Let's get one thing straight: Science is fun.
It may seem like dark magic that humans were able to survive for many years on earth, but it's just a lot of fun. Kids are going to be kids, and they will want to play with whatever they want. Science is one way they can do this.
Most people encounter science in school, but the truth is kids don't learn best by just listening to their teachers and reading books. In fact, these complex activities that need a lot of learning repel children. However, if you do fun experiments at home, not only do you pique kids' interest in science, but you also get an opportunity to bond with them. Want that? Check out these cool experiments to do at home with household items!
Let’s begin!
Related: 7 Easy Science Activities for Preschoolers You Can Do with Your Kids!
3 Easy Science Experiments Using Household Items
1. Uncracking Eggs!
Well, first off, we won't do any cracking here. Instead, we’ll make the eggshell disappear from the egg, leaving it wholly naked yet intact!
A mildly strong acid like your kitchen vinegar could completely eat up the shell of an egg. The eggshell is primarily made up of calcium carbonate, which is weak compared to the acetic acid found in your vinegar. Don't worry, the acid in your vinegar is food-grade safe for ingestion. The first at-home science experiment on the list deals with the concept of solubility.
Let's crack this scientific demonstration with some chemistry!
Materials and instructions
This experiment is easy, even second graders can do this. Here’s what you’ll need:
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A fresh raw egg
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Vinegar
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And a mason jar (any jar will do, you could even do this in a glass)
And here’s how to dissolve the shell from the egg!
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Fill the jar halfway with vinegar.
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Then, gently place the egg inside.
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Add more vinegar until the egg is completely submerged.
You have to wait for about two days to complete the science experiment. So, set the jar aside safely, and after two long days, it's time to check it out!
You'll notice a foam has formed on top of the vinegar - that's the eggshell! Call your kid and let them fish the egg out from the jar gently. Tell them to rinse it off with water, and voila! You now have a naked egg!
It’s squishy, and you could let your kid bounce it on the table by dropping it for about an inch or so. Super fun!
Final Result
"Where did the eggshell go?" That's a curious question your kid might ask. Explain that the acid from the vinegar has dissolved the eggshell resulting in the foam on top of the liquid. What's holding the egg together now is a thin membrane located under the shell! You'll notice this when you crack an egg open.
Time for some clean-up. Before you dump the vinegar into the drain, make sure to dilute it first with some water. This is a safety measure just so the acid wouldn't react violently with whatever's in the pipes.
On to the next one!
2. Friction Experiment for Young Learners
The next easy-at-home science experiment on the list is about physics!
Physics might be the most effortless science you can explain to your kid! It's the science that your kid can immediately notice once they know what's going on about every little thing we do. One of them is friction!
Friction lets us walk on the floor instead of sliding on it. It enables the wheel to roll instead of just spinning and rotating on your kid's bike. And a lot more!
But let's stick to the experiment here. Because of friction, you can pick up a heavy bottle filled with rice by just sticking a pencil into it. It will seem like a magic trick to your kid!
Are you excited?
Materials and instructions
Here’s what you’re going to need:
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A pencil (doesn’t matter if it’s sharpened or not)
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An empty 500ml water bottle
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And at least 2 cups of raw rice
This experiment is super straightforward. You’re going to love it!
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Fill the bottle with rice (pro tip: tap the bottle as you fill it so the rice can settle snuggly)
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Stick the pencil down the rice through the mouth of the bottle
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Then, gently lift the pencil up
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Repeatedly lift the pencil up and down until it gets stuck inside. Eventually, this will allow you to pick up the bottle as you gently pull the pencil upwards!
You’ll be as shocked as your kid!
Final Result
Time to figure out what's happening. When filling the bottle with rice, a few empty spaces or air pockets are left between each rice grain. However, the moment you push the pencil in, the rice grains move aside to make room for the pencil. This minimizes the air pockets, making the rice grains rub with each other.
The process makes the space so tight that the rice grains begin pushing against the pencil. Once the pencil is stuck, lifting it will cause the bottle of rice to lift too!
Now, everyone might not have rice available in their pantry. So, you might want to do a quick run to the grocery to grab a bag before the experiment. But, don't worry, the grains won’t be wasted. Use a clean pencil and bottle so the rice can still be cooked and eaten safely. After all, you're still going to boil the rice and that pretty much kills a lot of bacteria. That's biology in action there!
3. Discovering the Xylem of Celery
Biology is also a fun science to teach your kid. It can easily be observed from the food your kid eats and the plants around your backyard.
For this science experiment with your kid, we'll turn a celery blue! This is an excellent home experiment to show your kid how unique the structure of a plant is. You can explain how they carry water to their leaves through capillary action in the xylem, just like how your blood travels through the body!
Heads up, because this experiment will involve a lot of exploration. Your kid's going to be super "wowed"!
Materials and instructions
Grab these:
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A fresh celery
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A jar
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Water
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Blue food coloring
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A pair of scissors
Is everything ready? Okay, let’s begin!
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Pour a cup of water into the jar, and add three drops of the blue food coloring
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Cut about an inch from the bottom of the celery's stalk
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Immerse the base of the stem into that jar
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Leave it overnight
After you've eaten your hearty breakfast, call your kid and check the celery together. Be prepared to see a blue Celery!
Final Result
With this experiment, your kid can fully understand how a plant works and share their new learning with their friends. So, what's happening here?
Plants absorb water through their roots using a process called capillary action. You can check this out yourself by cutting the middle part of the stalk. You'll find the dyed water around the middle portion of the stem, which means it absorbed water, but the fluid hasn't reached the leaves yet.
And here's where the unique structure of a plant gets introduced - the xylem! It's a network of tiny tubes that effortlessly carries water to the leaves. As a result, you'll find blue tints of blue along the celery's body.
You can even spice this experiment up with a portable microscope! So your kid can zoom in and see everything in detail! What an investigation, huh?
Cleaning the experiment afterward, you might find that there spilled drops of dyed water on the kitchen counter. First, wipe it off with a rag. If it left a stain, then just put some dishwashing liquid on it then rub it down.
Hands-on learning for kids has never been this fun!
Takeaways
It can be difficult to teach their kids science without seeming like a boring class or forcing the subject on them. However, these three cool experiments to do at home with household items should work well! It's fun and an easy way to educate your kids. Plus, experiments like these cultivate their knack for independent learning.
And because playing is an excellent way for kids to learn, it's best to keep them engaged with science toys. TheSTEMKids portable microscope is the best-selling stem gadget in the market. Give your child the best of the best!