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20 Awesome Science Experiments You Can Do Right Now At Home

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Morenike Adebayo

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We can all agree that science is awesome. And you can bring that awesomeness into your very own home with these 20 safe DIY experiments you can do right now with ordinary household items.

1. Make Objects Seemingly Disappear Refraction is when light changes direction and speed as it passes from one object to another. Only visible objects reflect light. When two materials with similar reflective properties come into contact, light will pass through both materials at the same speed, rendering the other material invisible. Check out this video from BritLab  on how to turn glass invisible using vegetable oil and pyrex glass.

2. Freeze Water Instantly When purified water is cooled to just below freezing point, a quick nudge or an icecube placed in it is all it takes for the water to instantly freeze. You can finally have the power of Frozone from The Incredibles on a very small scale! Check out the video on this "cool" experiment. 

3. Create Oobleck And Make It Dance To The Music Named after a sticky substance in a children’s book by Dr Seuss , Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid, which means it can behave as both a solid and a liquid. And when placed on a sound source, the vibrations causes the mixture to gloopily dance. Check out these instructions from Housing A Forest  on how to make this groovy fluid funk out in every way.

4. Create Your Own Hybrid Rocket Engine With a combination of a solid fuel source and a liquid oxidizer, hybrid rocket engines can propel themselves. And on a small scale, you can create your own hybrid rocket engine, using pasta, mouthwash and yeast. Sadly, it won’t propel much, but who said rocket science ain’t easy? Check out this video from NightHawkInLight on how to make this mini engine.

5. Create "Magic Mud" Another non-Newtonian fluid here, this time from the humble potato. "Magic Mud" is actually starch found in potatoes. It’ll remain hard when handled but leave it alone and it turns into a liquid. Make your own “Magic Mud” with this video.

6. Command The Skies And Create A Cloud In A Bottle Not quite a storm in a teacup, but it is a cloud in a bottle. Clouds up in the sky are formed when water vapor cools and condenses into visible water droplets. Create your own cloud in a bottle using a few household items with these wikiHow instructions .

7. Create An Underwater Magical World First synthesized by Adolf van Baeyer in 1871, fluorescein is a non-toxic powder found in highlighter pens, and used by NASA to find shuttles that land in the sea. Create an underwater magical world with this video from NightHawkInLight .

9. Make Your Own Lava Lamp Inside a lava lamp are colored bubbles of wax suspended in a clear or colorless liquid, which changes density when warmed by a heating element at the base, allowing them to rise and fall hypnotically. Create your own lava lamp with these video instructions.

10. Create Magnetic Fluid A ferrofluid is a liquid that contains nanoscale particles of metal, which can become magnetized. And with oil, toner and a magnet , you can create your own ferrofluid and harness the power of magnetism! 

12. Make Waterproof Sand A hydrophobic substance is one that repels water. When sand is combined with a water-resistant chemical, it becomes hydrophobic. So when it comes into contact with water, the sand will remain dry and reusable. Make your own waterproof sand with this video .

13. Make Elephant's Toothpaste Elephant’s toothpaste is a steaming foamy substance created by the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, which sort of resembles giant-sized toothpaste. Make your own elephant’s toothpaste with these instructions.

14. Make Crystal Bubbles When the temperature falls below 0 o C (32 o F), it’s possible to freeze bubbles into crystals. No instructions needed here, just some bubble mix and chilly weather.

15. Make Moving Liquid Art Mixing dish soap and milk together causes the surface tension of the milk to break down. Throw in different food colorings and create this trippy chemical reaction.

16. Create Colourful Carnations Flowers absorb water through their stems, and if that water has food coloring in it, the flowers will also absorb that color. Create some wonderfully colored flowers with these wikiHow instructions .

17. "Magically" Turn Water Into Wine Turn water into wine with this  video  by experimenter Dave Hax . Because water has a higher density than wine, they can switch places. Amaze your friends with this fun science trick.

18. Release The Energy In Candy (Without Eating It) Dropping a gummy bear into a test tube with potassium chlorate releases the chemical energy inside in an intense chemical reaction. That’s exactly what's happening when you eat candy, kids.

19. Make Water "Mysteriously" Disappear Sodium polyacrylate is a super-absorbent polymer, capable of absorbing up to 300 times its own weight in water. Found in disposable diapers, you can make water disappear in seconds with this video .

20. Create A Rainbow In A Jar Different liquids have different masses and different densities. For example, oil is less dense than water and will float on top of its surface. By combining liquids of different densities and adding food coloring, you can make an entire rainbow in a jar with this video .

There you have it – 20 experiments for you to explore the incredible world of science!

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72 Easy Science Experiments Using Materials You Already Have On Hand

Because science doesn’t have to be complicated.

If there is one thing that is guaranteed to get your students excited, it’s a good science experiment! While some experiments require expensive lab equipment or dangerous chemicals, there are plenty of cool projects you can do with regular household items. We’ve rounded up a big collection of easy science experiments that anybody can try, and kids are going to love them!

Easy Chemistry Science Experiments

Easy physics science experiments, easy biology and environmental science experiments, easy engineering experiments and stem challenges.

1. Taste the Rainbow

Teach your students about diffusion while creating a beautiful and tasty rainbow! Tip: Have extra Skittles on hand so your class can eat a few!

Learn more: Skittles Diffusion

2. Crystallize sweet treats

Crystal science experiments teach kids about supersaturated solutions. This one is easy to do at home, and the results are absolutely delicious!

Learn more: Candy Crystals

3. Make a volcano erupt

This classic experiment demonstrates a chemical reaction between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid), which produces carbon dioxide gas, water, and sodium acetate.

Learn more: Best Volcano Experiments

4. Make elephant toothpaste

This fun project uses yeast and a hydrogen peroxide solution to create overflowing “elephant toothpaste.” Tip: Add an extra fun layer by having kids create toothpaste wrappers for plastic bottles.

5. Blow the biggest bubbles you can

Add a few simple ingredients to dish soap solution to create the largest bubbles you’ve ever seen! Kids learn about surface tension as they engineer these bubble-blowing wands.

Learn more: Giant Soap Bubbles

6. Demonstrate the “magic” leakproof bag

All you need is a zip-top plastic bag, sharp pencils, and water to blow your kids’ minds. Once they’re suitably impressed, teach them how the “trick” works by explaining the chemistry of polymers.

Learn more: Leakproof Bag

7. Use apple slices to learn about oxidation

Have students make predictions about what will happen to apple slices when immersed in different liquids, then put those predictions to the test. Have them record their observations.

Learn more: Apple Oxidation

8. Float a marker man

Their eyes will pop out of their heads when you “levitate” a stick figure right off the table! This experiment works due to the insolubility of dry-erase marker ink in water, combined with the lighter density of the ink.

Learn more: Floating Marker Man

9. Discover density with hot and cold water

There are a lot of easy science experiments you can do with density. This one is extremely simple, involving only hot and cold water and food coloring, but the visuals make it appealing and fun.

Learn more: Layered Water

10. Layer more liquids

This density demo is a little more complicated, but the effects are spectacular. Slowly layer liquids like honey, dish soap, water, and rubbing alcohol in a glass. Kids will be amazed when the liquids float one on top of the other like magic (except it is really science).

Learn more: Layered Liquids

11. Grow a carbon sugar snake

Easy science experiments can still have impressive results! This eye-popping chemical reaction demonstration only requires simple supplies like sugar, baking soda, and sand.

Learn more: Carbon Sugar Snake

12. Mix up some slime

Tell kids you’re going to make slime at home, and watch their eyes light up! There are a variety of ways to make slime, so try a few different recipes to find the one you like best.

13. Make homemade bouncy balls

These homemade bouncy balls are easy to make since all you need is glue, food coloring, borax powder, cornstarch, and warm water. You’ll want to store them inside a container like a plastic egg because they will flatten out over time.

Learn more: Make Your Own Bouncy Balls

14. Create eggshell chalk

Eggshells contain calcium, the same material that makes chalk. Grind them up and mix them with flour, water, and food coloring to make your very own sidewalk chalk.

Learn more: Eggshell Chalk

15. Make naked eggs

This is so cool! Use vinegar to dissolve the calcium carbonate in an eggshell to discover the membrane underneath that holds the egg together. Then, use the “naked” egg for another easy science experiment that demonstrates osmosis .

Learn more: Naked Egg Experiment

16. Turn milk into plastic

This sounds a lot more complicated than it is, but don’t be afraid to give it a try. Use simple kitchen supplies to create plastic polymers from plain old milk. Sculpt them into cool shapes when you’re done!

17. Test pH using cabbage

Teach kids about acids and bases without needing pH test strips! Simply boil some red cabbage and use the resulting water to test various substances—acids turn red and bases turn green.

Learn more: Cabbage pH

18. Clean some old coins

Use common household items to make old oxidized coins clean and shiny again in this simple chemistry experiment. Ask kids to predict (hypothesize) which will work best, then expand the learning by doing some research to explain the results.

Learn more: Cleaning Coins

19. Pull an egg into a bottle

This classic easy science experiment never fails to delight. Use the power of air pressure to suck a hard-boiled egg into a jar, no hands required.

Learn more: Egg in a Bottle

20. Blow up a balloon (without blowing)

Chances are good you probably did easy science experiments like this when you were in school. The baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment demonstrates the reactions between acids and bases when you fill a bottle with vinegar and a balloon with baking soda.

21 Assemble a DIY lava lamp

This 1970s trend is back—as an easy science experiment! This activity combines acid-base reactions with density for a totally groovy result.

22. Explore how sugary drinks affect teeth

The calcium content of eggshells makes them a great stand-in for teeth. Use eggs to explore how soda and juice can stain teeth and wear down the enamel. Expand your learning by trying different toothpaste-and-toothbrush combinations to see how effective they are.

Learn more: Sugar and Teeth Experiment

23. Mummify a hot dog

If your kids are fascinated by the Egyptians, they’ll love learning to mummify a hot dog! No need for canopic jars , just grab some baking soda and get started.

24. Extinguish flames with carbon dioxide

This is a fiery twist on acid-base experiments. Light a candle and talk about what fire needs in order to survive. Then, create an acid-base reaction and “pour” the carbon dioxide to extinguish the flame. The CO2 gas acts like a liquid, suffocating the fire.

25. Send secret messages with invisible ink

Turn your kids into secret agents! Write messages with a paintbrush dipped in lemon juice, then hold the paper over a heat source and watch the invisible become visible as oxidation goes to work.

Learn more: Invisible Ink

26. Create dancing popcorn

This is a fun version of the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment, perfect for the younger crowd. The bubbly mixture causes popcorn to dance around in the water.

27. Shoot a soda geyser sky-high

You’ve always wondered if this really works, so it’s time to find out for yourself! Kids will marvel at the chemical reaction that sends diet soda shooting high in the air when Mentos are added.

Learn more: Soda Explosion

28. Send a teabag flying

Hot air rises, and this experiment can prove it! You’ll want to supervise kids with fire, of course. For more safety, try this one outside.

Learn more: Flying Tea Bags

29. Create magic milk

This fun and easy science experiment demonstrates principles related to surface tension, molecular interactions, and fluid dynamics.

Learn more: Magic Milk Experiment

30. Watch the water rise

Learn about Charles’s Law with this simple experiment. As the candle burns, using up oxygen and heating the air in the glass, the water rises as if by magic.

Learn more: Rising Water

31. Learn about capillary action

Kids will be amazed as they watch the colored water move from glass to glass, and you’ll love the easy and inexpensive setup. Gather some water, paper towels, and food coloring to teach the scientific magic of capillary action.

Learn more: Capillary Action

32. Give a balloon a beard

Equally educational and fun, this experiment will teach kids about static electricity using everyday materials. Kids will undoubtedly get a kick out of creating beards on their balloon person!

Learn more: Static Electricity

33. Find your way with a DIY compass

Here’s an old classic that never fails to impress. Magnetize a needle, float it on the water’s surface, and it will always point north.

Learn more: DIY Compass

34. Crush a can using air pressure

Sure, it’s easy to crush a soda can with your bare hands, but what if you could do it without touching it at all? That’s the power of air pressure!

35. Tell time using the sun

While people use clocks or even phones to tell time today, there was a time when a sundial was the best means to do that. Kids will certainly get a kick out of creating their own sundials using everyday materials like cardboard and pencils.

Learn more: Make Your Own Sundial

36. Launch a balloon rocket

Grab balloons, string, straws, and tape, and launch rockets to learn about the laws of motion.

37. Make sparks with steel wool

All you need is steel wool and a 9-volt battery to perform this science demo that’s bound to make their eyes light up! Kids learn about chain reactions, chemical changes, and more.

Learn more: Steel Wool Electricity

38. Levitate a Ping-Pong ball

Kids will get a kick out of this experiment, which is really all about Bernoulli’s principle. You only need plastic bottles, bendy straws, and Ping-Pong balls to make the science magic happen.

39. Whip up a tornado in a bottle

There are plenty of versions of this classic experiment out there, but we love this one because it sparkles! Kids learn about a vortex and what it takes to create one.

Learn more: Tornado in a Bottle

40. Monitor air pressure with a DIY barometer

This simple but effective DIY science project teaches kids about air pressure and meteorology. They’ll have fun tracking and predicting the weather with their very own barometer.

Learn more: DIY Barometer

41. Peer through an ice magnifying glass

Students will certainly get a thrill out of seeing how an everyday object like a piece of ice can be used as a magnifying glass. Be sure to use purified or distilled water since tap water will have impurities in it that will cause distortion.

Learn more: Ice Magnifying Glass

42. String up some sticky ice

Can you lift an ice cube using just a piece of string? This quick experiment teaches you how. Use a little salt to melt the ice and then refreeze the ice with the string attached.

Learn more: Sticky Ice

43. “Flip” a drawing with water

Light refraction causes some really cool effects, and there are multiple easy science experiments you can do with it. This one uses refraction to “flip” a drawing; you can also try the famous “disappearing penny” trick .

Learn more: Light Refraction With Water

44. Color some flowers

We love how simple this project is to re-create since all you’ll need are some white carnations, food coloring, glasses, and water. The end result is just so beautiful!

45. Use glitter to fight germs

Everyone knows that glitter is just like germs—it gets everywhere and is so hard to get rid of! Use that to your advantage and show kids how soap fights glitter and germs.

Learn more: Glitter Germs

46. Re-create the water cycle in a bag

You can do so many easy science experiments with a simple zip-top bag. Fill one partway with water and set it on a sunny windowsill to see how the water evaporates up and eventually “rains” down.

Learn more: Water Cycle

47. Learn about plant transpiration

Your backyard is a terrific place for easy science experiments. Grab a plastic bag and rubber band to learn how plants get rid of excess water they don’t need, a process known as transpiration.

Learn more: Plant Transpiration

48. Clean up an oil spill

Before conducting this experiment, teach your students about engineers who solve environmental problems like oil spills. Then, have your students use provided materials to clean the oil spill from their oceans.

Learn more: Oil Spill

49. Construct a pair of model lungs

Kids get a better understanding of the respiratory system when they build model lungs using a plastic water bottle and some balloons. You can modify the experiment to demonstrate the effects of smoking too.

Learn more: Model Lungs

50. Experiment with limestone rocks

Kids  love to collect rocks, and there are plenty of easy science experiments you can do with them. In this one, pour vinegar over a rock to see if it bubbles. If it does, you’ve found limestone!

Learn more: Limestone Experiments

51. Turn a bottle into a rain gauge

All you need is a plastic bottle, a ruler, and a permanent marker to make your own rain gauge. Monitor your measurements and see how they stack up against meteorology reports in your area.

Learn more: DIY Rain Gauge

52. Build up towel mountains

This clever demonstration helps kids understand how some landforms are created. Use layers of towels to represent rock layers and boxes for continents. Then pu-u-u-sh and see what happens!

Learn more: Towel Mountains

53. Take a play dough core sample

Learn about the layers of the earth by building them out of Play-Doh, then take a core sample with a straw. ( Love Play-Doh? Get more learning ideas here. )

Learn more: Play Dough Core Sampling

54. Project the stars on your ceiling

Use the video lesson in the link below to learn why stars are only visible at night. Then create a DIY star projector to explore the concept hands-on.

Learn more: DIY Star Projector

55. Make it rain

Use shaving cream and food coloring to simulate clouds and rain. This is an easy science experiment little ones will beg to do over and over.

Learn more: Shaving Cream Rain

56. Blow up your fingerprint

This is such a cool (and easy!) way to look at fingerprint patterns. Inflate a balloon a bit, use some ink to put a fingerprint on it, then blow it up big to see your fingerprint in detail.

57. Snack on a DNA model

Twizzlers, gumdrops, and a few toothpicks are all you need to make this super-fun (and yummy!) DNA model.

Learn more: Edible DNA Model

58. Dissect a flower

Take a nature walk and find a flower or two. Then bring them home and take them apart to discover all the different parts of flowers.

59. Craft smartphone speakers

No Bluetooth speaker? No problem! Put together your own from paper cups and toilet paper tubes.

Learn more: Smartphone Speakers

60. Race a balloon-powered car

Kids will be amazed when they learn they can put together this awesome racer using cardboard and bottle-cap wheels. The balloon-powered “engine” is so much fun too.

