biology experiment at home

Top 30 Biology Experiments for High-School

The field of biology offers a wide range of fascinating experiments that can deepen our understanding of the living world around us. From studying the behavior of cells to investigating the intricacies of ecosystems, biologists use a variety of methods to uncover the secrets of life.

We’ve compiled a captivating list of 30 biology experiments that are both educational and fun and also suitable for a wide range of ages.

These hands-on educational activities will not only deepen your appreciation for the intricacies of life but also fuel your curiosity and passion for scientific exploration.

So, roll up your sleeves, gather your lab equipment, and prepare to embark on an exciting adventure through the fascinating world of biology-based science experiments!

1. Grow a Butterfly

Students can gain knowledge about the various phases of development, from the egg to the larva to the pupa to the adult butterfly, by studying and taking care of a butterfly during its whole life cycle. This offers students a special chance to learn about the insect life cycle and the metamorphosis process.

Learn more: Elemental Science

2. Dissecting a Flower

Dissecting a flower can aid students in honing their analytical and observational skills. This may also aid in their comprehension of how a flower’s various components interact to facilitate reproduction, which is the flower’s main objective.

Learn More: How to Dissect a Flower

3. Extracting a DNA

The extraction of DNA is an excellent experiment for high school students to gain a better understanding of the principles of molecular biology and genetics. This experiment  helps students to understand the importance of DNA in research and its applications in various fields, such as medicine, biotechnology, and forensics.

Learn more: Extracting DNA

4. Looking at Fingerprints

Exploring fingerprints can be a fun and intriguing experiment. This experiment encourages students to develop their problem-solving skills and attention to detail, as they must carefully analyze and compare the various fingerprint patterns.

Fingerprint analysis is a fascinating and engaging experiment that can spark an interest in forensic science and provide students with a hands-on learning experience.

Learn more: Directions to Examine a Fingerprint

5. Cultivate Bacteria on Home Made Agar

This experiment provides a hands-on learning experience for students to understand the principles of microbiology and the techniques used in bacterial culture.

This experiment can also help students to understand the importance of bacteria in our daily lives, their role in human health, and their applications in various fields, such as biotechnology and environmental science.  

Learn more: Grow bacteria on Homemade Agar Plates

6. Make a Bioluminescent Lamp

This experiment provides an excellent opportunity for high school students to learn about bioluminescence and the principles of genetic engineering.

Creating a bioluminescent lamp is a fun and engaging way to explore the intersection of biology, chemistry, and physics, making it a perfect experiment for students interested in science and technology.

Learn more: Make Glowing Water

7. Make Plants Move with Light

This experiment can help students understand the role of light in plant growth and photosynthesis and the importance of light as an environmental factor for plant survival. 

Learn more: Experiments with Phototropism

8. Test the Five-Second Rule

The “5-second rule” experiment is a simple and fun way to investigate the validity of the popular belief that it is safe to eat food that has been dropped on the ground for less than 5 seconds.

The experiment is an engaging and informative way to explore the science behind a common belief and promote critical thinking and scientific inquiry among students.

Learn more: Five Second Rule

9. Examine How Antibiotics Affect Bacteria

This experiment is an excellent opportunity for high school students to develop their laboratory skills, such as aseptic technique and bacterial culture, and understand the principles of antibiotic resistance and its implications for human health.

Examining how antibiotics affect bacteria is a fascinating and educational experiment that promotes scientific inquiry and critical thinking among students.

Learn more: Learn About Bacteria

10. Look for Cell Mitosis in an Onion

This experiment is an excellent opportunity for high school students to develop their microscopy skills and understand the biological basis of growth and development in plants. This experiment is a fun and informative way to explore the world of cells and their role in the growth and development of living organisms.

Learn more: Onion Root Mitosis

11. Test the Effects of Disinfectants

Testing the effects of disinfectants is an important process in determining their efficacy in killing or reducing the number of microorganisms on a surface or object. Disinfectants can be hazardous if not used correctly, and testing their effects can help students understand how to use them safely.

Students can learn about proper handling techniques and how to interpret safety labels and warning signs.

Learn more: Antiseptic and Disinfectants

12. Microwave Seed Gardening

Microwave seed gardening is a quick and efficient method of germinating seeds, microwave seed gardening can be a useful method for starting seeds, but it should be used with care and in conjunction with other germination methods to ensure the best possible results. 

Learn more: Microwave plant

13. Water Bottle Bacteria Swab

This experiment can be a fun and informative way to learn about the importance of keeping water bottles clean and free from harmful bacteria. It can also be used to compare the cleanliness of different types of water bottles, such as metal, plastic, or glass.

Learn more: Swabbing Water Bottles

14. Frog Dissection

Frog dissection can be a valuable tool for teaching anatomy and physiology to high school students, as it provides a comprehensive examination of the internal organs and systems of the frog.

Dissection can be a valuable and engaging experiment for high school students interested in biology and life science.

Learn more: Frog Dissection

15. Witness the Carbon Cycle in Action

By witnessing the carbon cycle in action, learners can gain a better understanding of the interconnectedness of different parts of the Earth’s system and the impact that human activities can have on these processes.

Learn more: Carbon Cycle Lab

16. Investigate the Efficacy of Types of Fertilizer

Investigating the efficacy of different types of fertilizer can be an interesting and informative way to learn about plant growth and nutrition. Investigating the efficacy of different types of fertilizer is a practical and engaging way to learn about plant nutrition and the role of fertilizers in agriculture.

Learn more: Best Fertilizer

17. Explore the Impact of Genetic Modification on Seeds

Exploring the impact of genetic modification on seeds is a fascinating and relevant topic that can spark meaningful discussions and encourage learners to think critically about the role of science and technology in society.

Learn more: Genetically Modified (GM) Crops

18. Yeast Experiment

Another easy to perform experiment for high school students is the yeast. This experiment is simple since all that is required is the removal of four different food samples onto separate plates and a thorough examination of the mold that develops on each sample over time.

Learn more: Grow Yeast Experiment

19. Taste Perception 

The human tongue has specialized taste receptors that respond to five primary tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory). Taste perception plays an important role in determining food preferences and dietary habits, as well as influencing the overall eating experience.

Learn more: Taste perception

20. Pea Plant Genetics

A classic pea plant genetics experiment involves cross breeding pea plants with different traits, such as flower color, seed shape, or pod shape.

This experiment can be conducted in a controlled environment, such as a greenhouse, by manually transferring pollen from one plant to another.

Learn more: Gregor Mendel Pea Experiment

21. Comparing Animal and Plant Cells

Comparing animal and plant cells is an important exercise in biology education. Both animal and plant cells are eukaryotic cells, meaning they contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.

This exercise can help students understand the structure and function of cells, as well as appreciate the diversity of life on Earth.

Learn more: Comparing Plant Cell and Animal Cell

22.  Testing Bacteria 

Bacteria are easily accessible and can be grown in a laboratory or even at home with simple equipment and materials. This makes it a practical and cost-effective experiment for schools with limited resources.

Learn more: How to grow Bacteria and more

23. The Effect of Light on Growth

Light is a fundamental environmental factor that plays a crucial role in the growth and development of plants. By conducting this experiment, students can gain a deeper understanding of how light affects plant growth and why it is important.

Learn more: The effect of light in Plant Growth

24. Planaria Regeneration

Planaria regeneration allows students to design their own experiments, as they can choose which body parts to remove and study the effects of different variables, such as temperature, pH, or chemical treatments on the regeneration process.

Planaria are easy to obtain and maintain in a laboratory or classroom setting. They are also affordable, making it an ideal experiment for schools with limited resources.

