fun but also lay the foundation for a deep understanding and appreciation of scientific principles. So, roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and turn your kitchen into a mini science lab! Hopefully you're someplace where you have snow and can do these experiments sooner than later, because they're lots of fun! BASIC MATERIALS: Snow, assorted bowls/containers, ruler, salt, towels, assorted spoons. EXPERIMENT #1: MEASURING WATER IN SNOW Fill a bowl or container with snow and bring it inside. Don't pack the snow down. Place the ruler in the container and use it to measure the height of the snow. Take a guess as to how deep the water will be in the container after the snow melts. Put the container aside and let the snow melt completely. Use the ruler to measure the height of the water in the container. What did you find? Was your guess close to the actual amount of water? EXPERIMENT #2: MELTING SNOW Fill two containers with snow. Sprinkle salt on the snow in one bowl only, making sure to cover it in one even layer. Place the containers aside. What do you think will happen to the snow? Check on the containers every 5 minutes. What do you observe? EXPERIMENT #3: PLAYING WITH SNOW! Open exploration with snow is fun for all ages. Fill a container with snow and provide your young scientist with spoons and other items to scoop and stir. You can also provide your young scientist with multiple containers and allow them to practice scooping and pouring.
Winter is officially in Brooklyn! An often overlooked season, winter provides outdoor opportunities to observe and explore. Provided its not frigid cold, you're encouraged to bundle up and head outside! Here are four ways you can explore science outside with your child during winter. We've presented the ideas as questions, which helps open up the exploratory possibilities.
What's the weather like outside today? Winter is a great time to observe and track the weather. For young children, this includes temperature, precipitation (type and amount), and cloud cover. Discuss the weather as you make your way out and about and make science a casual part of your day. How can we explore with ice? Ice is a fun and fascinating material that can be used to explore a range of scientific concepts. You can try freezing different liquids in ice cube trays and observing how they look and behave, or conduct experiments to see how long it takes for ice to melt under different conditions. On the right day, you can find ice outside! At 32 degrees and below, water freezes into a solid state. Pay attention to the weather and when the temperature is right, go on an outdoor ice hunt. How can we build with snow/ice?: Building structures with snow or ice can be a fun and challenging way to explore engineering principles. On a snowy day, design and build a snow fort or ice castle, and test their stability and strength. What else can you build with snow or ice? Challenge yourself to build the tallest structure you can build. Who made these tracks? A snowy day walk through the trails inside Prospect Park will help answer this question. Many animals are more active in the winter, and their tracks can be easier to spot in the snow. You can also explore your own tracks. Compare and contrast the different sizes and shapes of your family's footprints. If you have a baking sheet or similar, you can bring the snow inside! Place a towel under the baking sheet because this can get messy (for younger kids, you can set this up on the floor or bathtub). Collect clean snow and let your child explore! How did your winter science exploration go? Tag us in your pictures on Facebook or Instagram at @KiddieScience or #KiddieScience |
