From Mentos in a Bottle to Playing with Rainbows: Science Experiments Kids Can Do at Home | Science

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Kids and adults alike may be stuck at home during this year’s Science Week, but that doesn’t mean the pursuit of knowledge should be put off either.

Dr Karl Krushelnicki told The Guardian Australia that children today may be able to access a wealth of information online, but getting hands-on training takes the next step.

“Science is not a set of facts, it is an encyclopedia,” said Dr. Carl. “The beauty of doing physical experiments at home is that you can see them happening right in front of you knowing you’re dealing with reality.”

“Science is a way to understand the world around you, and if you do nice little experiments, you will begin to understand that there is actually more going on around you than you think.”

Dr Erin Fagan Jeffries, wasp expert from the University of Adelaide and the Museum of South Australia, produced a show called Science and Magic that was shown during Science Week in 2019 and at the Adelaide Fringe 2020.

She said there are many simple ways to release a child’s natural curiosity.

“When you work with children, they are born scientists because they like to ask questions and are not afraid to ask questions,” she said. “And it really is all this science.”

For those looking for suggestions, Questacon has a bunch of fun science experiments on their website, but to make things easier, we’ve picked a few of our favorites, arranged in order of difficulty—with some recommendations by Dr. Carl and Dr. Vagan Jeffries.

junior

1. Classic: the geyser from the bottle

Add Mentos to a bottle of soft drink and you’ve got yourself a classic. When the carbon dioxide it produces builds up, the liquid will eventually cause it to explode. Updating the trick to keep it fresh and interesting is easy: just add a scale.

2. Keep it simple: an egg in a bottle

Another old but golden one: Using a glass bottle with an opening a little smaller than a boiled egg, light a piece of paper, drop it inside and place a peeled boiled egg on top of it. Watch as the egg slides from the opening into the bottle.

Then, if you’re really good, use the same process to get the egg out again.

Although simple, the experiment is a hands-on demonstration of the relationship between the volume, pressure and temperature of the gases in and around the bottle. The egg forms an insulator while the heat inside the bottle causes air pressure to build up so the oxygen inside can escape, reducing the amount of air inside the bottle. Since the air pressure outside the bottle does not change, it begins to gently push the egg through the hole.

middle

3. Fluid dynamics: playing with rainbows

Step it up a bit—but not to the point where you’ll be playing with fire—this dish needs a shallow dish, whole milk, some dye, and dish soap. Put the milk in the dish, drop the dye in it and place a drop of dish soap in the middle to see a spread of color for a neutralizing effect. This happens because of the molecular mechanics of soap – figuring out why a good research project next.

Other variants suggested by Dr. Carl include putting peppers in water and adding dish soap to watch them move. The other involves placing four M&M’s around the edge of the dish and then filling it with 90°C water. While the pigments in the sugary shell dissolve in water, the pigments mix but don’t.

“They start getting close to each other, and then something happens! Then you ask yourself, why on earth did that happen?” he said. “Then you have to do your research to find out.”

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4. Success Factor: Hot Ice

This experiment requires a few tools but is well worth it – although it should only be tried with parental supervision. We’ll leave it to the video to explain the process and science, but it teaches how to make a supersaturated solution that crystallizes instantly. In twisting, the “ice” you create is hot rather than cold, which is indicative of an exothermic reaction and heat of crystallization.

Once you master the basics, you can also have some fun making ice towers and instant flowers.

5. Dangerous: Hybrid Rocket Engine

The first thing budding engineers and rocket scientists learn is that there are three types of rocket engines: liquid fuels, solid fuels, and hybrid engines that rely on both types of fuel. As it turns out, you can create your own simple hybrid drive using yeast, hydrogen peroxide, and uncooked pasta. When yeast and hydrogen peroxide are mixed together, pure oxygen is produced. Set your pasta on fire and you’ll have a basic rocket motor.

This is another method that should only be tried with parental supervision and the video tutorial below contains some important safety tips.

6. Bonus option: Step into the backyard

The other option is to enter the backyard to explore the natural world. Bush Blitz – Australia’s largest nature discovery programme – has set up a treasure hunt for Science Week that allows participants to hunt for new species in their own backyards or walls.

“I’m a taxonomist, and I work on insects, so my science isn’t about mixing bicarb and vinegar together to see an explosion—which is fun. My science is about getting out to see the ecosystem and understanding our biodiversity. So the organisms are in the environment,” says Dr. Fagan Jeffries.

We believe that 70% of the animals, plants and fungi in Australia have yet to be described. They have not been discovered by Western science and given a name that means anyone can find a new species – if they look hard enough.”

Instructions on how to participate can be found on the Bush Blitz website.

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