Learn more: Planaria Experiment

25. Making a Seed Board

Making a seed board can be a fun and engaging activity for students, as they can see the progress of their plants over time and share their results with others. It can also foster a sense of responsibility and ownership in caring for their plants.

26. Design an Owl Pellet

Dissecting an owl pellet provides a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to practice skills in scientific observation, data collection, and analysis. Students can also learn about the anatomy of the prey species found in the owl pellet.

27. Grow an Herbal Cutting

Growing an herb cutting provides a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to practice skills in plant care, experimental design, and data collection. Students can learn about the different stages of plant growth and the factors that affect it.

28. Eat a Cell Model

Creating an edible cell model connects to various disciplines, such as biology, anatomy, and nutrition. Students can learn about the different organelles that make up a cell and their functions, as well as the nutritional value of the food materials used in the model

29. Make a Habitat Diorama

Making a habitat diorama provides a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to practice skills in research, creative design, and presentation. Students can learn about different ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit them.

30. Create a Fall Leaf (or Signs of Spring) Journal

Creating a fall leaf (or signs of spring) journal provides a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to practice skills in observation, data collection, and analysis. Students can learn about the changes that occur in nature during the fall or spring season.

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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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6 Easy Biology Science Experiments for Kids

Let’s dive into studying life and living organisms with a new set of biology experiments for kids! These are all easy and simple to do at home or in your classroom, and all of them are liquid or water-based, so you’ll likely have everything you need on hand to bring these science projects to life. We’ll be exploring osmosis, chromatography, homogenization, transpiration, capillary action, and evaporation.

Related: Check out our other science experiments for kids posts on physics and chemistry !

Gummy Bear Osmosis

“Solute” is a general term that refers to a molecule dissolved in a solution. In a salt water solution, for example, the salt molecules are the solutes. The more salt we put in the solution, the more we increase the concentration of solutes.

Water moves from an area with a lower concentration of solutes to an area with a higher solute concentration. This movement of water molecules is called “osmosis.” In order to examine the process of osmosis and observe how it works, we can look at what happens to gummy bears when they are left to soak in different solutions overnight.

Gummy Bear Osmosis Printable Instructions

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-------------------------------------------------------, what you’ll need:.

• Two container such as bowls, cups, or jars
• Measuring cup
• Gummy bears
• Add ½ cup of water to each of the two empty containers. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to one of the containers and stir well.
• Drop a gummy bear into each container and leave it 8 hours or overnight.
• Observe what happened to each gummy bear. Compare the gummy bears to each other, and also to a gummy bear that was not left to soak overnight.

What’s happening?

The concentration of solutes inside the gummy bear is higher than the concentration of solutes in plain water. As a result, in our experiment, the water flowed into the gummy bear causing it to swell, and that’s why the gummy bear grew overnight.

The same is true for the gummy bear placed in the salt water solution. However, the difference in solute concentration wasn’t as great, so less water flowed into the gummy bear. In other words, it took less water to balance out the solute concentration inside and outside the gummy bear. Thus, the gummy bear in the salt water solution grew less than the bear in the plain water solution.

You can experiment with different solute concentrations to see how it affects the outcome. What happens when you add twice as much salt to the overnight water bath? Is there any amount of salt that can be added to keep the gummy bear the same size?

Exploring Chromatography

Chromatography is a technique used to separate out the components of a mixture. The technique utilizes two phases – a mobile phase and a stationary phase. There are several types of chromatography, but in this experiment, we will be looking at paper chromatography.

In paper chromatography, the stationary phase is filter paper. The mobile phase is the liquid solvent that moves over the filter paper. For this experiment, we will use marker ink to examine how chromatography works.

Exploring Chromatography Printable Instructions

• Three clear containers such as drinking glasses or mason jars
• Coffee filters
• Rubbing alcohol
• Vegetable oil
• Water-soluble marker, any color
• Sharpie marker, any color
• Mark one container with an “A,” a second container with a “W,” and a third container with an “O.” Fill the bottom of the “A” container with rubbing alcohol, the “W” container with water, and the “O” container with vegetable oil. Make sure the liquid in each container comes up no more than ½ an inch from the bottom.
• Take three coffee filters out and measure out 1 inch from the bottom. Mark this spot by drawing a line with the pencil. Make one dot on this line using the water-soluble marker. Do the same with the Sharpie marker.
• Place one coffee filter in each container so that the bottom of the coffee filter is submerged in the solvent but the solvent DOES NOT touch the dots of marker ink. The solvent will travel up the coffee filter and past the dots. Watch what happens to the dots as the solvent moves over them.

Like dissolves like, so substances will interact with solvents that are similar to it. Water-soluble marker ink is polar, so it will interact with polar mobile phases such as water and alcohol. When a non-polar solvent such as vegetable oil moves over it, it will not interact, and therefore will not move.

Sharpie marker ink is “permanent” in the sense that it can’t be washed off with water. It isn’t water-soluble. When the rubbing alcohol moves over it, however, we see that the Sharpie ink interacts with it. This is because Sharpie ink contains alcohols in it. Following the principle of “like dissolves like,” it interacts with the rubbing alcohol.

Using Tie-Dyed Milk to Observe Homogenization

Molecules in a solution tend to aggregate with other molecules that are similarly charged. Fat molecules, for instance, will cluster together with other fat molecules. Milk is made up of different types of molecules, including fat, water, and protein. In order to keep these molecules from completely separating to form layers, milk undergoes a process called homogenization.

Even after undergoing homogenization, however, fat molecules floating free in solution will come together when milk is left sitting undisturbed. To visualize this process, and what happens when those molecules are dispersed, we can use food coloring and dish soap.

Using Tie-Dyed Milk to Observe Homogenization Printable Instructions

• Full fat milk
• 1 small bowl
• Cotton swabs
• Pour some milk into a small bowl. You don’t need a lot of milk for this, just enough to fill the bottom of your bowl. Allow the milk to settle so the surface of the milk is still before moving on to Step 2.
• Add a drop of food coloring to the surface of the milk.
• Dip a cotton swab in dish soap and touch the swab to the surface of the milk, directly adjacent to the drop of food coloring. What happens to the food coloring?

Have you ever tried to mix oil and water? The fat molecules in oil, just like the ones in milk, are “hydrophobic,” meaning they don’t like to be near charged molecules such as water, and will do whatever they can to keep away from them. To achieve this, they clump together. Because the fat molecules are less dense than water, the fat globules float up and form a layer above the water. In our experiment, we added food coloring to this layer of fat globules.

Dish soap is a detergent. Detergent molecules have a hydrophobic end and a hydrophilic end. Because of this, they are able to form a bridge between the fat molecules and the water molecules, causing the fat globules to break up and disperse. What we’re seeing when we add the dish soap is this dispersal of the fat clusters, carrying the food coloring with it and resulting in a beautiful tie-dyed pattern. The result is more dramatic if you add several drops of food coloring and include a variety of colors.

Making water travel through capillary action

Paper towels are designed to pick up spills quickly, absorbing lots of liquid with only a few sheets. But what is it about paper towels that makes them so absorbent? The answer is, in part, capillary action.

In this experiment, we’ll observe how capillary action works to make paper towels efficient. Using nothing but paper towels and the principles governing capillary action, we’ll make water travel from one container and into another.

Making Water Travel through Capillary Action Printable Instructions

• 3 containers (cups or jars)
• Paper towels
• Food coloring
• Line up the three containers. Fill the two containers on either end about ¾ full of water. Add several drops of food coloring to each of the jars. Whatever color you use is up to you, but the effect works best if the two colors combine to make a third color. (For instance – yellow and blue make green.)
• Fold a paper towel in 4 lengthwise. Place one end of the folded paper towel in one of the containers filled with colored water (make sure the end is immersed in the water) and let the other end hang into the empty container. Repeat using a second paper towel and the remaining filled container.
• Let the containers sit for four hours. Check them after 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours. What do you see?

