Science Experiments you Can Do at Home

Are you looking for some science experiments that you can do at home?  Here are a few science labs that can be done easily with household materials.  Your kids will love these. Great for enriching your children with hands-on science.

Rainbow Column
This experiment takes advantage of density to create a rainbow in a glass. When you add sugar to a liquid, it causes the solution to become denser

The more sugar you add, the more dense the solution is.

Make four different solutions with different densities of sugar. Add a different color to each glass. The colors will layer on top of each other — the denser, more sugary solutions will sit on the bottom and the lightest will sit on the top.

Density Column

Making Flubber

When you mix glue, water, and a little bit of food coloring, then add some borax, flubber forms. That's because the glue has something called polyvinyl acetate in it, which is a liquid polymer. The borax links the polyvinyl acetate molecules to each other, creating one large, flexible polymer: flubber. More details here Recipe for Flubber

Colorful Milk Experiment

Use milk with higher fat content for a better reaction.  In a saucer of milk, drop three or four drops of food coloring.  Dip cotton swab in dish soap (I think dawn works the best!)

Milk Experiment

The detergent lowers the surface tension of the liquid so that the food coloring is free to flow throughout the milk.  The detergent reacts with the protein in the milk, altering the shape of those molecules and setting them in motion. The detergent repels the fat (which is why it helps cut grease on dishes).  See more details here: Milk and Food Coloring

Make Lava Lamp

Fill a bottle 3/4 full with vegetable oil. Fill the rest with water. Add three or four drops of food coloring.  

Break up Alka-Seltzer Tablets into smaller pieces.  Add a few to the bottle. Give students a flashlight to shine on the bottle. Water is denser than oil.  That is why the oil is on the top.  Another concept that you can teach through this exciting activity is polarity (why oil and water do not mix). See more details here Lava Lamp

Lemon Volcano

It is fun to make a lemon volcano and teach about chemical reactions.
You will need these materials: lemons, food coloring, plastic knife, baking soda, dawn dish soap, and a pan or plate.

First, add a few drops of food coloring, then dish soap, then baking soda on top. Poke holes in the lemon with the plastic knife.  This will help the base and acid mix which will give you a colorful reaction.  

See more details here. Lemon Volcano

I hope you try some of these fun science activities at home!  

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