Learn more: Balloon-Powered Car

61. Build a Ferris wheel

You’ve probably ridden on a Ferris wheel, but can you build one? Stock up on wood craft sticks and find out! Play around with different designs to see which one works best.

Learn more: Craft Stick Ferris Wheel

62. Design a phone stand

There are lots of ways to craft a DIY phone stand, which makes this a perfect creative-thinking STEM challenge.

63. Conduct an egg drop

Put all their engineering skills to the test with an egg drop! Challenge kids to build a container from stuff they find around the house that will protect an egg from a long fall (this is especially fun to do from upper-story windows).

Learn more: Egg Drop Challenge Ideas

64. Engineer a drinking-straw roller coaster

STEM challenges are always a hit with kids. We love this one, which only requires basic supplies like drinking straws.

Learn more: Straw Roller Coaster

65. Build a solar oven

Explore the power of the sun when you build your own solar ovens and use them to cook some yummy treats. This experiment takes a little more time and effort, but the results are always impressive. The link below has complete instructions.

Learn more: Solar Oven

66. Build a Da Vinci bridge

There are plenty of bridge-building experiments out there, but this one is unique. It’s inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year-old self-supporting wooden bridge. Learn how to build it at the link, and expand your learning by exploring more about Da Vinci himself.

Learn more: Da Vinci Bridge

67. Step through an index card

This is one easy science experiment that never fails to astonish. With carefully placed scissor cuts on an index card, you can make a loop large enough to fit a (small) human body through! Kids will be wowed as they learn about surface area.

68. Stand on a pile of paper cups

Combine physics and engineering and challenge kids to create a paper cup structure that can support their weight. This is a cool project for aspiring architects.

Learn more: Paper Cup Stack

69. Test out parachutes

Gather a variety of materials (try tissues, handkerchiefs, plastic bags, etc.) and see which ones make the best parachutes. You can also find out how they’re affected by windy days or find out which ones work in the rain.

Learn more: Parachute Drop

70. Recycle newspapers into an engineering challenge

It’s amazing how a stack of newspapers can spark such creative engineering. Challenge kids to build a tower, support a book, or even build a chair using only newspaper and tape!

Learn more: Newspaper STEM Challenge

71. Use rubber bands to sound out acoustics

Explore the ways that sound waves are affected by what’s around them using a simple rubber band “guitar.” (Kids absolutely love playing with these!)

Learn more: Rubber Band Guitar

72. Assemble a better umbrella

Challenge students to engineer the best possible umbrella from various household supplies. Encourage them to plan, draw blueprints, and test their creations using the scientific method.

Learn more: Umbrella STEM Challenge

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37 Cool Science Experiments for Kids to Do at Home

General Education

Are you looking for cool science experiments for kids at home or for class? We've got you covered! We've compiled a list of 37 of the best science experiments for kids that cover areas of science ranging from outer space to dinosaurs to chemical reactions. By doing these easy science experiments, kids will make their own blubber and see how polar bears stay warm, make a rain cloud in a jar to observe how weather changes, create a potato battery that'll really power a lightbulb, and more.

Below are 37 of the best science projects for kids to try. For each one we include a description of the experiment, which area(s) of science it teaches kids about, how difficult it is (easy/medium/hard), how messy it is (low/medium/high), and the materials you need to do the project. Note that experiments labelled "hard" are definitely still doable; they just require more materials or time than most of these other science experiments for kids.

#1: Insect Hotels

• Teaches Kids About: Zoology
• Difficulty Level: Medium
• Messiness Level: Medium

Insect hotels can be as simple (just a few sticks wrapped in a bundle) or as elaborate as you'd like, and they're a great way for kids to get creative making the hotel and then get rewarded by seeing who has moved into the home they built. After creating a hotel with hiding places for bugs, place it outside (near a garden is often a good spot), wait a few days, then check it to see who has occupied the "rooms." You can also use a bug ID book or app to try and identify the visitors.

• Materials Needed
• Shadow box or other box with multiple compartments
• Hot glue gun with glue
• Sticks, bark, small rocks, dried leaves, bits of yarn/wool, etc.

#2: DIY Lava Lamp

• Teaches Kids About: Chemical reactions
• Difficulty Level: Easy

In this quick and fun science experiment, kids will mix water, oil, food coloring, and antacid tablets to create their own (temporary) lava lamp . Oil and water don't mix easily, and the antacid tablets will cause the oil to form little globules that are dyed by the food coloring. Just add the ingredients together and you'll end up with a homemade lava lamp!

• Vegetable oil
• Food coloring
• Antacid tablets

#3: Magnetic Slime

• Teaches Kids About: Magnets
• Messiness Level: High (The slime is black and will slightly dye your fingers when you play with it, but it washes off easily.)

A step up from silly putty and Play-Doh, magnetic slime is fun to play with but also teaches kids about magnets and how they attract and repel each other. Some of the ingredients you aren't likely to have around the house, but they can all be purchased online. After mixing the ingredients together, you can use the neodymium magnet (regular magnets won't be strong enough) to make the magnetic slime move without touching it!

• Liquid starch
• Adhesive glue
• Iron oxide powder
• Neodymium (rare earth) magnet

#4: Baking Soda Volcanoes

• Teaches Kids About: Chemical reactions, earth science
• Difficulty Level: Easy-medium
• Messiness Level: High

Baking soda volcanoes are one of the classic science projects for kids, and they're also one of the most popular. It's hard to top the excitement of a volcano erupting inside your home. This experiment can also be as simple or in-depth as you like. For the eruption, all you need is baking soda and vinegar (dishwashing detergent adds some extra power to the eruption), but you can make the "volcano" as elaborate and lifelike as you wish.

• Baking soda
• Dishwashing detergent
• Large mason jar or soda bottle
• Playdough or aluminum foil to make the "volcano"
• Additional items to place around the volcano (optional)
• Food coloring (optional)

#5: Tornado in a Jar

• Teaches Kids About: Weather
• Messiness Level: Low

This is one of the quick and easy and science experiments for kids to teach them about weather. It only takes about five minutes and a few materials to set up, but once you have it ready you and your kids can create your own miniature tornado whose vortex you can see and the strength of which you can change depending on how quickly you swirl the jar.

• Glitter (optional)

#6: Colored Celery Experiment

• Teaches Kids About: Plants

This celery science experiment is another classic science experiment that parents and teachers like because it's easy to do and gives kids a great visual understanding of how transpiration works and how plants get water and nutrients. Just place celery stalks in cups of colored water, wait at least a day, and you'll see the celery leaves take on the color of the water. This happens because celery stalks (like other plants) contain small capillaries that they use to transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.

• Celery stalks (can also use white flowers or pale-colored cabbage)

#7: Rain Cloud in a Jar

This experiment teaches kids about weather and lets them learn how clouds form by making their own rain cloud . This is definitely a science project that requires adult supervision since it uses boiling water as one of the ingredients, but once you pour the water into a glass jar, the experiment is fast and easy, and you'll be rewarded with a little cloud forming in the jar due to condensation.

• Glass jar with a lid
• Boiling water
• Aerosol hairspray

#8: Edible Rock Candy

• Teaches Kids About: Crystal formation

It takes about a week for the crystals of this rock candy experiment to form, but once they have you'll be able to eat the results! After creating a sugar solution, you'll fill jars with it and dangle strings in them that'll slowly become covered with the crystals. This experiment involves heating and pouring boiling water, so adult supervision is necessary, once that step is complete, even very young kids will be excited to watch crystals slowly form.

• Large saucepan
• Clothespins
• String or small skewers
• Candy flavoring (optional)

#9: Water Xylophone

• Teaches Kids About: Sound waves

With just some basic materials you can create your own musical instrument to teach kids about sound waves. In this water xylophone experiment , you'll fill glass jars with varying levels of water. Once they're all lined up, kids can hit the sides with wooden sticks and see how the itch differs depending on how much water is in the jar (more water=lower pitch, less water=higher pitch). This is because sound waves travel differently depending on how full the jars are with water.

• Wooden sticks/skewers

#10: Blood Model in a Jar

• Teaches Kids About: Human biology

This blood model experiment is a great way to get kids to visual what their blood looks like and how complicated it really is. Each ingredient represents a different component of blood (plasma, platelets, red blood cells, etc.), so you just add a certain amount of each to the jar, swirl it around a bit, and you have a model of what your blood looks like.

• Empty jar or bottle
• Red cinnamon candies
• Marshmallows or dry white lima beans
• White sprinkles

#11: Potato Battery

• Teaches Kids About: Electricity
• Difficulty Level: Hard

Did you know that a simple potato can produce enough energy to keep a light bulb lit for over a month? You can create a simple potato battery to show kids. There are kits that provide all the necessary materials and how to set it up, but if you don't purchase one of these it can be a bit trickier to gather everything you need and assemble it correctly. Once it's set though, you'll have your own farm grown battery!

• Fresh potato
• Galvanized nail
• Copper coin

#12: Homemade Pulley

• Teaches Kids About: Simple machines

This science activity requires some materials you may not already have, but once you've gotten them, the homemade pulley takes only a few minutes to set up, and you can leave the pulley up for your kids to play with all year round. This pulley is best set up outside, but can also be done indoors.

• Clothesline
• 2 clothesline pulleys

#13: Light Refraction

• Teaches Kids About: Light

This light refraction experiment takes only a few minutes to set up and uses basic materials, but it's a great way to show kids how light travels. You'll draw two arrows on a sticky note, stick it to the wall, then fill a clear water bottle with water. As you move the water bottle in front of the arrows, the arrows will appear to change the direction they're pointing. This is because of the refraction that occurs when light passes through materials like water and plastic.

• Sticky note
• Transparent water bottle

#14: Nature Journaling

• Teaches Kids About: Ecology, scientific observation

A nature journal is a great way to encourage kids to be creative and really pay attention to what's going on around them. All you need is a blank journal (you can buy one or make your own) along with something to write with. Then just go outside and encourage your children to write or draw what they notice. This could include descriptions of animals they see, tracings of leaves, a drawing of a beautiful flower, etc. Encourage your kids to ask questions about what they observe (Why do birds need to build nests? Why is this flower so brightly colored?) and explain to them that scientists collect research by doing exactly what they're doing now.

• Blank journal or notebook
• Pens/pencils/crayons/markers
• Tape or glue for adding items to the journal

#15: DIY Solar Oven

• Teaches Kids About: Solar energy

This homemade solar oven definitely requires some adult help to set up, but after it's ready you'll have your own mini oven that uses energy from the sun to make s'mores or melt cheese on pizza. While the food is cooking, you can explain to kids how the oven uses the sun's rays to heat the food.

• Aluminum foil
• Knife or box cutter
• Permanent marker
• Plastic cling wrap
• Black construction paper

#16: Animal Blubber Simulation

• Teaches Kids About: Ecology, zoology

If your kids are curious about how animals like polar bears and seals stay warm in polar climates, you can go beyond just explaining it to them; you can actually have them make some of their own blubber and test it out. After you've filled up a large bowl with ice water and let it sit for a few minutes to get really cold, have your kids dip a bare hand in and see how many seconds they can last before their hand gets too cold. Next, coat one of their fingers in shortening and repeat the experiment. Your child will notice that, with the shortening acting like a protective layer of blubber, they don't feel the cold water nearly as much.

• Bowl of ice water

#17: Static Electricity Butterfly

This experiment is a great way for young kids to learn about static electricity, and it's more fun and visual than just having them rub balloons against their heads. First you'll create a butterfly, using thick paper (such as cardstock) for the body and tissue paper for the wings. Then, blow up the balloon, have the kids rub it against their head for a few seconds, then move the balloon to just above the butterfly's wings. The wings will move towards the balloon due to static electricity, and it'll look like the butterfly is flying.

• Tissue paper
• Thick paper
• Glue stick/glue

#18: Edible Double Helix

• Teaches Kids About: Genetics

If your kids are learning about genetics, you can do this edible double helix craft to show them how DNA is formed, what its different parts are, and what it looks like. The licorice will form the sides or backbone of the DNA and each color of marshmallow will represent one of the four chemical bases. Kids will be able to see that only certain chemical bases pair with each other.

• 2 pieces of licorice
• 12 toothpicks
• Small marshmallows in 4 colors (9 of each color)
• 5 paperclips

#19: Leak-Proof Bag

• Teaches Kids About: Molecules, plastics

This is an easy experiment that'll appeal to kids of a variety of ages. Just take a zip-lock bag, fill it about ⅔ of the way with water, and close the top. Next, poke a few sharp objects (like bamboo skewers or sharp pencils) through one end and out the other. At this point you may want to dangle the bag above your child's head, but no need to worry about spills because the bag won't leak? Why not? It's because the plastic used to make zip-lock bags is made of polymers, or long chains of molecules that'll quickly join back together when they're forced apart.

• Zip-lock bags
• Objects with sharp ends (pencils, bamboo skewers, etc.)

#20: How Do Leaves Breathe?

• Teaches Kids About: Plant science

It takes a few hours to see the results of this leaf experiment , but it couldn't be easier to set up, and kids will love to see a leaf actually "breathing." Just get a large-ish leaf, place it in a bowl (glass works best so you can see everything) filled with water, place a small rock on the leaf to weigh it down, and leave it somewhere sunny. Come back in a few hours and you'll see little bubbles in the water created when the leaf releases the oxygen it created during photosynthesis.

• Large bowl (preferably glass)
• Magnifying glass (optional)

#21: Popsicle Stick Catapults

Kids will love shooting pom poms out of these homemade popsicle stick catapults . After assembling the catapults out of popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and plastic spoons, they're ready to launch pom poms or other lightweight objects. To teach kids about simple machines, you can ask them about how they think the catapults work, what they should do to make the pom poms go a farther/shorter distance, and how the catapult could be made more powerful.

• Popsicle sticks
• Rubber bands
• Plastic spoons
• Paint (optional)

#22: Elephant Toothpaste

You won't want to do this experiment near anything that's difficult to clean (outside may be best), but kids will love seeing this " elephant toothpaste " crazily overflowing the bottle and oozing everywhere. Pour the hydrogen peroxide, food coloring, and dishwashing soap into the bottle, and in the cup mix the yeast packet with some warm water for about 30 seconds. Then, add the yeast mixture to the bottle, stand back, and watch the solution become a massive foamy mixture that pours out of the bottle! The "toothpaste" is formed when the yeast removed the oxygen bubbles from the hydrogen peroxide which created foam. This is an exothermic reaction, and it creates heat as well as foam (you can have kids notice that the bottle became warm as the reaction occurred).

• Clean 16-oz soda bottle
• 6% solution of hydrogen peroxide
• 1 packet of dry yeast
• Dishwashing soap

#23: How Do Penguins Stay Dry?

Penguins, and many other birds, have special oil-producing glands that coat their feathers with a protective layer that causes water to slide right off them, keeping them warm and dry. You can demonstrate this to kids with this penguin craft by having them color a picture of a penguin with crayons, then spraying the picture with water. The wax from the crayons will have created a protective layer like the oil actual birds coat themselves with, and the paper won't absorb the water.

• Penguin image (included in link)
• Spray bottle
• Blue food coloring (optional)

#24: Rock Weathering Experiment

• Teaches Kids About: Geology

This mechanical weathering experiment teaches kids why and how rocks break down or erode. Take two pieces of clay, form them into balls, and wrap them in plastic wrap. Then, leave one out while placing the other in the freezer overnight. The next day, unwrap and compare them. You can repeat freezing the one piece of clay every night for several days to see how much more cracked and weathered it gets than the piece of clay that wasn't frozen. It may even begin to crumble. This weathering also happens to rocks when they are subjected to extreme temperatures, and it's one of the causes of erosion.

• Plastic wrap

#25: Saltwater Density

• Teaches Kids About: Water density

For this saltwater density experiment , you'll fill four clear glasses with water, then add salt to one glass, sugar to one glass, and baking soda to one glass, leaving one glass with just water. Then, float small plastic pieces or grapes in each of the glasses and observe whether they float or not. Saltwater is denser than freshwater, which means some objects may float in saltwater that would sink in freshwater. You can use this experiment to teach kids about the ocean and other bodies of saltwater, such as the Dead Sea, which is so salty people can easily float on top of it.

• Four clear glasses
• Lightweight plastic objects or small grapes

#26: Starburst Rock Cycle

With just a package of Starbursts and a few other materials, you can create models of each of the three rock types: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Sedimentary "rocks" will be created by pressing thin layers of Starbursts together, metamorphic by heating and pressing Starbursts, and igneous by applying high levels of heat to the Starbursts. Kids will learn how different types of rocks are forms and how the three rock types look different from each other.

• Toaster oven

#27: Inertia Wagon Experiment

• Teaches Kids About: Inertia

This simple experiment teaches kids about inertia (as well as the importance of seatbelts!). Take a small wagon, fill it with a tall stack of books, then have one of your children pull it around then stop abruptly. They won't be able to suddenly stop the wagon without the stack of books falling. You can have the kids predict which direction they think the books will fall and explain that this happens because of inertia, or Newton's first law.