Paper towels are highly porous. These pores function like tiny tubes, or capillaries, to draw up water. Two properties allow this to happen. The first is adhesion. Water molecules are attracted to the walls of the capillaries and “stick” to them. This is enhanced in our experiment because paper towels are made of cellulose molecules that are highly attractive to water. The second property is cohesion. The water molecules like to stick to each other. Together, these two properties allow the water to “travel” along the paper towel against gravity, moving out of one container and dropping into the other.

Efficient paper towels are more porous than less efficient brands, giving them a higher degree of absorbency. Taking this into account, how do you think the progress observed at each time point would differ if you used low quality paper towels instead of highly absorbent ones? How would you expect the color in the middle jar to change if you use a less absorbent paper towel to make the blue water travel, and a more absorbent paper towel to make the yellow water travel?

Observing Xylem in Celery

All plants need water to survive. In order to move water up from the soil and into their shoots and leaves, plants have developed a system of water transport. This system is called “xylem.” We can observe the movement of water through xylem transport by placing stalks of celery in colored water. The colored water moves through the stalk and up into the leaves, making the path of the water through this system visible.

Observing Xylem in Celery Printable Instructions

• A container such as a jar or vase
• Add 1 cup of water to the empty container. Add 2 drops of food coloring to the water (or however many it takes to achieve the color desired) and stir well to mix.
• Choose a celery stalk that has leaves attached to the top. Cut about 1 inch off the bottom of the stalk.
• Place the stalk upright in the container, making sure the bottom of the stalk is immersed in the water.
• Leave the celery out over night. Observe what happens. Take the celery out of the water and cut it open to get a better look at the path the water took.

Plants use a system called xylem to pull water up from the ground and transport it up through the shoot into their leaves. This process is passive, meaning it doesn’t require any energy in order to occur. That’s why the celery was able to pull water up overnight. The celery pulled colored water through its stalk via the xylem transport system. The colored water traveled all the way into the leaves, staining them.

The xylem transport system can be seen more clearly when the celery is cut. The colored water stains the xylem cells, making them visible.

One phenomenon that drives the flow of water through a plant is transpiration. Transpiration is the name given to the process by which water evaporates from the leaves of a plant. What do you think would happen if we repeated the experiment using a celery stalk whose leaves had been cut off? Try it and see!

How to Make it Rain Indoors

One of the properties of water is that it can exist in different phases. It can exist as a liquid, which is the form we’re most familiar with, and it can also exist as a solid (ice), or gas (water vapor). In this experiment, we’ll take water through two of its phases – liquid and gas. We’ll observe how temperature causes water to move from one phase into another. This will allow us to get a better idea of what happens to water in nature, and the role temperature plays in the water cycle.

How to Make it Rain Indoors Printable Instructions

• Large container such as a jar
• A ceramic plate
• Heat approximately eight cups of water to just steaming. This can be done on the stovetop or the microwave, but a stovetop will give you more control over the heating process.
• Pour the water into the jar until it is completely full and allow the jar to sit for five minutes. This will heat the jar for the experiment. After five minutes, discard the water.
• Add enough heated water to fill the jar up approximately halfway. Cover the jar opening with the plate, making sure no steam can escape. Let the jar sit for 3 minutes. Observe what happens to the water in the jar. Note any changes you see.
• After 3 minutes have passed, place enough ice on top of the dinner plate to cover its surface. Watch what happens to the jar.

The water cycle is responsible for producing rain. Liquid water evaporates, sending water vapor into the atmosphere. When the water vapor reaches the cooler air in the upper atmosphere, it condenses back into water droplets, forming clouds. If too much water condenses, or if the temperature becomes colder, the condensed water will fall back down to earth in the form of rain.

In this experiment, we replicated these conditions to produce “rain.” First, we let the heated water form water vapor inside the jar. The water vapor filled the space between the water surface and the plate. We then added ice to our plate, initiating a quick temperature drop. The lower temperature caused the water vapor to condense. This was visible as water droplets that beaded and ran down the sides of the jar. This is how rain happens. We made it rain inside our jar!

You might also like this lesson plan: Learning About Glowing Animals – Bioluminescence or Biofluorescence?

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5 Biology Labs You Can Do with Household Items

Doing Biology labs at home can be daunting! Parents using a homeschool science curriculum often have a hard time coming up with interesting labs that don’t require a bunch of hard-to-find supplies.  Although these can be easy to find for grade school students, they can be harder to find at the high school level.  Thankfully, even high school biology labs can use everyday items from your kitchen.  No expensive kits required.

Even high school Biology labs can use everyday items from your kitchen.

I recently gave a presentation at a local homeschool expo on exactly this topic and since most of my readers don’t live locally, I thought I’d share it here so you can benefit from it as well.

First, let’s just review some of the typical topics covered in a high school Biology course .

Typical Biology Topics:

• Basic Science Concepts (scientific method, atoms & molecules)
• Cells & Cellular Processes (cell division, photosynthesis)
• DNA & Genetics
• Kingdoms of Life (bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, & animals)
• A Basic Introduction to Human Body Systems

Despite the apparent differences in curriculum, most Biology courses require the same types of equipment and supplies.  

Typical Biology Supplies:

• A Compound Light Microscope
• Prepared Slides (these consist of specimens permanently glued to a glass slide)
• Dissection specimens and tools
• Glassware (beakers, test tubes)
• Chemicals and Stains

Just a glance over that list and you know that it’s going to be expensive.  And if you’ve done any research on Biology equipment you know just how crazy those lab supply packages can be.

After a very quick search of the lab supply kits put together by popular publishers, I found kits ranging in price from $100 to nearly $300.  And those don’t even include a microscope or textbooks!

Sadly, homeschooling families sometimes just resign themselves to paying these outrageous prices.  One of my goals at Suburban Science is to help make labs affordable for homeschooling families.  Although some labs require specialized supplies (like a microscope), most supplies have easy household substitutes: cups instead of test tubes and beakers, or homemade slides rather than prepared ones.  

Homeschooling families often resign themselves to paying outrageous lab supply prices.

By contrast, my online Biology course uses only about $60 of scientific supplies.  And if you want to save even more on supplies, you can just watch the video demonstrations of each lab.

The problem, of course, is that it’s easier and more convenient for parents to use the pre-made kits than to search the internet for alternatives.  In order to save you some time staring at the computer screen, I’ve done some of the legwork for you!

This PDF file includes 5 labs:

• 3) Fermentation
• 5) Human Vision

Each lab includes background information, procedures, and adaptations for younger or older students. I hope this will save you some money and time as you prepare for a homeschool Biology course. Best of luck with your year!

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These biology experiments are designed for you to do at home or school using simple equipment. For some experiments, you may need a calculator. Here is a link to an excellent one provided by Web2.0calc .

To access experiments, click on one of the experiments listed below. In most cases, it is simplest to copy the experiment into a word processing program, and then print it out.

A Nervous Experiment

Do you think you need the same number of nerves in every part of your body? Where in your body might you need more nerves? See for yourself! Also in: Español

Air Pollution

The Phoenix metropolitan area, like many large cities, has problems with air pollution at certain times of the year. You can do a simple study to determine some of the factors that affect air pollution.

