Here are 17 really easy science experiments for kids.
They’re awesome because you only need 2 or 3 supplies for each one, and you probably already have most of them in your kitchen.
I would say that most of these are easy enough that you could do them with a toddler if you’re helping the whole time. They’re perfect for preschoolers and elementary students. I used to do some of these with my middle school students… and they thought they were pretty cool, too!
50+ Preschool Activities to Do at Home
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Science experiments for kids: Directions & supply list:
I created a cheat sheet for these experiments, with the supply lists and a quick set of directions. I also included a supply list for all of the experiments, in case you want to shop once and then do them all one by one.
Download the printable supply list by clicking here.
Alright, on to the experiments!
1. Dancing Raisins
What you’ll need:
- Sprite
- A glass
- Raisins
Directions:
- Pour the Sprite into the glass.
- Add a few raisins.
You’ll soon start to notice the raisins “dancing.” The carbon dioxide bubbles will cause the raisins to rise to the top of the glass, and then as the bubbles pop, the raisins will sink back down.
2. Bubble in a Bubble
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup water
- 2 T dish soap
- 1 T sugar
- A straw
Directions:
- Mix the water, dish soap, and sugar.
- Spread some of the mixture on a table.
- Dip the straw into the mixture and use it to blow a bubble on the table.
- Dip the straw in the mixture again, and stick it into the first bubble. Blow another bubble inside the first bubble.
Keep going! How many bubbles can you make inside the first bubble? Emma and Kate also enjoyed dipping their hands into the mixture, and then having me blow bubbles right onto their hands.
Some of our favorite Steve Spangler products:
Here are a few no-prep Science activities we also love, if that’s more your speed. 🙂
3. Skittle Rainbow
What you’ll need:
- Skittles
- Hot water
- A plate
Directions:
- Arrange the Skittles in a circle on the plate.
- Microwave a few cups of water until it is hot. (It doesn’t have to be boiling.)
- Pour the water in the middle of the plate until the Skittles are partially submerged.
You’ll start to see a rainbow forming within seconds of pouring the hot water. It’s pretty cool, and once the water cools you can still eat the Skittles. 😉
4. Oobleck
What you’ll need:
- Cornstarch
- Water
Directions:
- Start with a bowl of cornstarch. Add a little bit of water at a time, mixing until you have reached the desired consistency.
- You’ll know that the oobleck is ready if it acts like a solid when you poke it hard, and a liquid when you poke it softly.
Oobleck is a ton of fun to play with. Kids love to let it dribble off of their fingers, or to try to hit it as hard as they can (at which point it becomes rock hard!) Have fun experimenting with it, but fair warning- it can get messy. We like to do this one outside… right before bath time!
5. Floating egg
What you’ll need:
- 2 eggs
- 2 glasses of water
- Salt
Directions:
- Place one egg in a glass of water. It sinks.
- Stir a few Tablespoons of salt into the second glass.
- Add the second egg. It should float!
The second egg floats because you increased the density of the water by adding salt. Now the raw egg is less dense than the water it’s in… so it floats!
6. Paper towel rainbow
What you’ll need:
- 6 cups
- 6 paper towels
- Water
- Food coloring
Directions:
- Place the cups in a circle.
- Fill every other cup with water.
- Add red food coloring to one of the cups of water, yellow to another, and blue to the third.
- Fold each paper towel into a long strip. Create a bridge between each cup by putting one end of the paper towel into each cup. (See picture)
- Watch and watch!
The colored water will travel up each paper towel, and into the empty cups. You should end up with a rainbow of colors by the end of the day.
7. Lava Lamp
What you’ll need:
- A glass or jar
- Vegetable oil
- Water
- Food coloring
- Alka-Seltzer
Directions:
- Fill a glass or jar 3/4 full of oil.
- Fill it the rest of the way with water.
- Add a few drops of food coloring.
- Drop in a few pieces of Alka-Seltzer.
You can repeat this experiment as many times as you want. Just keep adding more Alka-Seltzer. My kids also enjoyed using a flashlight to “light up” their lava lamps.
8. Rubber Egg
What you’ll need:
- A glass or jar
- A raw egg
- Vinegar
Directions:
- Put the egg in a glass of vinegar.
- Leave the egg for 1-2 days.
- Carefully remove the egg and see what happened!
The vinegar breaks down the egg shell, leaving only a thin, rubbery membrane. If you hold the egg up to the light, you can even see the yolk inside.
9. Exploding Bag
What you’ll need:
- A plastic sandwich bag
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- A tissue
Directions:
- Fill the plastic sandwich bag about a quarter of the way full of vinegar.
- Wrap a few spoonfuls of baking soda in the tissue. (You can roll it up and twist the ends to make sure the baking soda stays put.)
- Drop the tissue in the bag, seal the bag, give it a shake, and place it on the ground.