• Stack of books

#28: Dinosaur Tracks

• Teaches Kids About: Paleontology

How are some dinosaur tracks still visible millions of years later? By mixing together several ingredients, you'll get a claylike mixture you can press your hands/feet or dinosaur models into to make dinosaur track imprints . The mixture will harden and the imprints will remain, showing kids how dinosaur (and early human) tracks can stay in rock for such a long period of time.

• Used coffee grounds
• Wooden spoon
• Rolling pin

#29: Sidewalk Constellations

• Teaches Kids About: Astronomy

If you do this sidewalk constellation craft , you'll be able to see the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt in the daylight. On the sidewalk, have kids draw the lines of constellations (using constellation diagrams for guidance) and place stones where the stars are. You can then look at astronomy charts to see where the constellations they drew will be in the sky.

• Sidewalk chalk
• Small stones
• Diagrams of constellations

#30: Lung Model

By building a lung model , you can teach kids about respiration and how their lungs work. After cutting off the bottom of a plastic bottle, you'll stretch a balloon around the opened end and insert another balloon through the mouth of the bottle. You'll then push a straw through the neck of the bottle and secure it with a rubber band and play dough. By blowing into the straw, the balloons will inflate then deflate, similar to how our lungs work.

• Plastic bottle
• Rubber band

#31: Homemade Dinosaur Bones

By mixing just flour, salt, and water, you'll create a basic salt dough that'll harden when baked. You can use this dough to make homemade dinosaur bones and teach kids about paleontology. You can use books or diagrams to learn how different dinosaur bones were shaped, and you can even bury the bones in a sandpit or something similar and then excavate them the way real paleontologists do.

• Images of dinosaur bones

#32: Clay and Toothpick Molecules

There are many variations on homemade molecule science crafts . This one uses clay and toothpicks, although gumdrops or even small pieces of fruit like grapes can be used in place of clay. Roll the clay into balls and use molecule diagrams to attach the clay to toothpicks in the shape of the molecules. Kids can make numerous types of molecules and learn how atoms bond together to form molecules.

• Clay or gumdrops (in four colors)
• Diagrams of molecules

#33: Articulated Hand Model

By creating an articulated hand model , you can teach kids about bones, joints, and how our hands are able to move in many ways and accomplish so many different tasks. After creating a hand out of thin foam, kids will cut straws to represent the different bones in the hand and glue them to the fingers of the hand models. You'll then thread yarn (which represents tendons) through the straws, stabilize the model with a chopstick or other small stick, and end up with a hand model that moves and bends the way actual human hands do.

• Straws (paper work best)
• Twine or yarn

#34: Solar Energy Experiment

• Teaches Kids About: Solar energy, light rays

This solar energy science experiment will teach kids about solar energy and how different colors absorb different amounts of energy. In a sunny spot outside, place six colored pieces of paper next to each other, and place an ice cube in the middle of each paper. Then, observe how quickly each of the ice cubes melt. The ice cube on the black piece of paper will melt fastest since black absorbs the most light (all the light ray colors), while the ice cube on the white paper will melt slowest since white absorbs the least light (it instead reflects light). You can then explain why certain colors look the way they do. (Colors besides black and white absorb all light except for the one ray color they reflect; this is the color they appear to us.)

• 6 squares of differently colored paper/cardstock (must include black paper and white paper)

#35: How to Make Lightning

• Teaches Kids About: Electricity, weather

You don't need a storm to see lightning; you can actually create your own lightning at home . For younger kids this experiment requires adult help and supervision. You'll stick a thumbtack through the bottom of an aluminum tray, then stick the pencil eraser to the pushpin. You'll then rub the piece of wool over the aluminum tray, and then set the tray on the Styrofoam, where it'll create a small spark/tiny bolt of lightning!

• Pencil with eraser
• Aluminum tray or pie tin
• Styrofoam tray

#36: Tie-Dyed Milk

• Teaches Kids About: Surface tension

For this magic milk experiment , partly fill a shallow dish with milk, then add a one drop of each food coloring color to different parts of the milk. The food coloring will mostly stay where you placed it. Next, carefully add one drop of dish soap to the middle of the milk. It'll cause the food coloring to stream through the milk and away from the dish soap. This is because the dish soap breaks up the surface tension of the milk by dissolving the milk's fat molecules.

• Shallow dish
• Milk (high-fat works best)

#37: How Do Stalactites Form?

Have you ever gone into a cave and seen huge stalactites hanging from the top of the cave? Stalactites are formed by dripping water. The water is filled with particles which slowly accumulate and harden over the years, forming stalactites. You can recreate that process with this stalactite experiment . By mixing a baking soda solution, dipping a piece of wool yarn in the jar and running it to another jar, you'll be able to observe baking soda particles forming and hardening along the yarn, similar to how stalactites grow.

• Safety pins
• 2 glass jars

Summary: Cool Science Experiments for Kids

Any one of these simple science experiments for kids can get children learning and excited about science. You can choose a science experiment based on your child's specific interest or what they're currently learning about, or you can do an experiment on an entirely new topic to expand their learning and teach them about a new area of science. From easy science experiments for kids to the more challenging ones, these will all help kids have fun and learn more about science.

What's Next?

Are you also interested in pipe cleaner crafts for kids? We have a guide to some of the best pipe cleaner crafts to try!

Looking for multiple different slime recipes? We tell you how to make slimes without borax and without glue as well as how to craft the ultimate super slime .

Want to learn more about clouds? Learn how to identify every cloud in the sky with our guide to the 10 types of clouds .

Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa) .

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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45 Easy Science Experiments for Kids

Hello, STEM! These simple DIY activities can be done at home or in school.

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Imagine blowing the biggest bubbles imaginable — or even making bubbles within bubbles. Or sending vessels — rockets, tea bags, airplanes — soaring through the sky for impossible distances. Now imagine making things explode, or change colors, or reveal hidden messages with just a few simple mixtures.

First off, it's good to start them off with the scientific method. Give them a journal to record their observations, questions, hypotheses, experiments, results and conclusions. As always, safety counts: wear goggles and coats or aprons if need be (sometimes kids get a kick out of how scientific the protective gear makes them look), and always make sure that the kids are supervised when doing them. (Warning: Some of these are messy!)

These experiments are mostly designed for preschoolers through elementary schoolers — with a couple that are either demonstrations or better for older kids — but if you have a younger one, you can check out these 1-year-old learning activities , toddler learning activities and preschool/kindergarten learning activities , some of which also cover STEM subjects.

Floating Fish

Here's another one that deals with solubility and density.

• Draw the outline of a fish on the bottom of a glass plate or tray in dry-erase marker. Retrace your drawing to make sure all the lines are connected. Let dry for a minute or two.
• Fill the measuring cup with tap water. Place the pour spout just inside the corner of the dish and add water very slowly until it just covers the bottom. Be careful not to pour water directly onto your drawing or make splashes near it. The water will move toward your drawing, eventually surrounding it. Observe what happens. If the water splashes or it doesn’t work on your first try, empty the dish, erase the drawing with a paper towel, dry off the dish, and try again.
• Tilt the dish slightly from side to side. What happens? Jot it down.

The ink in dry erase markers is engineered to be slippery. It’s made with a chemical that causes it to easily release from surfaces. (Permanent markers are made with a chemical that makes the ink stick to surfaces, so be sure not to use these in your experiment!)

The easy-release ink lets go from a surface, but why does it float? There are two reasons. First, dry erase ink isn’t soluble, which means it won’t dissolve in water. Second, dry erase ink is less dense than the water, so it becomes buoyant, meaning it can float. When you tilt the dish, the fish moves around on the water’s surface.

From Good Housekeeping Amazing Science: 83 Hands-on S.T.E.A.M Experiments for Curious Kids! See more in the book »

Brush, Brush!

This one will really get them into brushing their teeth once they scientifically prove all the good things that toothpaste can do.

• Write on sticky notes: Soda 1, Soda 2, Juice 1, and Juice 2. Place them in a row on a counter.
• Fill two glasses halfway with brown soda and place behind the Soda 1 and Soda 2 sticky notes. Fill two glasses halfway with lemon juice and place behind the Juice 1 and Juice 2 sticky notes.
• Carefully place one egg in the bowl. Squeeze a big dollop — about one tablespoon — of toothpaste on top of the egg and gently rub the toothpaste all around with your hands until the egg is completely covered in a thick layer of toothpaste. Repeat with a second egg.
• Gently submerge the toothpaste-covered eggs into the liquids: one egg in the glass labeled Soda 1 and the other egg in the glass labeled Juice 1. Wash and dry your hands.
• Gently submerge the remaining eggs, without toothpaste on them, in the remaining glasses: one in the glass labeled Soda 2 and the other in the glass of juice labeled Juice 2. Wash and dry your hands. Leave the eggs in the glasses for 12 hours.
• After 12 hours, remove the eggs from the glasses of soda one at a time. Rinse them in cool water and pat them dry with the towel. Place each egg by the sticky note of the glass it was in. Are the eggs the same or different colors?
• Remove the eggs from the glasses of juice one at a time. Rinse them under the faucet and pat them dry. Place each egg by the sticky note of the glass it was in. Feel the eggs gently. Does one feel stronger or weaker than the other?
• Write down your observations in your science notebook.

The eggshells in this experiment represent the enamel (outer coating) on your teeth. Toothpaste cleans your teeth and prevents stains: it removes food and drink particles that are stuck on your teeth. Teeth can be stained easily by dark-colored liquids like cola, coffee or tea. The egg without toothpaste will be brown and discolored. The egg covered in toothpaste was protected from turning brown.

Toothpaste also protects your pearly whites from decay (breaking down). The egg without toothpaste left in the lemon juice was worn down and soft to the touch, while the egg that was protected with toothpaste is stronger. The lemon juice is acidic, and those acids broke down the shell just as acidic drinks can wear away your tooth enamel. When a tooth is worn down, a cavity can form more easily. But the fluoride in toothpaste mixes with your saliva to create a protective coating around your tooth enamel. It helps keep your teeth strong and cavity-free.

Grow an Avocado Tree

For an easy lesson in Earth Science, your family can grow an avocado tree from a pit. You can buy an AvoSeedo kit , or just peel the seed and suspend it over water with toothpicks.

Get the tutorial »

Milk Bottle Xylophone

No for an experiment in sound!

• Arrange six glass jars or bottles, all the same size with no lids, in a line. What will each jar sound like when you tap it with a spoon? Make a prediction, then tap each jar. Record your observations.
• Next, put water in each of the jars. Pour 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) of water into the first jar. Add 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) of water to the second jar. Continue in 1⁄4-cup increments, adding 3⁄4 cup (180 ml) of water to the third jar, 1 cup (240 ml) of water to the fourth jar, 11⁄4 cups (300 ml) of water to the fifth jar, and 11⁄2 cups (360 ml) to the sixth jar. Add a couple of drops of food coloring to each jar.
• What will each jar sound like? Will they sound the same or different than when the container was empty? Will they sound the same or different from one another? Record your predictions.
• Tap each jar with a metal spoon. Write down your observations about each jar’s pitch (how high or low a sound is) in your notebook.

Sound waves are created by vibrations, which are back-and-forth movements that are repeated again and again. Pitch depends on the frequency of the waves — how many are created each second. A high pitch is created by high-frequency sound waves, and can sound squeaky. A low pitch is created by low-frequency sound waves, and sounds deep and booming.

When you tapped the jar, it vibrated. The vibrations traveled from the jar to the water to the air and eventually to your ears. The jars with more water had a low pitch. The sound waves vibrated more slowly because they had more water to travel through. The jars with less water had higher pitches. The sound waves vibrated faster because they had less water to travel through. A jar with no water in it makes the highest pitch because it has the least substance to travel through.

"Elephant Toothpaste"

Okay, elephants don't really brush with this stuff, which is made from a chemical reaction between hydrogen peroxide, yeast, dish soap and a few other simple ingredients. But this experiment has a big "wow" factor since, when the substances are mixed, the "toothpaste" foams out of the bottle. You can use it to teach kids about catalysts and exothermic reactions.

Get the tutorial at Babble Dabble Do »

DIY Compass

Explore the way magnetism works, and how it affects everyday objects, by magnetizing a needle and making a DIY compass. You can even spin the compass in the water, and it'll end up pointing the right way again.

Get the tutorial at STEAM Powered Family »

Craft Stick Chain Reaction

Kids can learn about the differences between potential and kinetic energy with this chain reaction. It makes a big impact: Once the tension is released, the pom poms go flying through the air!

Get the the tutorial at Science Sparks »

Color-Changing Invisible Ink

Kids will feel like super-spies when they use this heatless method to reveal pictures or colors written with "invisible ink." You can try different acid/base combinations to see which one makes the most dramatic result.

Get the tutorial at Research Parent »

Paper Bridge

Get the engineering back into STEM with this activity, which challenges kids to create a paper bridge that's strong enough to hold as many pennies as possible. How can they manipulate the paper to make it sturdier? (Hint: Fold it!)

See the paper bridge tutorial at KidsActivities.com »

Challenge your little scientist to lift up an ice cube with just a piece of string. It's possible ... with a little salt to help. Salt melts the ice and lowers the freezing point of the ice cube, which absorbs the heat from the water around it, making the water cold enough to re-freeze around the string.

Get the tutorial at Playdough to Plato »

Marshmallow Catapult

Another lesson in potential and kinetic energy, kids will love sending mini marshmallows flying in the name of science. Change some of the variables and see how that affects the marshmallow's trajectory.

Get the tutorial at Hello, Wonderful »

Leaf Breathing

It's hard for kids to picture how plants and trees "breathe" through their leaves — until they see the bubbles appear on a leaf that's submerged in water. You can also teach them about photosynthesis by putting different leaves in different spots with varying levels of sunlight.

Get the tutorial at KC EDventures »

Hoop-and-Straw Airplane

We all remember how to fold those classic, triangular paper airplanes, but these hoop-and-straw airplanes fly way better (and straighter). Experiment by changing the length of the straw and the size of the hoops and see how it affects the flight.

Get the tutorial at Mombrite »

Film Canister Rocket

Blast off! You don't need jet fuel to make these rockets go, just Alka-Seltzer tablets and baking soda, but they'll be amazed when they achieve lift-off! (Note: If you can't find old film canisters, tubes of Airborne work, too.)

Get the tutorial at Raising Lifelong Learners »

Coin Inertia

Stack up about five or so coins on a piece of cardboard and place it over a glass of water. Then, flick the cardboard out from on top of the glass. Do the coins drop into the water, or ride with the cardboard? Due to inertia, they drop into the water — a very visual (and fun!) demonstration of Newton's First Law of Motion.

Get the tutorial at Engineering Emily »

Apple Oxidation

What works best for keeping an apple from turning brown? Test to find out! Slice up an apple, and let each slice soak in a different liquid. Then take them out, lay them on a tray, and check the brownness after three minutes, six minutes and so on. Not only does this test the properties of different liquids, it also helps students practice the scientific method if they create hypotheses about which liquids would be most effective.

Get the tutorial at Jennifer Findley »

RELATED: 50 Fun Activities for Kids Will Keep Them Entertained for Hours

Coffee Ground Fossils

By making a salt dough with coffee grounds and pressing various shapes into it (toy dinosaur feet, seashells), kids can get a better understanding of how fossils are made. If you poke a hole in the top before it dries, the kids can hang their "fossils" up in their rooms.

Get the tutorial at Crafts by Amanda »

Chromatography Flowers

Chromatography is the process of separating a solution into different parts — like the pigments in the ink used in markers. If you draw stripes around a coffee filter, then fold it up and dip the tip in water, the water will travel up the filter and separate the marker ink into its different pigments (in cool patterns that you can display as a craft project). This family made the end-result even brighter by adding an LED circuit to the center.

Get the tutorial at Steam Powered Family »

Water Walking

You'll need six containers of water for this one: three with clear water, one with red food coloring, one with blue coloring, and one with yellow coloring. Arrange them in a circle, alternating colored and clear containers, and make bridges between the containers with folded paper towels. Your kids will be amazed to see the colored water "walk" over the bridges and into the clear containers, mixing colors, and giving them a first-hand look at the magic of capillarity.

Get the tutorial at Fun Learning for Kids »

Sunscreen Test

This experiment puts the A (art) in STEAM: Paint different designs on construction paper with different sunscreens, leave the papers out in the sun and compare the results. Then, hang your "conclusions" on your fridge.

Get the tutorial at Tonya Staab »

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother . She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.

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Science Experiments

35 Easy Science Experiments You Can Do Today!

Looking for easy science experiments to do at home or in the classroom? You’re in luck because we’ve got over 35 easy science activities for kids that will help you make science fun for all ages. 

Most of these simple science experiments for kids are easy to prepare, quick to perform, and use household items or inexpensive materials you can find almost anywhere. To connect the fun to the “why it works” you’ll find an easy to teach explanation with every experiment!

Musical Jars Science Experiment 

This super easy experiment is simple as it is fun! Kids make their own musical instruments with clear jars and water then investigate sound waves, pitch, and more.

When the experiment is complete, use the colorful new “instrument” for a fun music lesson. Kids can play and take turns to “name that tune”!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Musical Jars Science Experiment

Viscosity of Liquids Science Experiment

Viscosity may be a confusing term for kids at first, but this super easy experiment can help them see viscosity in action!