Farming ants might sound like a crazy thing to do unless you might like to eat chocolate covered ants. It turns out we can learn a lot from ants and the best way is to build your own ant farm. Also in: Español

Birds and Their Songs

We see them practically everywhere. They are found flying in the high mountains and soaring along the thermal winds in the low deserts. There are those that are reclusive and others you can watch from your own back yard. Also in: Español

Breaking Proteins

Catch and Sketch Plankton

Learn to focus on detail and make keen observations that could be overlooked in a picture in this lesson on scientific sketching.

Collecting Ants

There are several different ways to get ants for an ant farm, depending on when you would like to start the farm and how long you would like for your ant farm to last.

Microorganisms in action! Turn a pile of grass clippings into an experiment.

Cutting Out Brain Tumors

Try out some of the new techniques that neurosurgeons are using to guide them during surgery.

Dr. Biology's Virtual Pocket Seed Experiment

Dr. Biology has been busy working on a new experiment and he needs your help. He has collected so much information from the experiment that he needs someone to analyze the data. All the results have been recorded in photographs, including some cool animations. Also in: Español | Français

Be Part of Ask A Biologist

By volunteering, or simply sending us feedback on the site. Scientists, teachers, writers, illustrators, and translators are all important to the program. If you are interested in helping with the website we have a Volunteers page to get the process started.

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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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5 Easy DIY Biology Experiments You Can Do at Home

Here are five easy DIY biology experiments to have fun at home without the need for expensive laboratory equipment.

Biology is fascinating, but not all of us have access to state-of-the-art laboratory equipment to do biology experiments. However, it is possible to do some simple experiments at home with the right materials. These DIY biology experiments are suitable for all ages and levels of knowledge. The main goal is to have fun with science and get curious.

To be on the safe side, the list doesn’t include genetic engineering experiments; in many countries, you are not allowed to perform them in uncertified facilities. If you are very keen, though, some people have been able to get their homes certified to create genetically modified microbes.

1. Extract your own DNA

It is very easy to extract DNA at home just using everyday kitchen supplies. You can extract your own DNA from your saliva, or you can use any fruit or vegetable you can find at home — bananas and strawberries are some of the most popular at science fairs.

Follow the steps here to extract the DNA. At the end of the process, you should have obtained a white, cloudy substance that you can pick up with a toothpick. You can then observe it under a microscope, or try out some methylene blue, a dye commonly used in biology labs that binds to DNA and makes it turn blue — note that it should be used with caution outside a lab. If you dry the DNA and store it in a paper bag or envelope, you will be able to use it in future experiments.

It is also possible to analyze the extracted DNA at home, although this step can be more pricey. Equipment for electrophoresis, a technique to separate DNA molecules according to their size, can be bought from around €300. It can also be built at home with some dedication. If you want to take it a step further, you can get a pocket-sized DNA sequencer for around €1,000 — scientists often use this portable sequencing equipment when going to remote locations without access to a lab .

2. Culture bacteria on homemade agar

Bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms are all around us. You can easily prepare culture medium at home and then collect samples from different places to find out what lives there.

In this video, you can find a step-by-step tutorial on how to make agar plates in your kitchen. Once you get some microbes to grow on the plates, you can experiment with how different conditions affect their growth or test the effect of antibiotics on the different microorganisms. (And if you have a DNA sequencer, you can use it to find which species are growing on your petri dish.)

For the creative souls out there, you can also make petri dish art by taking advantage of the different colors and textures of the different microbes you can find. Every year, the American Society for Microbiology runs a worldwide contest of agar art where you can submit your best creations.

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3. Ferment your own food

Fermentation is one of the things bacteria and yeast make best. We’ve been using these microorganisms to make food since ancient times, and it’s quite easy to ferment your own food at home.

There are many options to choose from, ranging from drinks such as kombucha, kefir, or mead, to yogurt, cheese, kimchi, and sauerkraut. In most cases, what you need is just a starter culture of the bacteria or fungi that make the food you will be fermenting. You can get it from someone that is already doing fermentation at home, or buy them online.

Each fermented food has different requirements, so make sure you have everything you need before starting. There are plenty of online tutorials you can follow, and once you get comfortable with the techniques, you can start playing with different conditions and starter ingredients to modify the taste and texture of your food.

4. Look at cell division under the microscope

Nowadays you can easily find cheap digital microscopes with high magnification power that can be connected directly to your laptop or smartphone. You can take the digital microscope with you and observe every little thing you find at home or outdoors. (Tip: you’ll find many interesting forms of life in ponds or any other source of untreated water.)  

A great experiment to do at home with a microscope is to look at how cells divide in different organisms. One of the easiest is baker’s yeast. With a magnification of at least 400x, you can start discerning the shapes of individual yeast cells in water. You will notice that some of them have little buds on them, which is the way they grow and divide.

The cells located at the tips of onion roots are also a very good subject of study. Whether you prepare and stain them yourself or you buy premade microscope slides, these cells are great to observe the different stages of mitosis and how the DNA gets duplicated and rearranged as the cells divide.

5. Make a bioluminescent lamp

Some microorganisms are able to generate light by themselves. When enough of them gather, they can make whole beaches glow at night. Luckily, we live in the age of the internet and it is possible to order these microbes online and get them delivered directly home. (For example, from shops like Carolina or Sea Farms .)

Bioluminescent organisms can last for several months under the right conditions , which includes making sure they receive enough light during the day to recharge their ability to glow. At night, they will start producing light when you shake them up.

You can experiment with growing these organisms in different conditions and play with their ability to make light. Another cool idea is introducing them into a closed fountain, where they will be constantly shaken and glowing (at least until they run out of energy). 

———-

These biology experiments will get you started with the world of DIY biology. If you are keen to dive deeper into doing biology outside the lab, the DIY biology community is growing rapidly around the globe. You can find labs and other biology enthusiasts in many cities across Europe and the US, where you will be able to attend workshops, access more advanced equipment, and meet people from all backgrounds keen to help you with your wildest biology projects. Have fun! 

Cover illustration by Elena Resko. Images via Shutterstock and Creative Commons.

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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.

Get the FREE Science Experiments Download

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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10 Easy DIY Biology Experiments You Can Do at Home

Table of Contents

Biology is interesting, but everyone gets access to modern-day state-of-the-art equipment for doing biology experiments. But it is possible to do some easy DIY experiments at home using the right kind of materials.

This list of DIY experiments does not include experiments related to genetic engineering as in many countries permission is not there to carry out experiments in uncertified places.

Benefits of DIY Biology Experiments for High School Students

For high school students, doing biology experiments at home is beneficial for both academic and personal growth.

Students develop the required laboratory skills and strengthen their knowledge of the science, right from the formation of a hypothesis to the analysis of data.

10 Easy DIY Biology Experiments That You Can Do at Home

Extraction of own dna.

It is possible to extract your DNA at home by making use of the daily kitchen supplies. It can be extracted from Saliva or you can make use of fruits like bananas, strawberries, etc.

The saliva consists of cells in your mouth that contain DNA. The detergent helps in breaking down the membranes which gives protection to the DNA and releases it into the recipient. The salt denatures the DNA and thus it precipitates out and the grapefruit juice helps in the neutralization of the proteins that can damage DNA.

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45 Easy Science Experiments for Kids

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

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

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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20 Best Science Experiments At Home

Whether you are homeschooling or just stuck at home looking for something educational and fun to do with the kids, science experiments are a fantastic choice! Not only do kids love doing these science experiments, but they are learning valuable scientific methods, vocabulary and processes that can help them throughout their lives.

Science Experiments To Do At Home

What you will discover in this article!

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Lately this has become a very common theme.

Kids are bored. They really want something to do. Something interesting, exciting and fun!

Parents are trying to find ways to entertain and educate their children.

