Simple Science Projects You Can Make With the Kids
by Susanne Myers

Description: Easy science experiments and projects you can do with your kids.

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You want your kids to have fun, but also want to expand their minds. What's a parent to do? How about a few easy science projects that are simple to recreate? Your kids will love the hands-on experience and you can feel good about getting them involved in an activity that will have them learning (without the kids even realizing it). Here are five easy science projects for you and your kids. Try one of them on a rainy afternoon or anytime the kids are looking for something fun to do.

Grow Crystals

Crystals can be quite fascinating. We are constantly surrounded by them from simple table salt and sugar, to the graphite in your pencil. Of course there are also more famous crystals like precious stones and diamond. You can grow some fascinating salt crystals yourself. All you need are water, salt and some time.

Start by making a salt solution. Fill a cup with warm water and continue to add salt to it until the water can absorb no additional salt. You know you have reached this stage when the salt just drops to the bottom of the cup.

Pour a little of the salt water on a saucer and leave it sitting in a warm spot. As the water evaporates, the salt crystals will start to form. Continue to pour a little more of the saltwater on the saucer and the existing crystals and watch them grow.

Water Tension

Have you ever watched small insects walk on water? This is possible because of water tension. Here are two simple experiments that will demonstrate water tension. All you need is a glass, water, a paper clip and several pennies.

Fill the glass with water. Now drop a paper clip in the glass. Watch it drop to the bottom. Fish the paper clip out and this time gently lay it flat on the water. If you do it right, the paper clip will float on top of the water.

For our second experiment, we need to fill the glass all the way to the top with water. Grab some pennies and carefully add them to the glass, one at a time. Watch as the water rises in a dome shape over the glass without spilling.

If you'd like to take this experiment one step further, use a drop of dish soap to show how soap will disrupt the water tension. Add one drop of the soap to the glass of water. The water tension will be “broken”, and the water will spill over the edges of the glass.

Static Electricity

Static electricity is another fun phenomenon. It's what makes clothes stick together in the dryer and makes your child's hair stand up when you hold a statically charged item (like a blanked from the dryer) over your child's head. Here's a simple static electricity experiment that's lots of fun. You can truly amaze young kids with this “magic”.

All you need are a balloon and either a piece of felt, or a wool sweater. Blow up the balloon, then rub it against the felt or sweater for a few seconds. Take the balloon and stick it on the wall. It should be held up there by the static electricity.

Build Your Own Volcano

This is the most “involved of all the science projects in this article. But who could resist making their own working Volcano. Since things can get a bit messy, this experiment is best done outside.

Start by making a batch of salt dough by mixing 6 cups of flour, 2 cups of salt, 2 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large bowl. Add more water as needed. You should end up with a smooth but firm dough.

Next, place and empty soda bottle on an old baking sheet and mold the dough around bottle. Cover it all the way to the top, but be careful and don't drop any dough in the bottle.

Fill the soda bottle with warm water almost to the top. It helps to use a funnel to get the water in the bottle, but not on the salt dough volcano. For bright red lava, add some red food coloring to the water before adding it to the bottle.

Pour 6 drops of liquid detergent into the bottle, then add 2 tbs of baking solda and step away from the volcano. Watch the “red lava” pour out of the volcano during this fantastics eruption.

Grow Something

You don't need a garden to grow something with your kids. There are quite a few things you can do on the kitchen counter or in a small pot. For a very fast growing experiment plant some beans in a cup of soil. Keep them in a warm spot and water them daily. Within a few days you should see a little bean sprout poking it's head out of the soil.

You can also grow alfalfa sprouts in nothing more than a dish with wet paper towels. You may even convince your child to eat her salad when you top it with some of the sprouts she has grown. For more involved growing experiments, plant some herbs in a couple of small clay pots in the kitchen window, or plant strawberry plants in wooden barrel on the porch.

Give these simple science experiments for kids a try and watch their faces light up as you experiment together. Not only will you have a great time with your little ones, you are also expanding their curious minds. For more fun ideas on what to do with the kids along with recipes, product reviews and more visit http://www.ParentingZoo.com and join our online parenting magazine and membership site.

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