With marbles, clear jars, and a few household materials, kids will make predictions, record data, and compare the results while they test high and low density liquids.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->   Viscosity Science Experiment

Floating Egg Science Experiment

Can a solid egg float? Kids can find the answer and understand why with this quick science experiment. 

Discover just how easy it can be to make a raw egg float while testing the laws of density. We’ve included additional ideas to try so kids can make predictions and test the concept further.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->   Floating Egg Science Experiment

Paper Towel Dry Under Water Experiment

Is it possible to keep a paper towel dry even when submerging it under water? The answer is a surprising “yes,” if you use science to help!

Start with the properties of your materials, make a prediction, then explore matter, density, volume, and more.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->   Paper Towel Dry Under Water Experiment

Mixing Oil & Water Science Experiment

This simple experiment for kids helps them better understand density and the changes that happen when adding an emulsifier to the mix. 

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->   Mixing Oil & Water Experiment

Will it Float or Sink Science Experiment

Will it sink or will it float? This fun experiment challenges what students think they know about household items!

Students record their hypothesis for each item then test it to compare what they think will happen against their observations.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Float or Sink Science Experiment

Water Temperature Science Experiment

What does thermal energy look like? In this easy science experiment, kids are able to see thermal energy as they explore the concept in action.

With clear jars and food coloring, students can quickly see how molecules move differently through hot and cold water.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Water Temperature Science Experiment

Balloon Blow-up Science Experiment

Kids will discover how matter reacts when heated and cooled as they watch with surprise as baking soda and vinegar blow the balloon up before their eyes.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Balloon Blow-up Science Experiment

Floating Ping Pong Ball Science Experiment

Kids will giggle with joy with this super easy experiment. With only a ping pong ball and a hair dryer, students will have a great time while exploring Bernoulli’s Principle in action. 

We’ve included additional ideas to further explore the concept with different objects and observe the change in results.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Floating Ping Pong Ball Science Experiment

Hair Stand on End Science Experiment

It’s especially fun for those who’ve never seen static electricity in action before!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Hair Stand on End Science Experiment

Oil Bubbles in Water Science Experiment

Kids explore density and experience some chemistry when creating oil bubbles in water with everyday household items.

This experiment is particularly fun when kids see that they’ve made what looks like a lava lamp!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Oil Bubbles in Water Science Experiment

Color Changing Water Science Experiment

Kids will be surprised as they watch a new color being “created” without mixing! Using only a clear bowl and glass, some food coloring, and water, this super easy science experiment is quick and easy with a huge wow factor. 

Try it with yellow and blue to follow along with our demonstration video then try different primary color combinations and explore the results.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Color Changing Water Science Experiment

Magnetic Paper Clip Chain Science Experiment

It may seem a bit like magic but it’s actually science! It’s not hard to capture your kids’ attention with this quick and easy science experiment as they watch paper clips “stick” together and form a chain!

Perfect for younger children, the experiment only takes a few minutes and is a fun way to explore the concept of magnetic transference.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Magnetic Paper Clip Chain Science Experiment

Is it Magnetic Science Experiment

With only a magnet and a few household items, kids will make and record their predictions, test and observe, then compare what they think is magnetic against the results.

Simple and quick, but some of the results may surprise your students!

Cloud in a Jar Experiment

This simple experiment only requires a few materials but really holds student attention as a cloud forms before their eyes!

Kids will learn new weather vocabulary as they explore how physical changes and reactions happen as clouds begin to take form. We’ve also included a helpful chart on the types of clouds.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Cloud in a Jar Science Experiment

Magic Milk Science Experiment

Create a dancing rainbow of colors with this easy science experiment for kids!

Using only a few ordinary kitchen items, your students can create a color explosion in ordinary milk when they add our special ingredient. (Hint: The special ingredient (soap!) includes hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules that make the magic happen!)

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Magic Milk Science Experiment

Walking Water Science Experiment

Water can’t really walk upwards against gravity, but this cool science experiment makes it seem like it can! 

Kids are able to see the capillary action process and learn how attraction and adhesive forces in action allow water to move out of one glass into another. 

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Walking Water Science Experiment

Light Refraction Science Experiment

The results of this easy science experiment are so amazing, it makes kids (and adults) think it must be magic!

Young scientists watch in surprise while they see an arrow change directions instantly. Investigating refraction couldn’t be more fun!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Light Refraction Science Experiment

Dancing Raisins Experiment

Learn about the reactions of buoyancy and density in this simple science activity for kids. 

They may not need dancing shoes, but give them a glass of soda pop and the raisins in this fun experiment love to dance!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Dancing Raisins Science Experiment

See Sound Experiment

Kids love this experiment because they are encouraged to drum loudly so they can “see” sound waves in action!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> See Sound Science Experiment

Elephant Toothpaste Science Experiment

Grab some giant brushes and get ready to make elephant toothpaste! Although you might not be able to get an elephant excited by this super easy experiment, kids love it!

The impressive and quick results created by the chemical reaction and the heat released in the process makes an abundant amount of fun and colorful foam!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Elephant Toothpaste Science Experiment

Upside Down Glass of Water Science Experiment

We all know what happens when we turn a glass of water upside down, but what if I told you you can do it without the water spilling out?

The experiment only requires a few common items and you’ll be amazed by the results of air pressure in action!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Upside Down Glass of Water Science Experiment

Pick up Ball with a Jar Science Experiment

It almost seems like magic but with the help of science, you can pick up a ball with an open jar!

Instead of magic, this easy science activity uses centripetal force and practice to do what seems like the impossible. 

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Pick up Ball with a Jar Experiment

Will It Melt Science Experiment

Can you guess which items will melt? This easy outside experiment challenges what students think they know about the effects of the sun.

Pepper Move Science Experiment

Can you make pepper move and zoom away with just a light touch of your finger? With science you can!

This experiment only takes a few quick minutes from beginning to end, but the reaction caused by surface tension makes kids want to do it over and over. 

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Pepper Move Science Experiment

Crush a Plastic Bottle Science Experiment

Go for it, crush that bottle, but don’t touch it! Although it usually can’t be seen or touched, air pressure is pushing against all surfaces at all times.

With this easy science activity kids can see air pressure at work when they watch a bottle crushes itself!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Crush a Plastic Bottle Science Experiment

Egg in Vinegar Science Experiment

This vinegar science experiment will have your eggs and kids bouncing (with excitement!) before you know it!

Kids can watch and explore the results of chemical reactions as the egg changes from something that seems solid into what feels like something bouncy!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Egg in Vinegar Science Experiment

Straw Through a Potato Science Experiment

Can you make a normal plastic straw go into a raw, solid potato? It seems like something impossible, but science can easily make it possible!

Pick your potatoes then let kids try their strength as they explore air pressure with this super easy experiment.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Straw Through a Potato Science Experiment

Rainbow in a Jar Science Experiment

With only a few household items, they’ll explore mass, volume, and density with every color layer!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Rainbow in a Jar Experiment

Tornado in a Bottle Science Experiment

Kids can have fun while learning more about centripetal force with this fun experiment.

With a little muscle and science, kids watch with amazement as they create their own glitter cyclone in a bottle as the centripetal force vortex appears.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Tornado in a Bottle Science Experiment

Why Doesn’t the Water Leak Science Experiment

Can you poke holes in a plastic bag full of water without the water leaking out? With this super easy science activity you can!

Kids are stunned as they learn about polymers and how they can do what seems to be impossible.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Why Doesn’t the Water Leak Science Experiment

Use a Bottle to Blow-up a Balloon Experiment

Is it possible to blow up a balloon with only water and science? 

In this super easy experiment, kids learn more about how matter behaves as they watch a balloon inflate and deflate as a result of matter being heated and cooled.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Use a Bottle to Blow-up a Balloon Experiment

Orange Float Science Experiment

Kids explore buoyancy as they learn about and test density in this sink or float science activity.

While it only takes a few minutes, this super easy experiment invites kids to predict what they think will happen then discuss why the heavier orange floats!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Orange Float Science Experiment

Pick up Ice with String Science Experiment

With only a few household items, kids learn about freezing temperatures and the results they create in saltwater versus freshwater.

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Pick Up Ice with String Science Experiment

Color Changing Walking Water Experiment

Using the concepts explored in our popular Walking Water Science Experiment, kids will see color walk from one glass to another and change colors as it goes!

The quick experiment seems to defy gravity like magic, but don’t worry, kids can find out how science makes it work!

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Color Changing Walking Water Experiment

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Hands on kids activities for hands on moms. Focusing on kids activities perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

50 Amazingly Simple Science Experiments for Kids at Home

Science Kindergartners Preschoolers Experiment Resources 30 Comments

Kids love experimenting , and these 50 simple science experiments for kids at home from Brigitte are perfect for all ages! Plus, you probably already have the basic supplies at home.

My daughters and I have had a lot of fun doing science experiments. Each year when we create our spring and summer list , we make sure to include “science days” which are days filled with science experiments.

Sometimes our science experiments don’t work according to plan, but I have been told that all scientists have failures with experiments from time to time.

It’s okay if they aren’t all successes.

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50 Simple Science Experiments with Supplies You Already Have

I love these 50 simple science experiments for you to try with your little scientists. They all use basic household supplies that you probably already have at home!

Most of these are experiments my daughters and I have done together. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Get little ones involved with these easy toddler-friendly science experiment ideas!

Simple Science Experiments with Water

Not only can water  be a blast to play in, but water plus a few basic supplies equals a lot of science fun!

• Make an orange sink and float with an orange buoyancy experiment from Playdough to Plato.
• Compare the amount of salt in different types of water with this salty egg experiment  as seen on Uplifting Mayhem.
• Do a little more sinking or floating with a fun sink or float experiment  even toddlers can do from Hands On As We Grow.
• Use the free printable to record what sinks or floats in an outdoor experiment from Buggy and Buddy.
• Create some beautiful pieces of paper with this rainbow paper experiment from Science Kiddo.
• Talk about solutions as you try the “what dissolves in water” experiment  as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Learn about water absorption with this simple experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands.
• Mix some fun colors with this oil and water experiment  from Fun Learning for Kids.
• Make your own lava lamp , just like on  Hands On As We Grow.
• Can you keep all the water in the bag? Try it with a  leak-proof bag experiment  as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Learn about surface tension with this  magic finger pepper experiment  found on Hands On As We Grow.
• Make your own  water cycle in a bottle  as seen on A Dab of Glue Will Do.

Simple Science Experiments with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Baking soda + vinegar = a great chemical reaction! This fizzy reaction can fuel a variety of simple science experiments at home.

First of all, we have tested and found out the absolute best combination of baking soda and vinegar to get the best reaction possible. It makes a difference if you add vinegar to baking soda or vice versa! And how much you use!

• Inflate a balloon without blowing into it with a baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment  as seen on Little Bins for Little Hands.
• Practice colors as you do a baking soda and vinegar with color experiment as seen on Hands On As We Grow.
• Have fun outside with an outdoor volcano eruption  as seen on Preschool Inspirations.
• Have more volcano fun by making apple volcanoes as seen on The Resourceful Mama.
• Learn about acids and bases and the chemical reaction that occurs when you make apple seeds dance with a   jumping apple seeds experiment  as seen on JDaniel4s Mom.
• Watch some rice dance with a   dancing rice experiment as seen on Green Kid Crafts.
• Continue your dance party by making raisins dance with a dancing raisin experiment  as seen on 123 Homeschool 4 Me. What other items can you get to dance?
• Learn more about acids and bases by dissolving a sea shell as seen on Teach Beside Me.
• Make an egg shell disappear with this disappearing egg activity  as seen on Premeditated Leftovers.
• See how far you can launch a soda bottle with this baking soda powered boat as seen on Science Sparks.
• Make your own rocks (or eggs) with this fizzy treasure rocks experiment as seen on Living Life and Learning.
• Have some fun this summer with this frozen vinegar experiment as seen on Inspiration Laboratories.

Plant Themed Simple Science Experiments

Enjoy learning about seeds, plant parts, and how plants grow with these simple science experiments.

• Learn about how plants soak up water through their stems with a flower experiment for kids  from Growing A Jeweled Rose.
• Watch seeds sprout as you grow seeds in a jar  as seen on Teaching Mama.
• Learn about the parts of the seed with a seed coat experiment as seen on Gift of Curiosity.
• Build a house out of sponges and then watch it sprout with this sprout house as seen on The Stem Laboratory.
• Learn what liquids allow seeds to grow the best with this seed experiment  as seen on Gift of Curiosity.
• Explore how plants grow towards the light with this shoe-box maze experiment from Plants for Kids.

Animal Themed Simple Science Experiments

Learning about animals can be even more fun with some simple hands-on simple science experiments.

• Find out more about giraffes and create some giraffe spots  as seen on Preschool Powol Packets.
• Learn about how animals in the Arctic keep warm by making an arctic glove  as seen on Steve Spangler Science.
• Discover how penguins stay dry with a penguin feather experiment as seen on Raising Little Superheroes.
• Learn about different bird beaks with a bird beak experiment as seen on Blessed Beyond a Doubt.
• Explore how fish (and hermit crabs) breathe with this gill experiment  as seen on Preschool Powol Packets.
• Learn about sharks with a   shark buoyancy experiment as seen on Little Bins for Little Hands.

Even More Simple Science Experiment for Kids at Home!

If you are still looking for more science fun, you may enjoy the following simple science experiments.

• Find out how sugary drinks hurt teeth with an  eggs-periment  as seen on Feels Like Home Blog.
• Discover geodes (the state rock of Iowa) with this eggshell geode crystal experiment  as seen on Science Bob.
• Learn about air pressure with an egg and bottle experiment  as seen on Science Sparks.
• Find out what causes an apple to brown with this apple science experiment  as seen on Teach Beside Me.
• Make an  edible bubble apple with an experiment as seen on Preschool Powol Packet.
• Learn more about surface tension with a penny and water experiment  as seen on Artful Parent.
• Mix colors like magic with this color changing milk experiment  from Hands On As We Grow.
• Blow up a balloon with this soda and balloon experiment from Learn Play Imagine.
• Practice letters by making beautiful crystal letters as seen on Books and Giggles.
• Make your own indoor hovercraft  as seen on Living Life and Learning.
• Learn about colors with this beautiful butterfly chromatography craft  as seen on Buggy and Buddy.
• Make soap souffle  as seen on Steve Spangler Science.
• After talking about liquids and solids (and finding them in your own home), create oobleck  as seen on Babble Dabble Do. Is it a liquid, or is it a solid?
• Learn about frost by making some indoor frost as seen on Little Bin for Little Hands.
• Make your own homemade butter in a jar as seen on Happy Hooligans.

What scientific experiment will you try first?

About Brigitte Brulz

Brigitte Brulz is a homeschooling mom of two daughters, wife of her high school sweetheart, and author of Jobs of a Preschooler and Pickles, Pickles, I Like Pickles. She offers free coloring pages and activity ideas on her website at BrigitteBrulz.com .

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30 comments.

college brawl says

March 13, 2024 at 1:05 am

Wow, these experiments look like so much fun! I can’t wait to try them out with my kids. We’re always looking for new and creative ways to learn about science at home, and these experiments look like they’ll be perfect for us. Thanks for sharing! 😊

threadsBay says

August 31, 2023 at 3:13 am

I love science experiments! This one is really simple and easy to do.

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Easy Science Experiments You Can Do At Home!

June 27, 2021 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

These science experiments you can do at home have been designed to be simple, open-ended and use materials you already have around the house ( mostly paper, scissors, recycled items and kitchen staples ).

Click on the experiment image or the link to each science experiment to view full details and instructions for each science investigation .

I’ve got 100s more easy and fully explained science experiments for kids and easy STEM Challenges too if you fancy taking a look.

Easy Experiments for Science at Home

These activities are the perfect easy experiment to try at home and the best part is you probably already have everything you need to do them!

Create flying paper spinners. Experiment with different sizes and types of paper.

Use a ruler to test your reaction time.

Create a simple optical illusion.

Design and launch a water powered bottle rocket.

Use cornflour to make gloop!

Use baking soda and vinegar to erupt a volcano.

Create towers of different shapes and test to see how strong they are.

Reverse the direction of an arrow using just a glass of water!

Watch a lava lamp bubble!

Learn about emulsions with this beautiful magic milk investigation.

Place skittles in water and watch as the colours spread.

Use the freezing power of ice and salt to make ice cream in a bag.

Build your own catapult using popsicle sticks.

Make a density jar using oil and water.

Save an egg from breaking by creating a parachute!

More awesome science for kids

It doesn’t get much more simple than these easy newspaper STEM challenges . Roll up paper to create a den or try something more unusual and design paper slippers, or a newspaper monument.

Paint on ice, dissect a flower and make your own bubble wands with these science and STEM Challenge cards .

Some of my favourite Science Sparks experiments are in this collection of Fairy Tale science investigations , including growing a bean for Jack and building a gingerbread house.

I also have themed science investigation ideas for all times of the year including an egg filled collection of Easter science experiments , winter science investigations , summer science and so much more, so do take a look around.