Homeschooling has become incredibly popular, but parents are struggling to find cool science experiments to do at home. Something that is suitable without breaking the bank when it comes to supplies, won’t destroy their home, and that will actually teach their kids about chemistry, biology and physics.

So with that in mind, here are the top 20 Science Experiments to do at home as chosen by not only me, but the readers here at STEAM Powered Family!

The Best At Home Science Experiments

In selecting which experiments ranked as the absolute BEST science experiments to do with your kids at home we had a few different criteria.

• They needed to be popular! These experiments are tried and true, and have loyal following of readers that LOVE doing them. Once you try them, you will know why STEAM Powered Family readers voted these as their favourite science experiments!
• Supplies must be relatively easy to source. In most cases you will likely have all the materials you need at home right now. Where you need to order or purchase a few supplies, they are readily accessible and links to purchase are included.
• They must be easy to do, with logical, easy follow directions. We are all overwhelmed. No one wants an experiment that is complex and confusing.
• The experiments need to be adaptable to wide variety of ages, grades, abilities and interests.
• The lessons need to be interesting! In all of our science experiments and STEM activities, we include a scientific explanation that either your children can read themselves, or you can read and use to help explain the experiment.
• They need to be FUN!

With that in mind, here are our top 20 picks for the BEST science experiments to do at home with your kids!

Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments

There are so many cool experiments you can do with these pantry staples. Yes, you can do a standard volcano, but you can also hatch dino eggs, create fireworks, set off explosive bottle rockets and more! You can keep your kids busy experimenting for a ages with all of our baking soda and vinegar ideas. Get your hands on some bulk vinegar and baking soda and get experimenting!

Oobleck is like slime, but much more fascinating and sciencey! Oobleck is a non-Newtonian Fluid that becomes solid under pressure, and liquifies when pressure is removed. It is fascinating, and we have a number of different recipes, so you can find the one that uses whatever you have available in the house.

Make a Compass

This science experiment is really cool and a wonderful tie into geography and social studies lessons. Kids learn how to make a compass with materials from around the house.

Make a Lava Lamp

With 5 different ways to make a Lava Lamp, it’s no wonder our readers rate this as one of their favourite activities! Kids are fascinated by the chemical reaction that causes the mesmerizing bubbles to bob up and down in a science driven lava lamp experiment.

Grow Crystals

This is one of the most beautiful experiments we have done and always gets rave reviews from readers. Growing crystals is a wonderful science experiment that has fantastic ties to studies in geology. You can also grow edible crystals. Plus the results… STUNNING!

Ready for a fun, giggle-fest science experiment? In this science experiment we are removing the shell of a raw egg! The result is a bouncy, colourful egg. This science experiment is the perfect compliment to a study of biology and reproduction as you can also use this experiment to teach the parts of the cell and egg.

Lemon Battery

You could make a battery with lemons, squash, pumpkins, potatoes, there are lots of options! But the lemons are by far the most popular battery project. You will need some supplies, but once you have those supplies you can reuse them in lots of circuit building activities. Plus, once you are finished making your lemon battery, you can make lemon volcanoes!

Wingardium Leviosar

Whether you are a fan of Harry Potter or not, this experiment with magnets is a hit with kids. It’s like magic as they make a feather levitate!

Walking Rainbow

This classic experiment is a beautiful demonstration of primary and secondary colours, while also learning about the fascinating science behind capillary action. All you need to start your rainbow walking is cups/jars, water, food colouring and paper towels!

Make Bioplastics

Making bioplastics is an experiment that is a HUGE hit with older kids as part of their studies in polymers and environmental sciences. We have made bioplastics with both milk and gelatin, so you can pick which one to tackle based on the supplies you have on hand. Wonderful for helping kids understand how we can make plastics, and the challenges of making plastics, without fossil fuels.

Build a Heart Model

This engineering project is a fantastic way to do some studies into biology and how the heart functions. Using recycled bottles, straws, a bit of playdough and water, you can have your model pumping in no time!

Skittles Experiment

A simple, yet timeless experiment. Kids of all ages love making these gorgeous images using nothing but candy, water and the magic of science. We also used this as a chance to explore van Gogh and fluid dynamics.

So easy, yet so amazing! Magic Milk is another classic experiment that is as simple or as complex as you want to make it. I did this with my middle school kids and we had a blast exploring how the fat content of our milk affected the explosion of colours!

Slurpee Science

Heat transfer is a fascinating science to explore with your kids. If you want to make this a more serious scientific study, you can focus on the effects of salt on ice, but we like to up the fun, so we turned it into a slurpee making science project. Kids love that delicious treat made with science!

Elephant Toothpaste

Elephant Toothpaste classic experiment creating a fantastic foamy fountain that can be done safely at home using easy to source supplies and has massive wow factor for students.

Make Water Rise

Another science experiment that is a little bit like magic! Kids will learn how to create a vacuum and make water magically rise into a container. So cool!

Balloon Races

Kids got ants in their pants? Need something that is educational and will help them burn energy? Balloon races are the answer! Kids will explore physics while having a blast running about and cheering on their balloon races!

Build a Water Clock or a Windmill

Both of these projects involve some engineering and of course science but they also have some fantastic book tie ins. I LOVE projects inspired by great books!

Build a Salt Circuit

Salt circuits are a great way to introduce kids to experiments with electricity and circuitry. The supplies are minimal, and it teaches kids excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills. Plus you can make it extra fun with a glow circuit option!

Build a Catapult

A favourite that captures the excitement of every generation, and was a MUST do in our top 20 science experiments is… building catapults! We work in a little extra physics and math by turning ours into games where we need to hit targets. A definite must do for all kids.

These are 20 of our BEST picks for science experiments to do at home with your kids. This list though is far from exhaustive. Once you find something that interests your kids, search our site and see what other fun experiments you uncover. We have hundreds of experiment ideas all just waiting to inspire your kids!

Join our mailing list and we will send you even more ideas to inspire your learning!

5 Days of Smart STEM Ideas for Kids

Get started in STEM with easy, engaging activities.

7 Easy Homeschool Biology Experiments for High School Students

Ah, biology. One of my favorite subjects in high school (second to chemistry!) Growing up in the country, it was easy to explore science right outside in our backyard.

Throughout the school year, our hands-on activities included gardening, cracking open fresh chicken eggs, and capturing and dissecting bugs of all kinds. We truly lived the homeschool science dream. For us, there was such a thing as fun biology activities in high school!

Even if you don’t have chickens and a garden in your backyard, you can still successfully use hands-on learning experiences to teach high school biology. Some will require you to purchase equipment and supplies, but many can be done with items you already have at home!

7 Easy Biology Experiments for High School Students

Quick note: We use the terms “lab” and “experiment” somewhat interchangeably. When I think of labs, dissections and microscopes come to mind. When I think of experiments, baking soda and vinegar explosions is my first thought. But realistically, both provide the opportunity for research, hypothesis, and analysis. So, if you see those words used throughout this post, know the end goal is the same!

1. Compare Cell Structures in Plants and Animals

There is massive diversity in the world of cells, also known as the basic building block of all living things. Cells are so small that a microscope must be used to see them. Yet, the cells present in plants and animals are distinctly different.

This lab experiment is a part of our Explore Biology homeschool curriculum at Journey Homeschool Academy! Your student will get to compare their cheek cells to the cells of a leaf. You can download and view the instructions for this lab at the bottom of this post!

2. Microwave Seed Gardening

If microwaving seeds sounds crazy to you, then you and your high school student need to try this experiment!

Most seed packets tell you to plant the seed in the ground and wait a few days for germination. What goes on in the ground between planting and sprouting is quite incredible! But, did you know that microwaving your seeds before planting can affect the speed and success of germination?