You should see the bag start to blow up with Carbon Dioxide. Eventually, it gets too full, and will burst with a POP! This is a good outdoor experiment, so you don’t have to clean up a mess afterwards.
10. Tie Dye Milk
What you’ll need:
- Whole milk
- Food coloring
- Dish soap
- A cotton swab
Directions:
- Pour the milk onto a plate.
- Add a few drops of each color of food coloring around the middle of the plate. (Each drop should be separate: next to the last drop- not right on top of it.)
- Dip the cotton swab in dish soap.
- Dip the cotton swab into the center of the milk and hold it there for a few seconds.
The colors will start moving right away. You can dip the swab back into the dish soap and into the milk mixture again several more times, and it will continue to react.
11. Plastic Milk
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup milk
- 4 teaspoons vinegar
- A sieve or strainer
Directions:
- Microwave the milk until it is hot, but not boiling.
- Mix in the vinegar.
- You’ll start to see clumps of “plastic milk” forming. Use the strainer to separate them out.
As soon as the mixture cools, you can gather the clumps and play with them like Silly Putty. You can even mold the plastic milk into a shape and let it harden overnight.
This is a great experiment for kids who love to be grossed out. My kids thought it was disgusting… and were thoroughly fascinated by it!
12. Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher
What you’ll need:
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- A large measuring cup or pitcher
- A candle
Directions:
- Mix some of the baking soda and vinegar together in the large measuring cup. (The exact amount doesn’t matter.)
- Light the candle.
- After the mixture stops bubbling, tilt the measuring cup to pour the invisible gas (not the liquid!) over the candle flame. It should go out!
The baking soda/vinegar reaction produces bubbles that are filled with an invisible gas: Carbon Dioxide. Even after the reaction is over, your measuring cup will still be filled with Carbon Dioxide. Even though you can’t see the gas, you can still pour it. And when you pour it onto a flame, it acts like a fire extinguisher! My kids thought I was doing magic. Pretty cool.
13. Exploding Soap
What you’ll need:
- Ivory soap (Yup! It does have to be this brand.)
- Paper plate
- Microwave
Directions:
- Unwrap the soap and place it on the paper plate.
- Microwave the soap until it is about to overflow the plate. (Usually about 30-60 seconds.)
My kids loved feeling the fluffy soap after it came out of the microwave, but be careful! It will be pretty hot, so you’ll want to give it some time to cool down first.
14. Burning Money
What you’ll need:
- 3 Tablespoons of rubbing alcohol (70%)
- 1 Tablespoon of water
- A dollar bill
- Tongs
- A lighter
Directions:
- Mix the rubbing alcohol and water in a shallow container.
- Soak the dollar bill in your mixture until it is completely saturated.
- Pick up the dollar bill with the tongs, and move the container with the mixture out of the way.
- Carefully light the dollar bill on fire.
The dollar bill burns, but doesn’t burn up! Make sure that you’re extra careful with this one- you will get some impressive flames. (Hold the burning bill far away from yourself, your kids, and anything flammable.)
15. Egg Drop
What you’ll need:
- A glass of water
- A disposable pie tin
- An empty paper towel tube
- A raw egg
Directions:
- Set up your tower, and make sure it is lined up: Start with the glass of water. Place the pie tin on top, and the paper towel tube on top of that. Finally, balance the raw egg on top of the paper towel tube.
- Hold the glass of water with one of your hands.
- Use your other hand to give the pie tin a hard tap on the side- enough to knock it completely out of the way so that the egg can drop.
With any luck, you’ll get the egg to drop straight into the glass of water without cracking! If you’re nervous, though, you can always practice with a tennis ball before you move on to the raw egg. 😉
16. Homemade Butter
What you’ll need:
- Heavy whipping cream
- A jar with a lid
Directions:
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into the jar. (Don’t fill it all the way to the top- you want a little empty space.)
- Put on the lid.
- Shake, shake, shake!
Fair warning: you’ll be shaking for a while! But eventually you’ll start to notice that the whipping cream has separated into a blob (the butter) and a watery liquid (the buttermilk.) Take out the blob, add a little salt, and you’ve got yourself some delicious butter!
17. Growing Gummy Bears
What you’ll need:
- Gummy bears
- Water
Directions:
- Soak several gummy bears in water overnight.
- Compare them to several gummy bears that were not in the water.
This is so simple, but for some reason, my kids thought it was so funny! The gummy bears swell up and get really slimy. They loved playing with them afterwards.
That’s it!
Have fun with these science experiments, and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to download your supply list here.
Happy experimenting!
-Laura
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Michelle says
Hi, these are great and I’m looking forward to doing some at holiday club. Just a quick question, what does the T mean on the Bubble in a Bubble experiment, 2 T dish soap, 1 T sugar.
Many thanks.
admin says
tablespoons 🙂