Last Updated on March 29, 2022 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

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The Yellow Birdhouse

Helping you live your best crafty life

17 Easy Science Experiments for Kids Using Household Items

September 29, 2017 by Laura 15 Comments

Last Updated on May 29, 2024

When we’re stuck indoors on a rainy weekend we are always trying to find activities to entertain the kids using things we already have at home.  But usually we end up on our computers for 30 minutes trying to find ideas!  So I thought I’d do a round up post of easy science experiments for kids that only require household ingredients.

This post contains affiliate links. Read more .

Easy Science Experiments for Kids

These experiments are best suited for 3-6 year olds I think.  But honestly I really like them, so maybe they’re for all ages!  I’ve included any of the ingredients that you may or may not have on hand so you can easily pick an experiment that you can do right away!

1. Shaving Cream Rain Clouds

Learn about how rain is made or just have fun mixing pretty colours! You’ll need shaving cream and food colouring . From:  One Little Project at a Time

2. Growing Gummy Bears

Compare the difference between using plain and salt water to grow gummy bears. You’ll need salt and gummy bears. From: Play Dough to Plato

3. Walking Rainbow

Watch as colours travel through paper towels to mix in the next jar. You’ll need food colouring and paper towels. From: Steam Powered Family

4. Dish Soap Silly Putty

It’s not quite liquid and not quite solid, but lots of fun! The colour of the putty will depend on the colour of the dish soap you use. You’ll need dish soap (or shampoo) and cornstarch . From: One Little Project

You might also be interested in these posts:

11 Edible Silly Putty, Play Dough and Slime Recipes 13+ Ideas for Teaching Elementary Math Using Games and Play 11 Awesome & Free Educational Websites for Kids

5. Salt Crystal Apples

You could easily make different shapes with this simple experiment! You’ll need pipe cleaners and salt. From: Schooling a Monkey

6. The Science of Yeast

Discover how yeast works. You’ll need balloons and active dry yeast. From: Play Dough to Plato

7. Hatch a Dinosaur Egg

This is such a fantastic idea!  And a great alternative to the standard volcano. You’ll need, small toys or objects, baking soda, food colouring and vinegar. From: Sunshine and Hurricanes

8. Growing Rock Candy

Grow your own rock candy and your kids will love you forever!  😀 You’ll need lots of sugar, skewers or candy sticks and food colouring.  For edible experiments you may want to look into natural food colouring .  You may also want candy flavouring .

The form you have selected does not exist.

My mom used to make this for us as kids, I didn’t know it had a proper name though, we just called it goop! We made this a couple weekends ago and my 5yo spent over 2 hours playing with it. Major success! You’ll need cornstarch and food colouring . From: Babble Dabble Do

10. Ocean Currents

Learn how ocean currents work! You’ll need food colouring . From: Life Over C’s

11. Rainbow Paper

Make pretty paper then turn into another craft! You’ll need black paper and clear nail polish . From: Science Kiddo

12. Constellation Flashlight

My son loves learning about space, so this will be a great way to teach him about constellations! You’ll need a flashlight, black paper and black paint. From: Handmade Charlotte

13. Dancing Worms

This is another fun variation on the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment. You’ll need gummy worms, vinegar and baking soda. From: Play Dough to Plato

14. Make Pennies Turn Green

Learn about chemical reactions and make observations with a free printable. You’ll need copper pennies and vinegar. From: Buggy and Buddy

15. Mentos Geyser

Who doesn’t love a good explosion? You’ll need a 2L bottle of dark coloured soda and a pack of Mentos . From: I Can Teach My Child

16. Disappearing Eggshell

Is there anything vinegar can’t do?! You’ll need a mason jar with a lid, eggs and vinegar. From: Premeditated Leftovers

17. Chromatography

These instructions call for a canvas tote bag , but I think a piece of cotton fabric would work too. You’ll need fabric, black water based markers and rubbing alcohol . From: Babble Dabble Do

Which of these looks like the most fun?!  I can’t wait to try the dino eggs!

Happy Experimenting!

Reader Interactions

May 21, 2018 at 6:34 pm

These are such great ideas! I cant wait to try a bunch this summer!

May 31, 2018 at 6:59 pm

I hope you do! They’re fun!

February 19, 2018 at 2:35 pm

recently I looks for something different and you helps me a lot. Thanks for the magical ideas.

October 3, 2017 at 1:56 pm

Love these! They look so fun too. Wondering if I can do some of them with my toddlers? Perhaps the shaving cream one?

October 3, 2017 at 3:27 am

Oh these look like soooo much fun! Pinning for later!!!

October 3, 2017 at 2:34 am

Thank you for this post! My five year old wants to be a scientist when he grows up, so we do a lot of science experiments in our house. I love the rainclouds, goop, and constellations.

October 3, 2017 at 1:10 am

These look so fun! I’m sharing so I can come back and do some of these with my kids.

October 2, 2017 at 6:29 pm

My kids will LOVE these! Sharing on my Facebook page for other mamas to see!

October 2, 2017 at 9:40 pm

I’m so glad! Thanks for sharing!

October 2, 2017 at 4:34 pm

These are awesome! My 8 year old son loves doing science experiments so I am saving this one for him! Thanks for sharing!

October 2, 2017 at 9:39 pm

I’m glad you liked it! Have fun experimenting! 🙂

October 2, 2017 at 12:58 pm

Wonderful round up of science projects to do with children. Nice you can make these from common household items.

Yes! So many times I’ve wanted to do fun stuff like this but the project requires such specialized ingredients. I love that I have most of the items required for these experiments already in my cupboards!

October 2, 2017 at 12:54 pm

This list is outstanding!! I love the rain clouds and the walking rainbow! It’s my daughter’s birthday this week and we may have to try these with her friends!

October 2, 2017 at 9:35 pm

I love that it’s a super inexpensive activity, you can just grab a couple cans of shaving cream from the dollar store! Have fun with the birthday celebrations!

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12 Easy Science Experiments to Do at Home

By: Author Jacquie Fisher

Posted on Published: January 20, 2021

Categories Kids Activities & Crafts , Science Experiments

Enjoy these fun and easy science experiments that kids can do at home using items you have around the house!

When you’re home with kids for an extended period, it’s time to get creative!

One thing that really engages kids of all ages are fun science activities (like our How Does a Leaf Breathe? plant experiment ) — and we’ve got a great list of simple experiments that are easy to do and have some AWESOME results!

12 Simple Science Experiments to do at Home

There’s nothing like a little science to get kids thinking and asking questions!  And it doesn’t have to be anything complicated at all — in fact, our philosophy is simple is better.  This collection of science activities uses items you’ll have around the house!  We’ve included links to the details for each experiment along with affiliate links to a few of our favorite at home science items too!

Whether you have 5 minutes or the whole afternoon, kids of all ages will enjoy exploring chemistry, biology and physics with these fun hands-on science ideas!

Easy Indoor and Outdoor Science Experiments

Experiment #1: The Science of Sound Waves

Of all the science activities we’ve done over the years, this has been the one that impressed us the most!  See how a piece of yarn or string can turn a kitchen spoon into a gong!

Experiment #2: How to Blow Up a Balloon with Baking Soda

Using simple chemistry, this project shows kids that you can blow up a balloon without using the air from your lungs.  Use items from around the house to create CO2 in a bottle and blow up a balloon!

Bonus Experiment: The experiment also shows you how to blow out a candle without using your breath!

Experiment #3: The Acid Test for Rocks

I’m sure your kids have picked up a rock and asked “what type of rock is this?”  Grab a few rocks and test to see if you have any limestone, a sedimentary rock, using this super easy experiment!  If you have a rock hound in the house, be sure to check out this Rock/Mineral Science Kit for more rock science you can do at home!

Experiment #4: Classic “Does It Sink or Float?” Science Activity

A classic science activity especially for preschool and elementary ages — kids can see what types of food sink or float with this favorite experiment!  BONUS:  a free science printable is also included!  This is also one of our 20 Backyard Science Experiments too.

Experiment #5: Flower Dissection Lab

Learn about the parts of a flower and how pollination works with this hands-on science activity that can be done using almost any type of flower from your yard, garden or even freshly cut flowers you might have in the house.

Experiment #6: How to Bend a Pencil Without Breaking It

Part science, part magic – this activity is sure to get kids thinking.  All you need is a jar, some water and a pencil!  BONUS: You’ll also find details for a second experiment on light refraction using water and a flashlight.

Experiment #7: Can you Dye Brown Eggs?

One April, I headed to the grocery store to buy eggs to dye for Easter.  But there were only brown eggs left on the shelf — which is how this easy and impromptu science idea came about 😉

Experiment #8: Popcorn & the Science of Physical Change

Kids LOVE this activity because you can eat the results 😉  Grab some popcorn kernals and learn about the science of physical changes.  This experiment also has some cool math concepts that go with it too!

Experiment #9: DIY Wizard Alchemy Lab

Got kids who love mixing and experimenting?  See if you can create a chemical reaction using a variety of kitchen items with this fun Wizards Lab activity!  Bonus tip – if you have a set of kid-friendly plastic test tubes in the house (maybe in an old science kit) we highly recommend them for this activity!

Experiment #10: The Art & Science of Watercolor Paints

Grab some of your favorite art items (markers, crayons, oil pastels & water color paints) and learn about the science behind art with this creative STEAM project!

Experiment #11: The Science of Flying a Kite

Kids can learn about the physics of kite flying (including Newton’s laws and the Bernouli principle) with this fun backyard activity — and yes, even tweens and teenagers will enjoy flying a kite so get them outside too.

Experiment #12: How to Make a Tornado in a Bottle

Learn how a vortex is formed and why tornadoes can be so dangerous with this colorful & mesmerizing science project that uses items you have around the house!

More Science Experiments for Kids

20 Science Experiments You Can Do in a Jar

How to Make a Barometer & Measure the Weather

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Easy Science Experiments To Do At Home

Science experiments at home are a fun way to engage the kiddos in easy-to-understand science concepts. They’ll want to do them over, over, and over again! One of the fascinating things about science activities for kids has to be the ease with which you can set up so many fun science experiments, even at home! The one thing that all of these experiments have in common is that they use everyday household supplies. How easy is that?

What Science Experiments Can I Do At Home?

Can you do terrific science experiments at home? You bet! Is it hard? Nope!

What do you need to get started?

Simply get up, walk into the kitchen, and start rummaging through cupboards. You will surely find some or all the supplies you need for all the easy home science experiments below.

These experiments at home work well with multiple age groups from preschool to elementary and beyond. Our activities have also been readily used with special needs groups in high school and young adult programs! More or less adult supervision depends on your kids’ abilities!

Read on to find out our favorite science experiments you can do at home that are do-able and make sense!

Using The Scientific Method With Kids

The scientific method is a process or method of research. A problem is identified, information about the problem is gathered, a hypothesis or question is formulated from the information, and the hypothesis is tested with an experiment to prove or disprove its validity.

Sounds heavy… What in the world does that mean?!? It means you don’t need to try and solve the world’s biggest science questions! The scientific method is all about studying and learning things right around you.

As children develop practices that involve creating, gathering data evaluating, analyzing, and communicating, they can apply these critical thinking skills to any situation.

Learn more here:

• Using The Scientific Method with Young Kids
• Variables In Science
• Observation In Science

Note: The use of the best Science and Engineering Practices is also relevant to the topic of using the scientific method. Read more here and see if it fits your science planning needs.

Helpful Science Resources To Get You Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• 8 Science Books for Kids
• All About Scientists
• Science Supplies List
• Science Tools for Kids
• Join us in the Club

Click here to get your free Home Science Guide

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The following kids’ science activities can work for preschoolers through middle schoolers allowing multiple ages to work together while still learning great science concepts. Older kiddos can easily apply the scientific method, fill out science journal pages, and use science vocabulary to extend their learning.

Blow Up A Balloon 

Of course, you know you can blow up balloons with your breath! What do you exhale? Carbon dioxide! But did you know you can also blow up a balloon with two common household ingredients, vinegar and baking soda?

Set up your experiment and test the difference between a balloon blown up with your breath and one blown up with the chemical reaction. Notice any differences?

LOOK : Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

Catapult Physics

Explore potential and kinetic energy with a simple to make catapult. Our Popsicle stick catapult tutorial is perfect for testing physics in the living room.

Explore the weights of different objects and how far they fly. Play with the lever arm and fulcrum to test force. Run through Newton’s laws! Why not invent your own catapult? Craft sticks and rubber bands are the base for this project. A bottle cap to hold items helps too!

LOOK: Popsicle Stick Catapult

Erupting Volcano

This is a classic science project the kids will have a blast creating at home. Although it’s a multi-step project which involves homemade salt dough, and decorating a volcano to get started, the eruptions are awesome!

You’ll need a batch of salt dough (or old playdough), paint (optional), baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, and dish soap

LOOK: Volcano Experiment

Goopy Oobleck

Prepare to get a little messy with this science experiment! You might even want to take this one outside. All you need is cornstarch and water and food coloring (optional).

Have you ever heard of a Non-Newtonian fluid? Part solid and part liquid, oobleck is more than just water and cornstarch mixed together! It also demonstrates the properties of Non-Newtonian fluids. Pick it up like a solid and let it ooze back as a liquid. 

LOOK : Oobleck Recipe

Grow Crystals

Growing crystals is a great way to explore saturated solutions and crystal formation with kids of all ages. If you don’t want to get into using borax powder to grow crystals (although very cool results), salt is another great option and really gets the kids involved.

Plan for the experiment to take a few days as the water has to evaporate. All you need is table salt, water. and paper!

• Grow Salt  Crystals
• Grow Crystals With Borax
• Grow Sugar Crystals

DIY milk fireworks! A fun way to explore chemistry and reactions with kitchen ingredients. What happens when the fat in the milk meets the dish soap?

No low-fat, fat-free options here. Full fat milk is the best choice for this home science experiment. You’ll also need food coloring, dish soap. cotton swabs, and a shallow dish.

LOOK: Magic Milk Science Experiment

Melting Ice

This science activity features three different challenges that will keep the kiddos busy for hours and use items from around the house. Explore how ice melts, try to prevent ice from melting, and more. Simple science information included!

LOOK: What makes ice melt faster?

Can you really make an egg bounce or a rubber egg? What happens to egg shell when you have an egg in vinegar? So many fun ideas to test out with a few simple supplies. All you need is some uncooked eggs and vinegar.

LOOK: Rubber Egg Experiment

Slime Science

We love making and playing with all types of cool slime. From super fluffy slime, galaxy slime, butter slime, glow-in-the-dark slime, and more. But did you know that slime can also be a fun science experiment? 

Explore what happens when you vary the key ingredients in one of our most popular slime recipes. You only need PVA glue, slime activators , and baking soda for tons of slimy fun.

• The Best Slime Recipes
• Super Fluffy Slime Recipe 

Walking Water

Explore capillary action , the process that moves water up through the stem of a plant in order for photosynthesis to work!

You can demonstrate this in several ways, including a walking water rainbow, color-changing flowers, and even with celery and lettuce leaves. All you need is food coloring, water, and something to move the water!

• Coloring Changing Flowers
• How Water Travels Through Leaves
• Walking Water Experiment

Balloon Rocket

How far can your balloon rocket fly? There’s an equal and opposite reaction for every action—exciting physics with straws, a balloon, and two anchor points.

LOOK: Balloon Rocket Experiment

More Fun Science Experiments To Try

Are you looking for more cool science experiments to do at home? Here’s even more to try- kid approved! Little scientists, through big scientists, will love the selection of mixtures, models, and mess!

Colorful Candy Experiments

Fantastic candy science experiments that you can actually do with all of your favorite candy! Of course, you might have to allow for taste testing too!

Chemical Reactions

Who doesn’t love fizzing, erupting and even exploding chemical reaction experiments ? Even better you can do these science experiments at home safely with everyday ingredients.

Grow Your Science

Experiment with plants with one or more of these hands-on activities for kids. Set up a seed germination jar, mini-greenhouse, learn how plants breath, make food and more.

Science You Can Eat

Can you eat science? You bet! Kids love tasty food science experiments  and adults love inexpensive and easy to set up science experiments at home!

Science In A Jar

Simple science jar experiments you can actually do in a single Mason jar! Totally doable and fun for kids to work on science at-home!

What’s The Weather Like

Dive into fun and easy weather science with simple weather STEM activities, demonstrations, engineering projects, and free weather worksheets.

Water Experiments

Water has to the easiest thing you can use to do science at home! You wouldn’t believe how many different water experiments you can do with the kids.

Science Experiments By Age Group

We’ve put together a few separate resources for different age groups, but remember that many experiments will cross over and can be re-tried at several different age levels. Younger kiddos can enjoy the simplicity and hands-on fun. At the same time, you can talk back and forth about what is happening.

As kiddos get older, they can bring more complexity to the experiments, including using the scientific method , developing hypotheses, exploring variables , creating different tests, and writing conclusions from analyzing data.

• Science for Toddlers
• Science for Preschoolers
• Science for Kindergarten
• Science for Early Elementary Grades
• Science for 3rd Grade
• Science for Middle School

More Fun Things To Do At Home

• 25 Things To Do Outside
• 100 Indoor Activities For Kids
• 75 Fun Activities For Preschoolers
• Virtual Field Trip Ideas To Go On An Adventure
• Fantastic Math Worksheets For Kids
• Fun Printable Activities For Kids

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

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31 Easy Science Experiments and STEM Activities Using Household Stuff

Time off from school doesn’t mean learning and creativity has to stop..