This microwaved seed experiment is microscope-free and will need to be spread out over a few days. The reward? Success in teaching science and (hopefully) some delicious radishes!

3. Water Bottle Bacteria Swab

Sometimes I just really wish bacteria were visible to the naked eye. Did I wash my hands well enough? Is the kitchen sink really the grossest surface in my house? For this experiment, there are no detailed instructions.

All you need to do is swab the outside lip of a water bottle after filling it and view the swab under a microscope . Over the course of a day or two, re-swab the bottle each time it is refilled and observe any new or different bacteria under a microscope. From there, your student can hypothesize what factors contributed to bacteria growth!

4. Circulation and Respiration During Activity

I love this activity because there is no extensive equipment or science kits needed! In fact, the only two things needed are a stopwatch and a partner. This is a great science experiment for your student with you or even a sibling!

The process of circulation and respiration in the human body is something that we often take for granted. Combining physical activity with biology will make your student more excited to learn. Plus, they’ll have a lot of fun coming up with activities to get their heart and lungs moving!

Full details for this experiment are provided by Journey Homeschool Academy and can be downloaded at the bottom of this post!

5. Animal Dissections

At Journey Homeschool Academy, many of our biology lab ideas for high school include animal dissections. Our Explore Biology course includes instructions for the dissection of an earthworm , fetal pig , chicken wing, and other previously living creatures.

If your science curriculum includes dissections, don’t skip these labs! Dissections are a crucial part of learning biology! And, while they may seem difficult at first, there are plenty of guides out there to help you along the way.

Still feeling squeamish and not sure how to move forward? In our high school biology curriculum, we offer full video tutorials to walk students through the dissection process step-by-step in our curriculum.

6. Flower Dissections

Did you know that dissection labs can go beyond animals? Though much more fragile and intricate, flower dissections are a fantastic learning opportunity because there is such a large variety of specimens, and many can be found in your backyard!

You can use a simple dissection tool kit to complete this dissection. But, if you don’t have that, a sharp paring knife and a pair of tweezers will work as well.

PS: This lab is included in our Experience Biology curriculum! You can check out a couple free lessons in the sneak peek of the curriculum here!

7. Fermentation and Kombucha

Looking to combine biology, chemistry, and snack time?

Making kombucha will teach your high schooler about yeast growth and fermentation. It also is a perfect segue into a conversation about how good and bad bacteria affect the human GI tract.

This experiment takes a bit longer than most, but your student will be able to document the progress each day. And hopefully, they will end up with a fizzy, fruity drink! (This is a great science fair project if your area has any homeschool science fairs.)

Download a Guide for Two Free Biology Experiments

Put your name and email address in the box below and snag a guide for two free biology experiments. Your students will have the opportunity to learn how to compare plant and animal cells and compare respiration and circulation during different types of activities.

To Biology and Beyond!

It’s easy to lose sight of the beauty of homeschooling: the flexibility, endless creativity, the joy of being able to teach your children…the list goes on!

As you help your teens through middle and high school, remember why you’re homeschooling. Don’t let high school-level biology experiments intimidate you. Instead, let the freedoms that come with homeschooling guide you through biology and beyond!

Get your kids excited about science with engaging, faith-based curriculum.

Take lesson planning off your plate! Journey Homeschool Academy’s multi-sensory approach makes science interesting with flexible, engaging lessons without sacrificing a rigorous academic education.

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Science Fun

Science Experiments for Kids:

Science experiments you can do at home!  Explore an ever growing list of hundreds of fun and easy science experiments. Have fun trying these experiments at home or use them for science fair project ideas. Explore experiments by category, newest experiments, most popular experiments, easy at home experiments, or simply scroll down this page for tons of awesome experiment ideas!

Making A Volcano:

Acids and Bases Can Erupt in Your Faces

Orange Fizz:

Awesome Experiments:

New Experiments:

Check Out Our Newest Experiments

Top Experiments:

Easy Experiments:

Storm In A Glass:

Home Made Play Dough:

Snow Fluff:

Snow Globe:

Squishy Turkeys:

Rainbow in a Glass:

Sizzlin’ Snowballs:

Jello Lenses:

Ice Fishing:

Super Cool Soda:

Jack-O-Cano:

Dancing Hearts:

Marbled Gift Wrap:

Massive Expanding Soap:

Surface Tension Art:

Fizzy Fruit:

Rotting Pumpkin:

Explode A Bag:

Invisible Extinguisher:

Paper Hovercrafts:

Fun Fossil Stamps:

Cool Crystals:

Balloon Pop! Not!

Solar Eclipse Kit:

Moldy Apples:

Cool Off Volcanoes:

Vinegar Pops:

Make It Rain:

Black Light Blue Beverage:

Changing of the Leaves:

Snowflakes:

Water Fireworks:

Mind of a Student:

Balloon Speakers:

Polar Bear Blubber:

Gorgeous Gooey Gobstoppers:

Olympic Medals:

Dyed Flowers:

Rain, Rain, Don’t Go Away Gauge:

Blossoming Beans:

Butter Fingers:

Polishing Pennies:

Dancing Liquid:

Floating Egg:

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Layers of Liquids:

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20 Awesome Science Experiments You Can Do Right Now At Home

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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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Easy Ideas for Science at Home

December 28, 2020 By Emma Vanstone 2 Comments

If you’re searching for child-friendly science experiments, look no further! Most of the science experiments on Science Sparks are perfect for science at home. I try to use materials that are either easy to find or that you probably already have around the house. All my science investigations and activities are simple, easy to explain, and just great science for kids of all ages.

We’ve got fairy tale science experiments , explosive science experiments , space experiments and lots more super science for kids . I’d love you to take a look around and let me know what you think. If you share photos of your science at home on social media, we’d love to see them.

Science experiments for kids at home

A good place to start is my FREE science resources page, where you can find experiment instructions, science activities and more.

Learn about famous scientists with my collection of famous scientist activity ideas .

Make your own weather station to track wind speed, direction and rainfall over a period of time.

My collection of science activities linked to books is full of inspiration for kids of all ages, with activities linked to Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and lots more.

Be inspired by my Wonderful Women in STEM series. The free fact files include a science activity linked to each scientist.

Take an adventure around the world with my Around the World in 50 Experiments series. Learn about red crabs for Christmas Island, mummification for Egypt, Chichen Itza for Mexico and more!

More easy science for kids at home

My super simple Tray A Day ideas ( basically a tray or box or materials that can be used in an activity are perfect for primary school-age children at home or school.

The idea is to set the tray up the night before and do the activity the next day.

Preschool Science Ideas

Check out my collection of easy preschool science experiments , including fruity boats, painting on ice, fizzy rocks and Dr Seuss experiments.

Experiments for 5-7 Year Olds

My Key Stage 1 experiments are perfect for children aged between around 5-7. Children of this age might also enjoy our Fairy Tale and book themed science experiments too!

Don’t forget to check out my other science printable instruction sheets , too!

Science Books for Kids from Science Sparks

I also have a couple of science books available from Amazon that you might like. This IS Rocket Science is full of fun space themed science experiments and activities and Snackable Science contains 60 edible experiments and tests! Science and snacks, what’s not to love?

Contains affiliate links

Last Updated on June 10, 2024 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.

Reader Interactions

May 11, 2020 at 6:13 am

Thanks for sharing. These tips are useful especially during COVID-19

June 18, 2020 at 8:36 pm

I love those fun science trays for kids. Thanks for all the great ideas for science fun at home.

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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

~ projects to try now ~.

