"Minute" Must-Do Science Experiments that Kids Love

These little quick science experiences are easy to do..which is a huge plus.

They are fun and easy to duplicate.

Kids of all ages find they want to repeat them and want to show others.

Have fun giving these a try.

To complete these activities you need things that are usually in your home---most of what you need is listed below---

• paper towels
• dish washing liquid
• food coloring
• qtips
• glass plate
• lemon
• baking soda
• plastic or glass jars or cups (same size)
• sugar
• vinegar
• chicken bones
• mentos
• diet cola

Children of all ages find experiments in science a highlight of their school day whether they are home schooling or whether they are in public or private school. It is an opportunity to be actively involved, hands-on time.

There are many sources that you can check to find experiments. Check into AiMS activities on line. They have many inexpensive stimulating science activities for kids of all ages.

It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel. I searched and searched until I found experiments that I thought my grandchild would find captivating and fun. I home schooled him. Give these 10 must do science experiments at home with your kids, too.

• To do this experiment you need:
• a baggie
• baking soda
• 1/4 cup water
• a tissue or small portion of paper towel

As explained in the video, place the water and vinegar in a baggie. Place 2 tbsp. baking soda in a piece of paper towel or tissue. Fold to make a little pocket. Place in the baggie and quickly zip the baggie. Place in the sink or on the ground if you are outside and watch.

This is so much fun. The vinegar and baking soda work together to make the gas which causes the baggie to 'pop.'

To do this experiment, you need:

• two clear plastic or glass cups (or more if you want pairs of children in your home school or classroom to do this).
• two paper towels rolled tightly to make a wick

Fill one cup with water. Leave the other one empty.

Place one end of the wick in the water, Drape the other end over the empty cup. Be patient. This takes a while...about 30 to 45 minutes. I left mine set up overnight and the results did not change.

* Capillary action causes the water to travel along little spaces in the fibers of the paper towel thus moving the water from one cup to the next.

VARIATION: You can make your wick thinner to see if it changes the results. Of course you can also make it much thicker too.

• To do this experiment you need:
• a plate
• milk
• dish washing liquid
• food coloring
• qtips

Pour milk into a plate. Place a small drop of four food colorings in the center of the milk. Then place a q tip with nothing on it in the center of the drops of food coloring. Talk about what happens.

Then place the end of the q tip in dish soap and then place it in the center of the food coloring (do not stir). Watch what happens.

* What causes the food coloring to travel across the milk is that the dish soap does not mix with the milk. As it spreads out it carries the food coloring along with it.

To do this experiment, you need:

• a lemon
• sugar, if desired
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• water
• drinking glass

Squeeze your lemon and place in the drinking glass.

Add water and sugar. Add baking soda and stir. It will make a fizzie lemon drink. When you drink you are aware of the 'fizz' but not so much. It is not really very tasty but I imagine you can experiment to further to improve the taste.

For this experiment, you will need:

• some left over chicken bones (wash them so you are using only the bone)
• vinegar

Place the bones in vinegar for 24 hours. Remove from vinegar. At this point you will be able to tie the bones into knots. Set them aside to dry and they will harden again.

For this experiment, you will need:

• ice cubes (enough for each child who is doing the experiment)
• Cups
• warm water

Have children predict what will happen when they place the ice cube in a glass of water.

Then have them place the ice cube in the glass. Go back and observe when the ice cube has melted. Talk about what happens.

**The glass will not overflow because when water freezes it contracts thus making it take up less space. When it is placed in the warm water and thaws, it does not take up as much space as anticipated.

To do this experiment, you need:

• several bottles of diet cola
• mentos
• brave souls to do the experiment

Place mentos in diet cola and you will have Old Faithful right before your eyes.

If you are doing this with young children, explain that the mentos reacts with the soda (like vinegar and baking soda when combined only BETTER).

If you are doing this with older children, have the children research and find out what causes this to happen.

To do this experiment, you need:

• three eggs, uncooked
• three jars of water
• one jar of water, add sugar
• one jar of water, add salt
• one jar of water...leave plain

Place an egg in each jar. See if the egg floats in any of the jars.

If not, try adding more sugar or salt to the jars.

To do this experiment, you need:

sugar cubes

• pliers
• plate or dish
• dark dark dark room

Go into a dark room...no light visible. Wait a few minutes until your eyes adjust to the darkness.

Then smush the sugar cubes with the pliers. Watch what happens.

**the blue green light that is emitted is called triboluminescence...that a fun word for a spelling bonus word!!

It is thought by some that smushing the lumps of sugar creates uneven electrical charges. Then when the charges get together, they make the flash of light.

TIPS: Be patient and keep trying. I had never done this so wanted to before I published this article. I went into a room that wasn't as dark as a night with no moon, I saw no sparkles.

Then I went in to a closet and

tried it and was too impatient and saw........n o t h i n g.

So this morning I got up and went into the closet again and I leaned over, very close to the dish as I thought maybe I wasn't close enough. And I saw a tiny light show. This is worth doing!! What fun!!

Here is another list of 10 to view:

10 Real Life Math Activities for Kids plus Math Races