Spring break is a few weeks away, and summer break will be here before we know it. I know, I can’t believe it either. Time to start the lists of all the things to do to entertain the kids for all of five minutes before they start saying they’re bored. Don’t worry, Mama. I got you!
Sure, TV, phones, tablets, and gaming systems are just necessary sometimes (trust me, I get it!), but I also, like most of us parents, try to encourage my kids to engage in as many screen-free activities as possible, especially during those longer breaks from school. So, save this post to reference when you’re making your list of supplies to stock up on and activities for those long days to come!
If you’re looking for activities to spark creativity and curiosity while encouraging reading, using their brain, and no screens involved, look no further than science experiments!
My 8-year-old daughter has been obsessed with making slime for a few years, and I’ve officially embraced it. Yep, I’m that crazy mom. It never really dawned on me that it is, in fact, experimenting with ingredients until you’ve created the perfect slimy concoction. Yes, it can get messy, but it also allows her to be creative, have fun, learn by trial and error, and feel proud about perfecting her craft and being really good at making something. That alone is worth the dried-up glue I have to peel out of my mixing bowls on occasion.
READ: Easy DIY Slime Recipes Straight From My 7-Year-Old
Her passion for creating and experimenting led us to discovering a Netflix show called Emily’s Wonder Lab, where host Emily Calandrelli — who’s an MIT engineer-turned-science communicator and also the 100th woman in space, which is super cool and makes for a great role model — teaches kids about science through experiments and fun, and I feel like everyone with kids should know about it! Yes, you have to watch it on a screen (sounds contradicting, I know), BUT at least it’s educational and leaves you with take-away activities. She has since come out with two books, both of which we have and would recommend, full of dozens of kid-friendly science experiments. Many use items you likely already have around your home (which we love), and most of them can be done without you having to stop what you’re doing to help every 45 seconds (which we also love).
I love that the books allow the kids to read and comprehend while also experimenting and having fun… because learning should be fun! You can find a ton of other kid-friendly science books at the local library, book stores, and online, and Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram are full of fun ideas as well. Emily also has a YouTube channel where she shares short videos teaching her experiments in a fun, high-energy way that kids love and can easily understand.
A few of our recent favorite experiments from her books are below. Let us know if your kids try any and what they think!
Elephant Toothpaste
Ingredients & Directions:
1. In a plastic bottle, combine 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide 3% solution, 1/4 cup dishwashing soap, and a few drops of food coloring.
2. In a separate container, mix one packet of active dry yeast with a little warm water. Wait five minutes.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle and watch the reaction!
Glow-in-the-Dark Lava Lamp
Ingredients & Directions:
1. Use a pair of pliers to pull the bottom off a yellow highlighter.
2. Squeeze the highlighter ink into a cup filled with water. Mix.
3. Pour a little oil on top of the water.
4. Shine a blacklight underneath your glass.
5. Little by little, add salt to the top and watch it bubble!
Unicorn Slime
Ingredients & Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine 1/3 cup of glue, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
2. Add 1 cup shaving cream and mix.
3. Add a couple of drops of food coloring.
4. Add 3/4 tablespoon eye contact solution and mix. Add more contact solution little by little as needed, until desired consistency is reached. Have fun mixing and playing with your hands!
Oobleck
Ingredients & Directions:
1. Mix 1 cup of cornstarch in a bowl.
2. Add between 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water.
3. Add food coloring and mix.
4. Squeeze your Oobleck to make it feel like a solid.
5. Let it drip between your fingers to experience it as a liquid. this is the magic of a non-Newtonian fluid!
(A note from one mom to another: Don’t bother trying to save it in an air-tight container, just discard it when they’re done playing with it or it starts to smell really bad.)
Some are successes, some are fails, but all are fun and give the kids something to take away. And I think it’s important for them to learn from both! When my kids say they’re bored, I always tell them that they can only be bored if they’re boring, and that usually triggers their brain into thinking of something to do. There’s no way that kids who are given the tools to exercise their brains through fun can be boring if you ask me!
I’ve also put together a Kids Science Experiments Board on Pinterest with experiments we’ve tried and want to try and will continue adding to it as we find more that look promising. Feel free to give it a follow and join in on the fun!