15+ Science Experiments to Do at Home

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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 2024-08-04 / 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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Make your house a smart home for less than dinner

By Stack Commerce

Posted on Aug 4, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

Your home could be smarter than you (no offense). Sleep like a baby while your custom security system watches over your house, wake up to lights that gently brighten the room, and walk into the kitchen where your coffee is already brewing. But how? 

By turning your passion for computers into a knack for building projects with Raspberry Pi . Ever heard of it? It’s a single-board computer that you can use to create home automation projects or robots. But you need some know-how first. Start with this 10-course EDU bundle for $29.99 (reg. $250).

Build your dream smart home one step at a time

You should begin with the Raspberry Pi for Beginners: Complete Course to set up your computer board and learn how to program with Python . Once you learn how to create applications with Arduino, it’s game on. 

Follow along with courses that show you how to build a smart security camera, an automated dustbin, or an app that can detect a fake ID. These help you learn the tools and techniques you need before creating your own projects, and we bet you have cooler ideas than those. Maybe something like…

• A version of Siri that controls every aspect of your home.
• A face recognition door lock that only lets friends and family inside.
• Automated curtains that open at sunrise and close at sunset.

Trying to teach yourself Raspberry Pi through Reddit threads, where you’ll be guessing and copying and pasting code snippets from others, isn’t as fun as learning to build projects from scratch with these courses. It’ll be like being back in school, but fun.

DIY your dream smart home with these Raspberry Pi online courses at $29.99 (reg. $250)—that’s just $3 apiece.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Master of Science in construction management (traditional and online)

The global construction industry is expected to grow 85% to $15.5 trillion by 2030. Projects large and small need qualified leaders to supervise and manage construction sites and the teams tasked with completing the job. Wayne State University’s master’s program in construction management will give you the tools to succeed in upper management roles in the construction business. 

What you’ll learn in construction management 

Graduates of the M.S. in construction management possess advanced knowledge of all aspects of the project lifecycle, including engineering, procurement and construction phases. Students will gain technical training and expertise that will prepare them to: 

• Use decision-theory tools to understand and mitigate risks
• Monitor and control construction costs while making ethical financial decisions
• Integrate sustainability principles that ensure energy efficiency and proper use of resources
• Analyze construction data to improve productivity 

Curriculum for the M.S. in construction management 

The M.S. in construction management program requires 30 credits of coursework for graduation.  All courses are graduate-level courses offered within the College of Engineering and must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the College of Engineering. The program is structured to accommodate working individuals. 

Topics students will explore include: 

• Project management, planning and scheduling
• Building information modeling
• Risk management
• Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems
• Cost estimating, accounting and financial management 

Admission requirements

Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the  Graduate School . In addition, the minimum requirements for admission are:

• Bachelor's degree
• 3.0 grade point average in the upper division of their undergraduate program OR have at least three years of full-time work experience.
• International applicants are required to submit a  WES evaluation . 

Application deadlines

• Fall (begins in August): July 15
• Winter (begins in January): Nov. 1
• Spring/summer (spring begins in May; summer begins in June): Feb. 1

Real-world experiences and opportunities in construction management 

You'll have opportunities to advance your studies and become a leader in construction management through multidisciplinary and translational research. Alongside faculty advisors and fellow students, you'll apply principles and theories to research models that could impact our understanding of new technologies and their effects. 

Career outlook for individuals with an M.S. in construction management 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 7.6% employment growth for construction managers in the U.S. through 2031. Students interested in the construction business, working professionals seeking to advance their careers or aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own companies can benefit from this master’s program. 

Wayne State will prepare you for careers in roles such as: 

• Field engineer
• Project manager
• Construction superintendent
• Site engineer
• Green construction/LEED specialist
• Real estate developer
• Building engineer 

Learn more about Wayne State University's M.S. in construction management 

The master’s in construction management at Wayne State University will provide you with the skills and training necessary to create or maintain key elements of our infrastructure — houses, skyscrapers, roads, tunnels, bridges, airports, stadiums and more. With broad interdisciplinary knowledge and hands-on experience, you'll stand out in the construction management sector — and you'll connect with a global network of Wayne State alumni who are leaders in their fields. 

A World-Changing Gamma Ray Laser Is on the Horizon. It Could One Day Unlock Interstellar Travel

Researchers are finally getting close to solving “one of the most important problems in physics.”

If we could produce coherent gamma rays just as an ordinary laser produces coherent rays of visual light, the technology could unlock interstellar travel —as well as blow missiles out of the sky and revolutionize cancer treatment. While the gamma ray laser (also known as a “graser”) is still conceptual, it’s considered one of the most important problems in physics.

Invisible to our eyes, gamma rays burst from supernova explosions as well as the hottest and most energy dense objects in the cosmos, like pulsars, those highly magnetized neutron stars that emit pulses of radiation. Gamma rays travel through the vacuum of space at the speed of light, with wavelengths so minuscule that they can pass through the space within the atoms of a detector. With the smallest wavelengths and the fastest frequency, gamma rays fall on one extreme end of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Visionaries have been trying to push laser technology into the farthest reaches of the electromagnetic spectrum since the invention of the first laser in 1961. Along the way, scientists have learned how to stabilize gamma rays into a coherent beam, a necessary step toward developing any laser technology .

A TRADITIONAL LASER excites electrons in a gas, liquid, or solid to emit coherent radiation. In other words, the photon emissions are in sync with each other, like soldiers marching in step, generating a stronger effect in combination. This is different from the light an incandescent bulb emits, because its radiation is incoherent, or random, depending on which atoms are excited at any given moment. To pull off this dance with gamma-level photons, scientists must manipulate a massive number of atomic nuclei into deformed, excited states known as isomers.

Going beyond current laser technology—which includes coherent X-ray lasers, just next to gamma rays on the electromagnetic spectrum—means scientists need to investigate what happens when dense bunches of speedy electrons collide with a strong laser field to emit high-energy light. That’s what University of Rochester researchers are doing in collaboration with colleagues from ELI Beamlines , a laser research center in the Czech Republic.

“The ability to make coherent gamma rays would be a scientific revolution in creating new kinds of light sources, similar to how the discovery and development of visible light and X-ray sources changed our fundamental understanding of the atomic world,” Antonino Di Piazza, Ph.D., a University of Rochester physics professor and lead investigator of the new work, says in a press release .

The first step toward building any working laser is to show that the science works, he says. “We are not the first scientists who have tried creating gamma rays in this way. But we are doing so using a fully quantum theory—quantum electrodynamics—which is an advanced approach to addressing this problem.”

The team will analyze how one or two electrons emit light. Eventually, they hope to work with many electrons in order to produce coherent gamma rays. If the team learns how to keep the beam coherent and stable for long periods of time, gamma rays could become a new source of energy for creating antimatter (like matter, but with the opposite electric charge). They could also provide a new way to study nuclear processes and scan the insides of dense objects like shipping containers.

FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION , this project builds on earlier, ongoing coherent gamma ray research.

For instance, a 2012 article in the journal Acta Astronautica proposed rocket propulsion via gigaelectron volt gamma ray laser . “It is shown that the idea of a photon rocket through the complete annihilation of matter with antimatter, first proposed by Sänger, is not a utopian scheme as it is widely believed,” according to the authors.

It’s complicated, but the process would begin with protons and antiprotons annihilating each other, generating a massive surge of gamma rays. Next, a focused laser beam of concentrated gamma rays would launch inside the spacecraft, creating a “photon avalanche.” A magnetic field surrounding this process would absorb the recoil momentum of the beam and transmit it to the spacecraft, providing the entire spacecraft momentum.

While the researchers suggest in their paper that this scenario may initially work better with smaller space vehicles, other teams in Sweden and Iceland went further with their study of gamma rays for rocket propulsion in 2020, suggesting ways to use hydrogen fuel to generate the necessary power for larger rockets, as well.