If you are looking for some ways to keep the spark of learning alive at home, these fun, easy science experiments and STEM activities are just the thing. Best of all, these projects use items that you probably have around the house. 

Things to Build & Create

• Make your own lava lamp .
• Make homemade paper .
• Use some of that toilet paper you’re hoarding and make a mummy .
• Make a mesmerizing wave machine .
• Create mud bricks .
• Make your own stethoscope .

Food Science

• Make homemade butter (and get a workout) by shaking cream in a jar.
• Try to get an egg into a bottle .
• Learn about osmosis and grow gummy bears .
• Watch pepper scatter and learn about surface tension .
• Make geodes that you can eat .
• Learn about the phases of the moon with Oreos.
• Fool your senses with this taste test .
• Build a solar oven and make sun s’mores .
• Make edible sugar candy glass .
• Experiment with curds and whey to make ricotta cheese .

Science That Flies

• Make a paper toothpick glider that flies far.
• Make a paper bag kite for those windy days.
• Make a hovercraft with a balloon and an old CD.
• Make a parachute for a toy soldier .
• Make a straw glider .
• Build a paper airplane launcher .

Noisy Science

• Create a soothing-sounding rain stick .
• Make music with bottles .
• Jam with a cardboard guitar .
• Make music with a couple of glasses of water .
• Make a straw oboe .

Sticky Science

• Make fluffy dish soap slime .
• Explore non-Newtonian fluids by making oobleck .
• Create edible fake snot slime .
• Make super easy three-ingredient slime .

• Things to do at home

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8 Fun Science Experiments You Can Easily Do at Home

Looking for a science project to do with kids? These experiments go beyond the trivial and incorporate real-world scientific research.

SciStarter Blog

Around the world, millions of kids are headed back to school in a totally different way. Classes are online. Teachers talk to students in virtual classrooms. And parents are often left looking for new, hands-on science learning opportunities.

We’ve got your back. Here are eight fun and easy science experiments that you can do at home with kids of all ages. What’s more, each of these science projects ties into real-life research efforts through citizen science, where volunteers help experts collect and analyze data.

RELATED: VIRTUAL DISSECTION: ANIMALEARNING FROM HOME

Make Wild Sourdough

It seems like the whole world is baking homemade sourdough bread right now. Sourdough took on broad appeal when the baker’s yeast disappeared from store shelves. Unlike other baking projects, sourdough doesn’t need store bought yeast. Instead, it’s made with sourdough starter.

RELATED: FREE SCIENCE EDUCATION E-BOOKS

If you have flour, you can easily experiment with making your own sourdough starter.  Wild sourdough starters  tap into the abundant yeast in our homes and puts them to work making delicious bread. When it comes to science experiments you can do at home, few could be more delicious and rewarding than this one. You’ll also be helping scientists out along the way.

RELATED: BACK TO SCHOOL WITH CITIZEN SCIENCE

The Wild Sourdough Project is a global science experiment that hopes to discover how sourdough starter communities form over time. The team behind the effort is hoping to unravel how factors like geography and different kinds of flour affect the yeast communities. Best of all, the effort has a step-by-step guide that lets you learn how to make your own sourdough starter.

Take Part: Make Your Own Sourdough for Science

Create a Cloud in a Jar

Clouds are an important and often overlooked driver of Earth’s temperature. They trap sunlight in, but they also reflect it back into space. That role has climate scientists rushing to study our planet’s clouds, and how they’re changing.  NASA’s GLOBE Observer: Clouds  project taps citizen scientists to provide pictures of the sky, plus observations of cloud cover, type, sky conditions and visibility. That data helps info real science research and verify what satellites are seeing from space.

You can get involved with your kids and enrich the experience by adding lessons about clouds. For example, NASA has added a number of fun and easy ways to learn about climate science and clouds, including science experiments. One of the best related projects is to make a cloud in a jar. This simple science experiment is a powerful way to demonstrate how clouds work. You only need water, ice, a jar, and a few minutes of time.

Take Part: Join NASA’s Globe Observer Clouds

Measure Rain and Snow with CoCoRaHS

Fall is approaching fast, which means many of us will soon be at home watching rain and snow out the window. Instead of succumbing to the gloom, why not make that weather into a fun science experiment for your kids?

The CoCoRaHS weather monitoring program, or Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network, is a network of volunteers who measure and report on precipitation. CoCoRaHS emphasizes training and education, and they even have an interactive website rich in educational resources and even National Weather Service lesson plans you can use at home.

RELATED: Getting Creative with Remote Science Learning

As a volunteer, you’ll use the same low-cost weather gauges that meteorologists and cities use. Then, when it rains, snows or hails, you’ll submit your precipitation data to the website where you can compare it to others in real-time. That information also helps out the National Weather Service, as well as researchers, farmers, emergency managers — and curious people everywhere.

Take Part: Join the CoCoRaHS Weather Monitoring Network

Plant a Pollinator Garden

Pollinators play a vital role in Earth’s ecosystems, and yet they’re threatened by pesticides, disease, habitat loss and even climate change. That has many people searching for  ways to help save bees and other pollinators .

There are many options to chip in, but one of the most impactful things you and your kids can do at home is  plant a pollinator garden .

Not only will this serve to help struggling pollinators, it can also serve as a long-term science laboratory at home. SciStarter, the citizen-science group behind this blog post, has compiled an entire group of at-home science projects that can be done from your pollinator garden. You can watch moths, butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and more, then help scientists track their migration across the country.

Take Part: Plant a Pollinator Garden

Build a Bee Condo

If you already have a bumper garden at home, or it’s getting too cold to think about planting just yet, you can still stay indoors and help pollinators. The group behind National Pollinator Week has put together instructions for how you can build a home for native bees, called a bee condo. Unlike domesticated honey bees that live in apiaries, most native, wild bees you find in your backyard actually burrow their homes into the soil or a tree.

By building a bee condo, you can encourage bees to live nearby and also get a fun, DIY science experiment to do at home. Once it’s up, you can watch what kinds of critters take up residence there and report back on the results for science.

Take Part: Build a Bee Condo

Scan the Night Sky

Around the world, light pollution from buildings and street lamps is blocking our view of the night sky. Most people who live in cities have never seen a truly dark sky, or the Milky Way. That’s not just bad for humans, it’s also bad for the plants, animals and insects who are disrupted by light pollution.

If you have a budding astronomy-lover in the house, you can participate in a science project called  Globe at Night  that aims to create a world-wide measure of light pollution in our night sky.

For this science experiment, you can start making observations using only a smartphone. You’ll mark the sky’s darkness by how many stars you can see. And you can get a sky quality meter through the project to help record even better data.

Take Part: Measure Light Pollution in Your Community

Measure Water Quality

More than 1.5 million volunteers from across the planet are already taking part in a science experiment to track — and protect — Earth’s waterways. The citizen science effort is called the  EarthEcho Water Challenge , and it has users buy a water test kit for about $25, then start collecting basic water data.

Volunteers record things like water clarity, temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen. That data gets plugged into a large database, where it’s used for real science research and to help protect waterways.

Take Part: Join the Earth Echo Water Challenge

Study the Vitamin C in Your Juice

Back in the golden age of sailing, sailors worried that they’d get scurvy. A lack of vitamin C during long voyages can cause a host of health problems. Scurvy leaves you weak, causes skin problems and gum disease, and makes it harder to heal. Scurvy can even kill you. This isn’t just an old-timey concern, either. Future space explorers will have to worry about vitamin C as they head off to explore the solar system. And that’s the angle utilized by a fun citizen science project called  Space Scurvy .

The project asks students to use household items to test the vitamin C content of juices from their schools and homes. The necessary tools for this science experiment should be easy to come by, and the site has fun and simple directions for you to follow.

Take Part: Measure Vitamin C for the Space Scurvy Project

Note: Some of these projects are SciStarter Affiliates. You can use your SciStarter account email to join and earn credit for your participation in your SciStarter dashboard.

Citizen Science Lessons During the Pandemic

About the Author

Eric Betz is a science and tech writer for Discover Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, and others. He is a lover of #darkskies and pale blue dots.

15+ Science Experiments to Do at Home

This post may contain affiliate links.

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Kids seem to learn more about their environment through science experiments than they do by reading textbooks. Thankfully, there are a ton of science experiments to do at home .

Please don’t think I am totally anti-textbook. I certainly think there can be a time and a place for them.

This past year I used a public school high school science textbook for my daughter’s science curriculum. I wanted her to gain experience and practice using a standard textbook before she goes off to college in a few years. Knowing how to get information from a typical textbook is a skill that needs to be developed.

The textbook and accompanying workbook worked well, but the lab manual was a flop. I suppose it was written for teachers who have large science experiment cabinets and easy access to expensive equipment and chemicals.

That isn’t me . . . or any homeschool family I know!

I couldn’t rely on the suggested experiments in the book, so I found other experiments online.

These are all science experiments to do at home. They do not require any fancy equipment or hard-to-find materials. Most of the supplies are things you probably already have in your home, but some might require an Amazon order.

Science Experiments to Do at Home

Extract DNA from a Strawberry – DNA is in every living, but it isn’t often that we can see it with our own eyes. This fun science experiment to do at home uses simple items that you likely already own. If you don’t have any fresh strawberries, frozen works well too.

My family has done this experiment a few times with great results.

How Does a Leaf Breath – This science experiment lets you actually see photosynthesis take place. All you need is a leaf, clear bowl or cup, and water.

Grow a Germ Farm – Find out how much bacteria is really all around you with this germ experiment.

My family did this science experiment at home a few years ago and my kids still talk about it. They loved being able to check on the growth each day and they felt like ‘real scientists’ with their petri dishes.

Gummy Bear Osmosis – My kids are always more interested in schoolwork if the lessons include food. This is an easy and fun science experiment to do at home because it uses easy-to-find materials – gummy bears and water.

Make Oobleck – Study non-newtonian fluids with this hands-on experiment for kids. This in-depth article explains how to do this science experiment at home, but also why it works.

Sharpie Solubility – Explore the concept of solubility with sharpies. Kids use the permanent markers to draw simple lines on coffee filters and place them in three common substances. It doesn’t take long to see which substance helps break down the ink.

Elephant Toothpaste – This experiment creates a big foamy mess . . . something kids always seem to enjoy! Messes are worth it if they lead to learning though. Kids can learn all about exothermic reactions with this cool experiment.

How to Clean Pennies – Do your kids ever want to just play with random condiments? My kids loved to do this when they were little. Sometimes they were pretending to be chefs and sometimes they were pretending to be scientists.

Let your little scientists experiment with a few kitchen staples (lime/lemon juice, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, and salt) and see if they can remove the patina from dirty pennies.

Test PH Level – This science experiment to do at home is really simple but seems impressive. Use red (purple) cabbage to create an indicator solution. Then kids can test just about anything to determine the ph level and whether something is an acid or a base.

Make Ice Cream in a Bag – Kids can observe changing states of matter while they make dessert. This is a win-win!

Create Hot Ice Crystals – This experiment will blow your kids minds! It only uses two common household supplies, but produces a crystal ‘ice’ tower that is hot to the touch.

Related: 7 Fizzy Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments

Make Rain Clouds – This cute science experiment is perfect for little ones on rainy days. Shaving cream, water, and food coloring combine to show kids how gravity is involved in making rain fall from clouds.

Watch Water Travel – Test the properties of cohesion and adhesion with this quick experiment. Kids will get a kick out of watching water travel from one container to another via string.

Turn Milk Into Plastic – This science experiment to do at home uses vinegar to turn milk into plastic. It is part science experiment and part craft project.

Make a Lava Lamp – Explore the relationship between oil and water with this fun kid-friendly science experiment. My kids had a blast doing this experiment a few years ago.

Awesome Science Kits

Don’t want to gather the materials for experiments from around your home? That is totally okay!

These science kits can be ordered online and come with everything you needed for science experiments you can do at home.

Thames and Kosmos Chemistry Chem C500 – Thames and Kosmos make some of the best chemistry sets for kids. This set contains just about everything needed to complete 28 science experiments at home.

• An introductory tour of chemistry with 28 classic experiments
• Discover the colorful effects of acids and bases
• Make fizzy and foamy reactions and write messages with invisible ink

Last update on 2024-08-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Crystal Growing Science Experimental Kit – This highly rated kit contains everything needed to conduct 7 crystal growing experiments at home.

• This science kit contains all the materials needed to perform seven different crystal growth experiments; Use hot water (distilled recommended)
• A special display case is included to admire the crystals once they are fully grown
• Perfect for young science enthusiasts; especially those with an interest in geology

Volcano Science Kit – Creating an erupting volcano is one of the classic science experiments you can do at home. Kids all seem to love it! This kit has everything needed to craft and then erupt a volcano. It even includes a few volcanic rocks.

• COMPLETE SCIENCE KIT – Includes absolutely everything you need to create a volcano, paint it, and even make it erupt!
• MAKING SCIENCE FUN – The perfect hands-on experiment for any science fair. Includes National Geographic’s learning guide so you can write an A+ report
• REAL VOLCANIC ROCKS – Includes pumice and a geode specimen. Learn all about each unique volcanic specimen

What are your favorite science experiments to do at home?

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Welcome! My name is Jennifer. I am a teacher at heart. Before my children were born I was a public school teacher. Now, I am a homeschooling mom of two.

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How Soviet architects experimented with standardized designs for residential buildings

When we think of Soviet housing construction drives today, we often associate them with the identical panel-built apartment blocks that were erected on a large scale throughout the country. Technically, these were actually different models since they were developed by local house-building plants, but in fact all of them—from Tver to Perm—looked practically identical. Such housing developments made up of five-story so-called Khrushchyovkas—apartment blocks built during the Krushchev era—with no elevator, and the typical nine- to 12-story Brezhnevkas—apartment blocks built in the Brezhnev period—were necessary in order to solve the housing problem and provide self-contained flats for Soviet families. They had to be built as quickly and as cheaply as possible. Soviet architects had little experience with this kind of work, and so there was plenty of room for pure and wild experimentation.

The "Openwork House", Moscow

The Soviet authorities first began planning to build standardardized residential buildings before World War II. A 1940 apartment block on Leningradsky Prospekt 27 in Moscow was one of the first prototypes for what panel-built housing developments would look like. It is called the "Openwork House" because of the patterned screens on the building’s façade, which the architects designed as an attractive way to conceal the residents’ cluttered balconies from sight to passers-by. There were shops and everyday services on the ground floor. The building’s distinctive features include spacious corridors and landings, and tiny kitchens that were just four sq. m. in 40 sq. m. studio apartments. The assumption was that residents would order food from the cafe on the ground floor and just reheat it at home.

After the war, architects had to design less costly projects, and the Openwork House is now regarded as an architectural heritage site.    

Experimental showpiece housing development in Cheryomushki, Moscow

The village of Cheryomushki outside Moscow was the site of the first housing development made up of Khrushchyovkas. The experimental 9th Housing Estate was built in 1956-1959 and consisted of 13 four-story and seven eight-story buildings. The pilot apartments were tiny. For example, instead of the usual regular-sized bath, a sit-down bathtub or just a shower tray could be installed. Residents could order space-saving transformer furniture from a catalogue to outfit their apartments.

At the same time, the buildings’ facades were decorated with brick, the courtyards had real fountains and pergolas for plants, and the development had its own shops, canteens and even a cinema. Dmitri Shostakovich glorified the new Soviet housing aesthetic in his operetta Moscow, Cheryomushki, and in 1962 a movie was made based on the development.  

After this, however, the infrastructure for Soviet housing developments was greatly simplified.  

The first experimental Khrushchyovka apartment block, St. Petersburg

This building located in St. Petersburg at Polyarnikov Street 10 ushered in the history of mass panel-built housing construction in the Soviet Union. To locals, it is known as the "Protokhrushchyovka" (proto-Krushchev-era block of flats). It was built in 1955 in just 102 days, including finishing work, and was presented to Nikita Khrushchev as an archetype for the future of residential housing. It has just 30 flats, 29 of which were occupied by the construction workers who had actually built the building, while one flat was designated for construction experiments.

What distinguishes the building from actual Khrushchyovkas is that the ceilings are three meters high rather than 2.5 meters, and the kitchens are 10-12 sq. m. rather than the usual five or six sq. m. It also has oak doors, and the entrances are adorned with Neoclassical-style pilasters. There are small balconies, but only on the second floor. Khrushchev thought the design was too expensive and subsequent apartment blocks were built much more modestly "without frills."

The "topsy-turvy" house, St. Petersburg

At first glance, this residential building on Magnitogorskaya Street 95 looks like a completely ordinary four-story panel block of flats. But it was actually the result of a daring architectural experiment conducted in 1959. It was built using a method that required each story to be hoisted up to the necessary height. First, load-bearing piles were put in place, and then the roof was assembled on the ground before, with the help of construction jacks, being hoisted up to the required level. Then the builders began assembling the upper story and gradually worked their way down to the ground floor.

The idea was that removing the need for cranes would speed up the construction process and bring costs down, but in reality it quickly became apparent that this type of construction required highly trained workers and jack operators, so the building ended up being the only one of its type. 