Of course, before we can jump into our gamma ray-powered rockets to explore the neighboring galaxy, scientists have to overcome the beam coherence problem.

Back in 2019, University of California, Riverside scientists tried a promising approach. They successfully encapsulated a bubble of positronium—a collection of atoms that have positrons, antiparticle counterparts to electrons—within superfluid liquid helium. It’s a form of helium similar to a superconductor, with no resistance, viscosity, or friction. The helium provided a protective barrier between the outside world and the positronium. The interactions of the positrons generated gamma rays if it stayed in a quantum state known as a Bose-Einstein condensate.

One of the challenges of developing and stabilizing gamma-emitting isomers is that they release their energy too quickly to maintain a large population of isomers at once. Fortunately, some isotopes (forms of chemical elements with differing numbers of neutrons) can provide more energetic gamma rays, with less energy input to maintain their isomers, and scientists are pursuing them as potential solutions to the coherent beam problem.

A next-generation gamma ray laser may not propel us to the Andromeda galaxy in our lifetimes, but the underlying technology to make that journey possible very well could be.

Before joining Popular Mechanics , Manasee Wagh worked as a newspaper reporter, a science journalist, a tech writer, and a computer engineer. She’s always looking for ways to combine the three greatest joys in her life: science, travel, and food.

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Magic Mushrooms May Have Shaped Our Consciousness

How We'll Discern the Origins of the Universe

He Was Frozen in a Shed for 30 Years. Can He Rise?

Why Everything We Know About Gravity May Be Wrong

Can Young Blood Transfusions Really Reverse Aging?

Human Consciousness Is an Illusion, Scientists Say

The CIA’s Plan to Deploy an Army of Super Spies

She Was Pronounced Dead—Then Found Gasping for Air

Every Single Cell in Your Body Could Be Conscious

How to Live Forever, or Die Trying

A Groundbreaking Discovery For Interstellar Travel

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An Escalating War in the Middle East

Tensions are on a knife edge after israel carried out a strike on the hezbollah leader allegedly behind an attack in the golan heights..

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Ben Hubbard

Produced by Rachelle Bonja and Sydney Harper

With Shannon M. Lin and Will Reid

Edited by Lexie Diao and Patricia Willens

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Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

Warning: This episode contains audio of war.

Over the past few days, the simmering feud between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, has reached a critical moment.

Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times, explains why the latest tit-for-tat attacks are different and why getting them to stop could be so tough.

On today’s episode

Ben Hubbard , the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading

Israel says it killed a Hezbollah commander , Fuad Shukr, in an airstrike near Beirut.

The Israeli military blamed Mr. Shukr for an assault on Saturday that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief, covering Turkey and the surrounding region. More about Ben Hubbard

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• How America built an AI tool to predict Taliban attacks

“Raven Sentry” was a successful experiment in open-source intelligence 

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I n the summer of 2020 American intelligence analysts in Afghanistan got a warning from “Raven Sentry”, an artificial-intelligence ( AI ) tool that they had been operating for a few months. There was a high probability, the AI told them, of a violent attack in Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern Nangarhar province, at the beginning of July. It would probably cause between 20 and 40 casualties. The attack came, a little late, on August 2nd, when Islamic State struck the city’s prison, killing some 29 people.

Raven Sentry had its origins in October 2019, when American forces in Afghanistan were facing a conundrum. They had ever fewer resources, with troop numbers falling, bases closing and intelligence resources being diverted to other parts of the world. Yet violence was rising. The last quarter of 2019 saw the highest level of Taliban attacks in a decade. To address the problem they turned to AI .

Political violence is not random. A paper published in International Organisation by Andrew Shaver and Alexander Bollfrass in 2023 showed, for instance, that high temperatures were correlated with violence in both Afghanistan and Iraq. When days went from 16°C highs to more than 38°C, they observed, “The predicted probability of an Iraqi male expressing support for violence against multinational forces [as measured in opinion polls] increased by tens of percentage points.”

Raven Sentry took this further. A team of American intelligence officers, affectionately dubbed the “nerd locker”, was placed in a special forces unit, the culture of which is better suited to aggressive experimentation. They began by studying “recurring patterns” in insurgent attacks going back to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, says Colonel Thomas Spahr, who described the experiment in a recent paper in Parameters , the journal of the US Army War College.

Contractors based in Silicon Valley helped them train a neural network to identify the correlations between historical data on violence and a variety of open (ie, non-secret) sources, including weather data, social-media posts, news reports and commercial satellite images. The resulting model identified when district or provincial centres were at higher risk of attack, and estimated the number of fatalities that might result.

America’s intelligence agencies and the Pentagon bureaucracy were initially sceptical of the effort (they remain tight-lipped about it still). But the results were striking, says Colonel Spahr, who was chief of staff to the top intelligence official at the NATO mission in Afghanistan at the time. By October 2020 the model had achieved 70% accuracy, meaning that if it judged an attack to be likely with the highest probability (80-90%) then an attack subsequently occurred 70% of the time—a level of performance similar to human analysts, he notes, “just at a much higher rate of speed”.

“I was struggling to understand why it was working so well,” says Anshu Roy, the CEO of Rhombus Power, one of the firms involved. “Then we broke it apart, and we realised that the signatures were evident in the towns—they somehow knew.” Optical satellites (those that sense light) would observe towns as a whole becoming darker at night just prior to attacks, he says. However, areas in those towns associated with enemy activity in the past would get brighter. Synthetic aperture radar ( SAR ) satellites, which send out radar pulses rather than relying on ambient light, would pick up the metallic reflections of heightened vehicle activity. Other satellites would detect higher levels of carbon dioxide, says Mr Roy, though it is not clear why.

Attacks were more likely, it found, when the temperature was above 4°C, lunar illumination was below 30% and it was not raining. “In some cases”, notes Colonel Spahr, “modern attacks occurred in the exact locations, with similar insurgent composition, during the same calendar period, and with identical weapons to their 1980s Russian counterparts.” Raven Sentry was “learning on its own”, says Colonel Spahr, “getting better and better by the time it shut down”. That happened in August 2021 when America pulled out of Afghanistan. By then it had yielded a number of lessons.

Human analysts did not treat its output as gospel. Instead they would use it to cue classified systems, like spy satellites or intercepted communications, to look at an area of concern in more detail. When new intelligence analysts joined the team, they would be carefully taught its weaknesses and limitations. In particular districts, says Mr Roy, the model was not very accurate. “Not much had happened there in the past,” he says, “and no matter how much modelling you do, if you can’t teach the model, there’s not much you can do.”

In the three years since Raven Sentry was shut down, armed forces and intelligence agencies have poured resources into AI for “indicators and warnings”, the term for forewarning of attack. Many of the models have matured relatively recently. “If we’d have had these algorithms in the run-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, things would have been much easier,” says a source in British defence intelligence. “There were things we wanted to track that we weren’t very good at tracking at the time.” Four years ago SAR images had a ten-metre resolution, recalls Mr Roy; now it is possible to get images sharp enough to pick out objects smaller than a metre. A model like Raven Sentry, trained on data from Ukraine’s active front lines, “would get very smart very quickly”, he says.

Colonel Spahr says it is not a linear process. “Just as Iraqi insurgents learned that burning tyres in the streets degraded US aircraft optics or as Vietnamese guerrillas dug tunnels to avoid overhead observation, America’s adversaries will learn to trick AI systems and corrupt data inputs,” he says. “The Taliban, after all, prevailed against the United States and NATO ’s advanced technology in Afghanistan.” ■

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