Residential complex for young people, Yekaterinburg

The idea of building residential complexes for young people and unmarried professionals first saw the light of day in the period from 1960 to 1980 in the town of Korolyov in the Moscow Region at a center of space research where scientists lived in huge numbers.

Such complexes were put up around industrial sites throughout the country and functioned as a kind of city within a city. One such complex survives to this day in the eastern suburbs of Yekaterinburg. In 1981, a development was put up that consists of 11 long semicircular panel-built houses that are nine-, 12- and 16-stories each. Dubbed "pentagons" or "labyrinths" by locals, the buildings were designed to house a small number of occupants. For the most part, only the nine-story blocks had three-room apartments, while the other blocks consisted of one- and two-room flats. The longest buildings housed 500 flats each! The first residents were recent graduates of the local university, who were directly involved not just in the construction but also the planning of the development. The entire residential complex was built of ferro-concrete panels manufactured at a neighboring factory.

The complex also housed one of the city's largest department stores, a sports center, a community center with a concert hall where famous rock musicians would come to perform, plus an amphitheater for amateur theater that also served as a children's recreation area.

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The Charnel-House

From bauhaus to beinhaus.

Specifications

. Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis (1929). A collective house for workers in the People’s Commissariat of Finance. Moscow, USSR. Novinskii Boulevard.

The shorter wing of the complex houses a children’s home, dining room, kitchen, and laundry. The complex is placed in the center of a park, away from street noise. Apartments are two stories high. Height of rooms is 2.2 m, that is, for two-story spaces, 4.4 m. Continuous side corridor every second floor. Roof garden. On the ground floor are rooms for rest and recreation.

The individual bourgeois apartment is no longer appropriate for new dwelling relations, which are based on principles other than the unified patriarchal family with its petty individualistic conduct. The economic routines of the worker’s family (nutrition, cleaning, washing) as well as the education of children, their care and control and the fulfillment of the cultural and sport needs of workers and children, can and must be collectivized, that is, produced on a collective basis. Therefore all those rooms that for their functional destination and their character must serve entire collectives and not only single individuals must be reshaped into corresponding highly collectivized premises: the canteen, common resting rooms, reading rooms and libraries, gyms, child care rooms and nurseries, etc.; single individual rooms are the sleeping cabins, restrooms, rooms for individual use and for scientific work.

The windows open like an accordion to transform the living cell into an open terrace surrounded by greenery. The sense of a room is lost: it becomes a platform integrated within nature.

The Building Committee [ Stroikom ] of the Economic Soviet RSFSR 1928. (Architects: Ginzburg, Pasternak, Barshch, Vladimirov). Project for a collective house, Type F.

This dwelling beehive does not contain any of the functions usually attributed to a full housekeeping flat. In contrast to a hotel, bachelor flats, and pensions, such a dwelling beehive should not be considered in itself a complete dwelling entity. The program of “dwelling” includes all the relevant social, study, etc. spaces, and separate children’s rooms are concentrated outside of this dwelling beehive in their own separate buildings.

• Collectivization and centralization of all housekeeping and communal functions;
• Reduction of dwelling to a single cell for each adult person;
• Liberation of the working woman from household chores and the upbringing of children;
• Elevation of the housing standard and culture of the working class; Support of popular education and physical culture, as well as community life;
• Full medical care; Reorganization of the city as a whole; Isolation of an individual’s private life within a single standardized dwelling cell.

Owen Hatherley Militant Modernism (Zer0 Books: 2010)

The revolution of everyday life.

. The remarkable thing about constructivism, something that can still be seen as a shadow, is that the everyday was the area for experiment. A much-used Russian term here was byt , translated usually as “everyday life,” specifically in its most habituated, domestic sense. So most of the projects here were applications of the aesthetic that would be branded “alien” by the Stalinists to the most basic architectural elements of society. That is, housing, public leisure facilities, schools, industrial areas integrated into the city, and local “houses of the Soviet.”

Superficially, these buildings might seem similar to corre­sponding Western models: social housing, “working men’s clubs” and so forth, which we are used to thinking of as bastions of working-class conservatism. This was precisely why they were seen as so important, so it’s the differences that are especially key here. This was frequently a teleological architecture, even a Pavlovian one: particular social affects were intended to be produced. Although a socialist state power of some sort was claimed (rightly or wrongly) to be in place by 1922, its leaders were well aware that old habitus died hard: religion, patriarchy and “petit-bourgeois” attitudes still pervaded. In 1924, Leon Trotsky, a few years before his expulsion, published a book called Problems of Everyday Life . Here there was a cautious endorsement of “ byt reform” — the experiments in living carried out at the time by communes and co-operatives — and the particular material forms that might house them. “Public laundries, public restau­rants, public workshops” would take the place of all that used to take place in the kitchen, thus abolishing “household slavery.” A poster from around this time shows a dingy, cramped kitchen being opened up to a glittering, glassy new world of futuristic structures and open space, and this was what was tentatively being constructed.

The Beautiful Life , featuring Narkomfin on the cover (1930)

The constructivist group OSA (Society of Contemporary Architects) had a phrase, “the social condenser” to sum up the particular effects and processes that their architecture was intended to induce. The Narkomfin Building, designed by Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis in 1928 for employees of the Commissariat of Finance, is the most famous and conspicuous of these buildings for a new byt . Unlike most of the other ruins, there is an active campaign to save its remains. What we have here is a long, ribbon-windowed block, connected by a covered bridge to a glazed collective compound. The structure was designed to induce collectivism in its inhabitants: the duplex flats were divided into K-Types, which still provided space for children and cooking, and the F-Types that were “fully collectivized,” assuming that the children would be brought up in the collective block and the tenants would eat in the adjoining restaurant. The glazed block would feature all the facilities denied from the individual flats. Yet almost as soon as it was finished, the Narkomfin was denounced a remnant of “leftist” utopianism, the pathos of one of  Charles Fourier’s phalansteries somehow cut adrift in Stalinism. A fate equally melancholic met the “fully collectivized” Dam-Kommuna designed by Ivan Nikolaev for the Textile Institute around the same time, which seems to be not so much crumbling as wilting. If the Workers’ Clubs are strange booze-free mutations of the WMC, then the Narkomfin has a similar relation to the luxury flats of today. Built, essentially, for bureaucrats, with duplexes and communal facilities, this is a prototype for every Ballardian Docklands block with its roof gardens, services, and sexual experimentalism. Of course the Commissar, the old Bolshevik and part-time architect Nikolai Miliutin, occupied the penthouse.

Yet the Narkomfin and the Nikolaev Dom Kommuna were some of the first products of an intended standard for the whole of Russia, irrespective of status, domicile, or class. Ginzburg, along with three other architects from the OSA Group, was employed by the state to develop typologies known as the Stroikom units. The F-Type and K-Type flats were pioneered here, as well as the adjoining public facilities: the high ceilings and duplexes were considered usable as a general standard for all, as opposed to a chic luxury. The rise of Stalin and the accompanying mass indus­trialization actually killed off this exercise in standardization rather than encouraging it, and only six complexes applying these principles were ever built (which still beats the amount of Unités d’Habitation Le Corbusier managed to get built 20-30 years later, borrowing many Stroikom ideas). [Richard Pare’s]  The Lost Vanguard features one of the others, by Ginzburg and Aleksandr Pasternak, in Ekaterinburg. In rather better condition than the Narkomfin, its alternation of glazed strips, curves and sharp angles still looks like a viable, if ghostly, standard. The curious pink hue reminds that the white box International Style that archive photos give these buildings was often an illusion. The OSA architects were great enthusiasts for bright, artificial chromaticism: a whole issue of their journal, SA was devoted to the question, and the Bauhaus’ color expert Hinnerk Scheper was in the USSR at the time collab­orating on their projects.

With lightning telegrams:

14 thoughts on “ dom narkomfin in moscow, 1929 ”.

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Thank you Ross for your exhaustive flow of information about the Narkomfin Dom-Kommuna and that productive period in recent architecture History. We made use of it in the book 10STORIES OF COLLECTIVE HOUSING. (There is one story devoted to The sinking of Social Condenser). We quote your blog on the Online Bibliography. Great work.

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Hi Ross, any chance you have the poster you wrote about? The one that “shows a dingy, cramped kitchen being opened up to a glittering…”?

by the way wonderful article!

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….CONGRATULATIONS! thank you Ross.

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The Moscow Signals Declassified Microwave Mysteries: Projects PANDORA and BIZARRE

National Security Archive Posts Special Declassified Collection on Microwave Transmissions Aimed at U.S. Moscow Embassy, 1953-1979 

Was the Moscow Signal a Historical Precedent for the "Havana Syndrome"?

Project BIZARRE: Pentagon Officials Conducted Radiation Tests on Monkeys, Planned Secret Human Experimentation

Washington D.C., September 13, 2022 - On the 5 th  anniversary of the CIA’s September 13, 2017, decision to pull its agents out of Cuba, after several operatives were stricken with what has become known as the “Havana Syndrome,” the National Security Archive today posted the first of a declassified documentation series on the “Moscow Signals”—a decades-long chapter of the Cold War during which Soviet intelligence bathed the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with microwave transmissions on a daily basis, and, in the late 1950s, penetrated the U.S ambassador’s residence with ionizing radiation. The records published   by the Archive are among those being reviewed by a special, high-level panel tasked by the Biden administration to search for clues into the enduring mystery surrounding cognitive brain traumas experienced by several dozen U.S. intelligence and diplomatic personnel in Havana, and elsewhere, over the last five years.

The CIA announced in late August that it is compensating at least a dozen of its officers and operatives for syndrome-related injuries known as “Anomalous Health Incidents” (AHI).

The documents posted today record Project BIZARRE, the actual—and rather appropriate—codename for a program of radiation experiments conducted on monkeys to determine if the Moscow Signal was intended to degrade the abilities of U.S. personnel to function at the Embassy. Project BIZARRE was a highly classified component of Project PANDORA, a broader research effort undertaken by the Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) that included evaluating blood samples of U.S. personnel posted in Moscow and surveying medical records of crew members of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga to determine if exposure to radiation-emitting technology on board produced physiological effects.

“The Soviets have reported in the open literature that humans subjected to low-level (non-thermal) modulated microwave radiation, show adverse clinical and physiological effects,” ARPA official Richard Cesaro reported in a TOP SECRET, September 1967, update on Project BIZARRE. “The ARPA BIZARRE program will establish methods which should permit us to relate the behavior of sub-human primates to man under conditions of microwave exposure. This may require direct testing with humans under controlled conditions.” 

Among the documents posted today is the original TOP SECRET “Justification Memorandum for Project Pandora,” written by Cesaro in October 1965, which stated that the White House had ordered a program of “intensive investigative research” “under the code name project ‘TUMS’’—Technical Unidentified Moscow Signal. The posting also includes a SECRET May 1965 memorandum by ARPA scientist Samuel Koslov which argued that “a program to specifically check the complex Moscow signal waveforms on higher primates should be carried out to supply some data base for possible use in a protest action” against the Kremlin. Titled “Biomedical Phenomena,” the memo was obtained by science historian Nicholas H. Steneck for his groundbreaking 1984 study, The Microwave Debate , but has never been published in full on the Internet before now.

OVERVIEW OF THE MOSCOW SIGNAL

Despite four years of efforts, the multi-million-dollar PANDORA-BIZARRE projects failed to prove the early hypothesis that the Russians deployed the microwave beams to degrade the mental and physical abilities of U.S. Embassy officers to perform their diplomatic and intelligence duties. An initial experiment of modulated microwave beams on a single monkey appeared to show an impact on its behavior. But the test was conducted using the CIA’s inaccurate readings that the power of the beams was .5 to one milliwatt—exceeding Soviet safety levels by a factor of 100. In reality, as the CIA correctly determined in 1967, the power density of the beams was "no greater than .05 mw/cm in the Moscow Signal," a level that was well below U.S. and Soviet safety levels, as ARPA official Cesaro advised in a TOP SECRET update on Project BIZARRE from September 1967. At the corrected levels, he reported, the “modulated microwave radiation did not cause the primate to degrade in conducting his work tasks.”

The findings, according to one CIA scientist working with ARPA, indicated that the beams were not dangerous to U.S. personnel at the Embassy. “I feel confident in stating,” as Joe Johnston reported in September 1967 on Project BIZARRE results, “that, at the power levels reported for TUMS, persons exposed are at no risk of injury.”

Another theory pursued by the U.S. intelligence community suggested that the signal served as a jamming device intended to disrupt U.S. espionage operations that were conducted out of a surveillance shed on the roof of the Embassy building. A third, and prevalent, theory is that Soviet intelligence agencies employed the Moscow Signal to activate, power and/or interpret eavesdropping devices in the walls of the Embassy building. “Defense feels we must bear in mind the possibility that some of the signals are [deleted] for the activation or interrogation of audio devices implanted in the Embassy,” stated a TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE White House memorandum for President Ford in February 1976, drawing on the Defense Department’s evaluation of the microwave beams. [Note: The memorandum to President Ford will be posted on September 15.] 

Numerous such bugging devices were discovered in April 1964, hidden in the walls of at least eleven Embassy offices—including the office of the U.S. Defense Attaché. The realization that Soviet intelligence had penetrated the Embassy and compromised secret U.S. communications set in motion a series of countersurveillance measures and a major focus on the mysterious energy beam directed at the building. U.S. technicians first detected the energy rays in 1953, shortly after the Embassy opened, but only began to actively monitor the radiation rays in the early 1960s. A technician from the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Maclyn Musser, identified them as microwave radiation and reported, in 1963, that the beam was 50 feet across. “More effort should be made to understand the purpose of the microwave signal directed at the Embassy, or failing in this, to stop it,” Jerome Wiesner, the former chairman of the White House Science Advisory Board advised in a SECRET June 1964 memo on “Bugging of U.S. Embassy, Moscow”—the first document posted today as part of the Moscow Signal collection. “It is hard to understand why we have been so unconcerned about it.”

As the declassified documents posted today record, in the mid-1960s, U.S. national security agencies initiated a series of programs, assessments and operations designed to address the microwave beams, codenamed “TUMS”—Technical Unidentified Moscow Signal. (In the mid-1970s, after a second signal was detected, the codename was upgraded to “MUTS”—Moscow Unidentified Technical Signals.) The Pentagon conducted the Project PANDORA and BIZARRE studies. Those included:

Project Big Boy : A set of medical evaluations of the personnel aboard the Navy’s aircraft carrier Saratoga . ARPA, according to one status report, would place “observers aboard the Saratoga to get base line [sic] readings on selected members of the crew.” The purpose of Project Big Boy was to evaluate physical and mental differences between distinct groups of crewmen: veteran members of the crew whose duties exposed them to microwaves generated by radar instrumentation; newer recruits with no history of previous exposure to microwaves; sailors who were detailed above deck; and others below deck. The study produced no discernible evidence of physiological and psychological differences between the test groups.

The Monkey Experiments : Between 1966 and 1969, ARPA teams conducted and contracted for a series of radiation experiments on chimps and rhesus monkeys, compiling data on behavior modification, heart rates, and tissue and blood analysis, among other physiological elements. (Initially codenamed PANDORA, after the first set of experiments, the primate tests were given their own specific codename—Project BIZARRE.) As members of the ARPA team disagreed on whether the tests had produced any conclusive evidence of radiation exposure on health and behavior, the experiments were sent for outside peer review. One review from the RAND Corporation concluded that “the data do not present any evidence of a behavioral change due to the presence of the special signal within the limits of any reasonable scientific criteria.” Another RAND Corp evaluation of a specific set of experiments noted that it had produced “no material…which is scientifically credible” of any impact. In addition, “animal care was not in accordance with good laboratory practice,” the RAND panel reported. “Examination of the data log indicated that of five monkeys’ deaths, three were certainly due to strangulation resulting from poor experimental design of the restraint system.”

Planning for Human Experimentation : Declassified summaries of the meetings of the PANDORA program’s Science Advisory Committee record preparations to go beyond primate experimentation and use unwitting human subjects who would not be aware of the nature of the radiation tests. Subjects for human testing of radiation impact would be secured from Fort Detrick and subjected to radiation exposure over a period of six months, according to the discussion at an April 1969 meeting. “Study should be double-blind with protection of eyes and gonads,” Committee members suggested. “Shielding of testicles is recommended.” Before any such experiments could be performed, however, the PANDORA/BIZARRE program was shut down in 1970.

The State Department also played a role in the TUMS inquiry, commissioning George Washington University’s Human Cytogenetics Research Laboratory to conduct a SECRET study, “Cytogenetic Evaluation of Mutagen Exposure.” The study gathered, coded and analyzed blood samples taken under false pretenses from U.S. personnel posted in Moscow. They were told that the State Department Medical Office was monitoring the spread of Russian viruses. Publicly, the research was given the innocuous title: “The Moscow Viral Study.”

Among other countersurveillance measures that remain highly classified, the CIA monitored the signal and, in 1965, sent a special technician to evaluate security at the Embassy. He recommended installing thin shields on the Embassy windows to block the radiation beams from entering the building—a recommendation that went unimplemented for more than a decade, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press .

U.S. officials also undertook efforts to convince the Soviet leadership to shut off the signal. The first high-level effort took place at a June 1967 superpower summit held in Glassboro, N.J., between U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin. At a side meeting, Secretary of State Dean Rusk told Soviet foreign minister Andrei Gromyko that “we were very much concerned at an electro-magnetic signal directed at our Chancery building in Moscow.” “We did not know the purpose of this activity,” Rusk said, according to a declassified memorandum of conversation, but the U.S. wanted “the matter to be investigated and the activity stopped.” In response, Soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin suggested that the U.S. was conducting “similar activity” against the Soviet Mission in New York and the Soviet Embassy in Washington. While expressing skepticism at the U.S. claims—which were, in fact, incorrect—that the radiation exceeded Soviet safety standards, Gromyko “indicated he would look into the matter.”

But the daily doses of radiation continued. By mid-1975, U.S. intelligence monitors detected additional, and stronger, signals aimed at the Embassy. Hundreds of diplomats, security and intelligence officers, and their families who lived in the residence section of the Consulate building, were unknowingly exposed to radiation for up to 19 hours a day.

The U.S. ambassador, Walter Stoessel, became the unsung hero of the Moscow Signal saga in the fall of 1975 when he forcefully pushed a reluctant Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, to pressure the Kremlin to terminate the transmissions and to authorize a classified briefing for the Embassy staff—who had been kept in the dark about the existence of the Moscow Signal. A strictly confidential Embassy staff briefing was scheduled in early February 1976, cancelled, and then rescheduled and held. Sensitive information Stoessel shared with U.S. Embassy personnel immediately leaked to U.S. newspapers, setting off a major scandal in U.S.-Soviet relations. 

AN INCOMPLETE HISTORICAL RECORD

The publicity surrounding the Moscow Signal generated congressional inquiries and hearings and renewed internal U.S. government efforts to halt the transmissions. The National Security Agency eventually sent one of its leading technical officers, Charles Gandy, to Moscow to assess Embassy security and to determine how the microwave beams were being used to intercept U.S. Embassy communications and identify U.S. spies in Russia. Gandy’s investigation became the focus of a recent book, The Spy in Moscow Station,  by former NSA official Eric Haseltine.

But the intelligence operations and assessments produced by the NSA and CIA on the Moscow Signal remain TOP SECRET. “Information on nonbiological testing that followed the discovery of the Moscow signal is still classified,” Professor Steneck noted in his book, The Microwave Debate , which contained several detailed chapters on the microwave beams and the U.S. government response when it was published in 1984. After nearly four decades, almost none of the intelligence community’s records on the Moscow Signal have been released.

Pursuant to demands by Congress, however, the U.S. government did begin to declassify select parts of the history of U.S. efforts to understand and address the Moscow Signal. ARPA declassified some documentation for a 1979 investigation by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Other records were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by Steneck while researching his book. In the mid-1980s, the Associated Press used the FOIA to obtain several thousand pages of records. An investigative reporter named Michael Drosnin also obtained numerous PANDORA documents under the FOIA but never published the information they contained. Some of the PANDORA documents were eventually posted on a Pentagon website and later used by former Foreign Policy executive editor Sharon Weinberger in her book, Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World . The book was excerpted in an article for the Foreign Policy website, “The Secret History of Diplomats and Invisible Weapons,” that noted that the alleged use of a “sound weapon” against U.S. Embassy officials in Cuba “harks back to a Cold War medical mystery” in Russia. Former U.S. diplomats who were exposed to the Moscow Signal in the 1970s—especially those who believe their rare blood cancer illnesses derive from that exposure—have also written about the parallels with the "Havana Syndrome." “It is like ‘déjà vu’ all over again,” said retired diplomat James Schumacher, who was posted in Moscow over 40 years ago and wrote in an article for the American Foreign Service Association titled “Before Havana Syndrome, There Was Moscow Signal.”

The National Security Archive obtained the declassification of phone conversations between Henry Kissinger and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin relating to the Moscow Signal through the FOIA and has located dozens of reports on PANDORA/BIZARRE—along with diplomatic cables and reports relating to the diplomacy with the Kremlin to end the microwave beams—in the files of the National Archives and various presidential libraries. The Archive will continue to use the FOIA to uncover the full historical record on this episode, including the CIA assessments and the still secret records on how Washington and the Kremlin negotiated an end to the microwave transmissions.

Part II of the series,  “The Moscow Signals Declassified: Microwave Diplomacy,”  which records more than ten years of back channel diplomatic efforts to address the radiation beams aimed at the Embassy, will be posted on September 15, 2022. Part III,  “Irradiating Richard Nixon,”  which documents ionizing radiation detected during the Vice President's 1959 trip to Moscow, will be posted the week of September 19th. A supplementary, special collection of documentation on “Moscow Signals Declassified,” will also be posted the week of September 19.

Acknowledgements : The National Security Archive respectfully thanks Nicholas Steneck for his original, groundbreaking research on the Moscow Signal, and for his support and encouragement on this project; and also Louis Slesin for his assistance. Thanks also to Jacqueline Schluger, George Washington University, for research assistance on this posting.

The Documents

National Security Archive, John Prados and Arturo Jimenez-Bacardi, eds., “Understanding the CIA,” Document 14

In the wake of the discovery of 17 Soviet listening devices hidden in the walls of U.S. Embassy in Moscow in June 1964, the chairman of the President’s Scientific Advisory Committee, MIT Provost Jerome Wiesner, conducted a security review of the Embassy. His classified report to Clark Clifford, who chaired the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB), contains a number of recommendations, among them using headsets and microphones to conduct secure conversations in the building, “inducing masking sounds” into the walls to disable the function of the eavesdropping equipment, and mounting screens to block electromagnetic-reflection surveillance operations. Wiesner also sounds the alarm on the microwave radiation beams that have been bathing the building for a decade: “More effort should be made to understand the purpose of the microwave signal directed at the Embassy, or failing in this, to stop it,” he advised. “It is hard to understand why we have been so unconcerned about it.”

Nicholas H. Steneck personal collection

In one of the earliest arguments in favor of conducting experiments to explain the Moscow Signal, scientist Samuel Koslov of the Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) sends a memo to the State Department’s security office with a brief overview, based on Soviet scientific literature, of the “possible effects of low level continuous exposure” to radiation on human health. “A possible explanation of the Moscow Signal may reside in an attempt to produce a relatively low level neurophysiological condition among Embassy personnel,” Koslov postulates, while admitting that “the detailed studies of the signal do not give this a high probability of interest.” Koslov insists, erroneously, that “the Soviet irradiation of the Embassy exceeds their own ambient safety level by a factor of 100.” (Initially, U.S. intelligence significantly overestimated the strength of the signal when, in fact, it was well below both Soviet and U.S. safety standards.) He advocates for “a program to specifically check the complex Moscow signal waveform on higher primates” in order to “supply some data base for possible use in a protest action.” Within a few months, ARPA receives authorization to initiate a secret program to test the impact of radiation exposure on the behavior of monkeys.

Drosnin FOIA, DoD Reading Room

ARPA initiates a special research program codenamed “Project PANDORA.” In this memorandum introducing the project, supervisor Richard Cesaro explains that the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has been radiated with low-level electromagnetic beams on a continuous basis for a number of years. In response, the White House has ordered the U.S. Intelligence Board to assure that “intensive investigative research be conducted within the State Department, CIA and DOD to attempt to determine what the actual threat is and stop it.” The code name for the multi-agency efforts is “TUMS”–Technically Unidentified Moscow Signal. But, Cesaro advises, the ARPA contribution “is known as Project PANDORA” and will address “one of the potential threats, that of radiation effects on man.” Cesaro informs the other agencies participating in the project that a “program has been outlined to irradiate a group of primates under carefully controlled conditions simulating the dosages and complex modulation of the threat.” Cesaro adds that, “The trained primates will be carefully observed under varying and controlled irradiated conditions in an attempt to determine if any changes in their behavior or physiological condition can be detected.” Eventually, as ARPA expands its work on the Moscow Signal, the experiments on rhesus monkeys will be referred to as “Project BIZARRE.”

Nicholas Steneck research papers, Gerald Ford Presidential Library

The State Department’s medical office cables the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to advise them of the “Moscow Viral Study” that the department is conducting as a cover story to draw blood from U.S. personnel to research the physiological effects of the Moscow Signal. To identify potential subjects, the Department requests quarterly reports on employees and dependents who are due to return from Moscow to the U.S. for home leave.

The State Department medical office offers George Washington University an 11-month contract to evaluate and code blood samples taken from Moscow Embassy diplomats, employees, and dependents. The project is titled “Cytogenetic Evaluation of Mutagenic Exposure” and will be supervised by Dr. Cecil Jacobson, a George Washington University scientist assigned to the Human Cytogenetics Research Laboratory who is on the PANDORA team. In a reference to PANDORA, a summary of the contract states that the human blood samples may inform experimentation on animals. “Confirmative animal experiments will be undertaken later,” states a summary of the program.

U.S. National Archives, Department of State Records (RG 59), Subject Numeric Files, 1967-1969, BG Moscow 13

During the June 1967 Summit between President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin, U.S. officials issue the first high-level protest of the ongoing microwave signals. At a side meeting between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, Rusk stated that “we were very much concerned at an electro-magnetic signal directed at our Chancery building in Moscow.” Rusk said the U.S. “did not know the purpose of this activity,” but said the U.S. wanted “the matter to be investigated and the activity stopped.” In response, Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin suggested that the U.S. was conducting “similar activity” against the Soviet Mission in New York and the Soviet Embassy in Washington. While expressing skepticism at the U.S. claims, Gromyko “indicated he would look into the matter.”

In a special summary to a colleague, the CIA’s representative on Project PANDORA/BIZARRE, Joseph Johnston, records the status of the experiments. He notes that analysis of the “TUMS power levels” has been revised and considerably lowered. There is now “reasonable certainty that the power level is not over 50 microwatts/cm2” but closer to 2 microwatts/cm2 at its average high level. Citing the results of the first test on a monkey (which were conducted when U.S. analysts mistakenly believed the signal was at a higher power level than it was) Johnston notes that there were “pronounced behavioral affects [and] performance decrement.” The impact on behavior, he suggests, was “due to the modulation feature” of the signal, “and not to the energy bearing carrier frequency.” “This very intriguing and important observation in one animal must be pursued,” he advises, and confirmed by an independent laboratory. Johnston emphasizes that “all positive findings of Project BIZARRE were achieved at one half an order of magnitude below the accepted U.S. standard for safe exposure.” Moreover, subsequent experiments at the adjusted lower level of radiation “produced no behavioral effects,” Johnston points out. He concludes: “I feel confident in stating that, at the power levels reported for TUMS, persons exposed are at no risk of injury.”

Ricard S. Cesaro, overseer of the PANDORA/BIZARRE program, sends a “progress report on Project BIZARRE” to the ARPA research and engineering director in September 1967. His report references a series of previous updates on subjecting primates to microwave exposure, as well as a secret CIA memorandum titled “Summary of TUMS Power Density Measurements” which reported that the levels of the microwaves beamed at the U.S. Embassy were considerably lower than previously believed. (They were, in fact, at levels below the Soviet safety standards, and likely not threatening to human health.) [1] “New measurements with ARPA instrumentation of the ‘Moscow Signal’ on site has [sic] now been completed,” Cesaro advises. Using the corrected level, “the recent BIZARRE tests have completed one experiment on primate behavior” that demonstrates “no overt primate performance degradation …” Even so, Cesaro’s memo lays out the argument to go beyond radiation experiments on monkeys and conduct tests on human subjects. “The ARPA BIZARRE program will establish methods which should permit us to relate the behavior of sub-human primates to man under conditions of microwave exposure,” he advises. “This may require direct testing with humans under controlled conditions.”

ARPA official Herbert Pollack reports on a meeting held on the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier with key naval officers to discuss a new PANDORA project. The project will review medical records of the ship’s personnel, and place “observers aboard the Saratoga to get base line readings on selected members of the crew.” The purpose of the study is to evaluate medical differences between distinct groups of crewmen: veteran members of the crew whose duties exposed them to microwaves generated by radar instrumentation; and new recruits with no history of previous exposure to microwaves. At ARPA, the project is code-named operation “Big Boy.”

Document 10

In one of a series of monthly meetings in 1969, Pandora’s scientific-government board reviews its research efforts on the Moscow Signal. The first part of the meeting covers the initial results of project “Big Boy,” the study of the crew of the USS Saratoga . Early tests “were negative,” finding “no significant differences in psychological tests performed on apparently exposed and control groups,” and no “significant differences” in genetic and physical findings. After almost four years of experiments on monkeys, the panel agrees that “there is at present insufficient evidence to draw conclusions” about the potential impact of the Moscow Signal on human behavior. The inconclusive nature of the research reinforces proposals at the meeting to move beyond exposing monkeys to radiation to “develop[ing] a human program.” Subjects for human testing of radiation impact could be secured from Fort Detrick (misspelled as “Ft. Dietrich” in the document) and subjected to radiation exposure over a period of six months, according to the discussion. “Study should be double-blind with protection of eyes and gonads,” the board suggests. “Shielding of testicles is recommended.”

Document 11

The PANDORA officials devote most of this meeting to developing a specific protocol for subjecting humans to radiation tests, addressing the levels of radiation to be used, and the “behavioral aspects of the program.” They also discuss “classification considerations” and “an appropriate cover” story to maintain secrecy around the research, including from the personnel being subjected to the tests. “DOD regards the general line of effort to acquire human-based data on effects of the signal, with appropriate safeguards, as a high priority,” the minutes state. “ARPA believes that the entire effort should be classified for several reasons.” Reflecting the sensitivity around the issue of human testing, according to the minutes “It was urged that DOD provide written security specifications and guide for the program.” (Emphasis in original.)

Document 12

Drosnin FOIA, DOD Reading Room

RAND Corp. scientist Samuel Koslov, the former ARPA official who in 1965 who helped initiate the PANDORA project, assesses the data generated by several years of experiments on the impact of radiation on the behavior of rhesus monkeys. “I am forced to conclude that the data do not present any evidence of a behavioral change due to the presence of the special signal within the limits of any reasonable scientific criteria,” he writes. “There is evidence of behavioral change in some cases but this change could be attributed to a variety of causes or systematic measurement errors all well within the limits of experimental methodology. Evidence of other effects such as EEG, histology, and chromosomal analyses have not accumulated with either adequate detail or control to tell whether effects due to radiation are present.”

Document 13

U.S. National Archives, Record Group 46, Records of U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, 90 to 95th Congress, Project Pandora Folder

In response to a request from the Navy, a panel of experts led by RAND Corporation scientist Samuel Koslov evaluates one of the last Project BIZARRE-type contracts for radiation experimentation on monkeys and rabbits. The panel concludes that the leading experiments to measure the impact of “long-term, low-level chronic exposure of primates” to radiation have produced “no material … which is scientifically credible ….” Among the factors the panel cites are the failure of the Navy to provide proper radiation devices, bad management, poorly trained technicians, and “poor” animal care. “Animal care was not in accordance with good laboratory practice,” the panel reported, citing the death of five of the monkeys. “Examination of the data log indicated that of five monkeys’ deaths, three were certainly due to strangulation resulting from poor experimental design of the restraint system.”

Document 14

In the aftermath of the scandal over the Moscow Signal, and publication of a high-profile article on the subject in The New Yorker magazine by Paul Broduer, several congressional committees investigate U.S. government efforts to address the microwave beams, including the PANDORA and BIZARRE projects at DARPA. In response to a series of questions posed by Representative Warren Magnuson, chairman of the House Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, DARPA director George H. Heilmeier transmits this letter providing answers and a general summary of the PANDORA program. Among the details: PANDORA was shut down in March 1970 after almost five years of work; its total costs amounted to $4,615,000. Heilmeier misleads the committee by denying that PANDORA was intended to “probe” the use of microwaves as a form of “mind control.” He also states that DARPA “does not foresee the development, by DARPA, of weapons using microwaves and actively being directed toward altering nervous system function or behavior. Neither are we aware of any of our own forces or possible adversary forces developing such weapons.” In the letter, Heilmeier also announces that meeting minutes of the PANDORA board have been declassified.

Document 15

U.S. Senate Committee Print

Following the scandal of the Moscow Signal, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation conducts a lengthy review of the documentation on the PANDORA/BIZARRE projects and of various official investigations in an effort to determine the health and safety effects on U.S. personnel who served at the Embassy. This staff report criticizes the official secrecy that kept U.S. personnel in the dark about the ongoing radiation: “Embassy employees were not informed by the State Department of the presence of this radiation throughout the period from its initial discovery until early 1976,” the report notes. “The employees should have been promptly informed of the situation.” At the same time, the report concludes that as of 1979 the medical survey studies on U.S. personnel showed no discernible evidence of impact on health from exposure to the low-level radiation beams. “No convincing evidence was discovered that could directly implicate the exposure to microwave radiation experienced by the employees at the Moscow Embassy in the causation of any adverse health effects as of the time of this analysis,” the Senate inquiry concluded, with the caveat that “it is too early to have been able to detect long-term mortality effects” among hundreds of U.S. personnel exposed to radiation waves between 1953 and 1977.

[1] See also Nicholas Steneck, The Microwave Debate (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1985), 110.