March 24, 2020

Entertain your little ones by doing the trying the following science experiments at home.  

MAD SCIENCE AT HOME EXPERIMENTS

Mad Science has put together 12 fun experiments you can try at home. Download the PDF or watch a video of the experiment being performed. Here are the 12 experiments for you to enjoy.

Bobble Ball

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Water Arrow

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Cone Car

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Instant Ice Cream

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Ghost Bubbles

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Copycat Solution

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Magical Straw

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Bubble Catching

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Balloon Bond

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Funnel Fun

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Soap Powered Boat

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Clear Cola

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HOMEMADE HAND SANITIZER

Making your own hand sanitizer is easy to do and only requires a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup of isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent)
  • 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (to help keep your hands smooth and to counteract the harshness of alcohol)
  • 10 drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead

Directions:

  • Pour all ingredients into a bowl.
  • Mix with a spoon and then beat with a whisk to turn the sanitizer into a gel.
  • Pour the ingredients into an empty bottle for easy use, and label it.

HOMEMADE ROCK CANDY


Teaching kids about sugar crystallization, this experiment allows children and parents alike to track the progress of their formation, while in the end, getting a delicious treat.

  • Materials Needed
    • Glass jars
    • Water
    • Sugar
    • Large saucepan
    • Clothespins
    • String or small skewers
    • Food coloring (optional)
    • Candy flavoring (optional)

For more directions, click here.

HOMEMADE DINOSAUR BONES


These dinosaur “bones” are made out of a salt flour dough. This experiment educates kids in paleontology. Parents and kids alike can optionally bury the bones to give children a treasure hunt. 

  • Materials Needed
    • Flour
    • Salt
    • Water
    • Images of dinosaur bones
    • Oven

For more directions, click here. 

CRYSTAL EGG GEODES

Photo: Art and Soul

This experiment is a lesson in molecular bonding. It involves growing crystals inside an egg shell, taking 12-15 hours for the final result, making for a fun, long-lasting experiment. 

For more information visit, click HERE.

BENDING WATER WITH A COMB

Photo: Amber Guetebier

Teaching kids about electrical currents and static electricity, this science experiment resembles magic as the bathroom faucet distorts in the direction of a hair comb. 

For more information, click HERE.

HOMEMADE PLAYDOH

Materials:

  • 3 cups of flour
  • 1 ½ cups of salt
  • 6 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 3 tbsp. oil
  • 3 cups water

Instructions:

  1. Dissolve salt in the water.
  2. Pour all ingredients into a large pot.
  3. Stir constantly over medium heat until a ball forms by pulling away from the sides.
  4. Knead the dough mixture until the texture matches playdough (1-2 minutes).
  5. Store in plastic container. Should last for at least 3 months.

Get more tips and trick HERE.

MARBLED GIFT WRAP

Materials:

  • computer paper
  • shaving cream
  • food coloring
  • spoon, fork
  • shallow pan, large enough for your paper
  • paper towels

Instructions:

  1. Using a spoon, spread a thin layer of shaving cream in the bottom of the pan. All you need is a shallow coating.
  2. Dot the surface of the shaving cream with food coloring.
  3. Run the tines of a fork through the colors in a wavy fashion. Try not swirling your colors or else they will run together.
  4. Lay your paper on top of the colored layer in the pan. Smooth the paper out over the shaving cream.
  5. Wait thirty seconds.
  6. Remove the paper and wipe the shaving cream off with a dry paper towel. If you do this carefully, none of your colors will run or be distorted.
  7. Allow your paper to dry. If it curls, you can have an adult iron it flat using low heat.
  8. Now you can wrap your holiday gifts with your own decorated wrapping paper.

Learn how this works and find experiments HERE.

SUN DIAL

Materials:

  • Straight stick about two feet long
  • small rocks or small seashells
  • a watch
  • chalk (optional)
  • Sand (optional)
  • Bucket (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Find a sunny spot and push the stick vertically straight into the grass or earth. If your backyard doesn’t have any grass or earth, fill a small bucket with sand and place your stick into the bucket.
  2. Start in the morning when the sun is up. At 7:00 am use a small rock or seashell to mark where the shadow of your stick falls. Come back at 8 am, 9 am, 10 am, and so on until there is no more daylight in the day. You may want to mark your pebbles with the time they were placed using chalk.
  3. By the end of the day your sundial will be complete.

Learn how this works and find experiments HERE.

BLOSSOMING BEANS

Materials:

  • 1 pinto bean
  • 1 Ziploc bag
  • 1 paper towel
  • Spray bottle for holding water

Instructions:

  1. Dampen paper towel with spray bottle
  2. Place wet paper towel in Ziploc Bag
  3. Place bean on top of wet paper towel
  4. Close Ziploc Bag
  5. Place Ziploc Bag in a warm, sunny spot
  6. Add water to paper towel when it dries out
  7. Observe your plant growing in 3-5 days!

Learn how this works and find experiments HERE.

DYED FLOWERS

Materials:

  • 3 White Carnations
  • 3 Bottles of Food Coloring in Assorted Colors
  • 3 Clear 16 oz Plastic Cups
  • Water
  • Scissors

Instructions:

  1. Fill each cup with water half way.
  2. Add 3 drops of food coloring into each of the cups. Each cup should be a different color.
  3. Carefully cut the end of each of the flower’s stem.
  4. Place each stem in a different colored water cup.
  5. Wait one hour and observe your flowers’ petals.
  6. Wait one day and observe your flowers’ petals.

Learn how this works and find experiments HERE.

ALL ABOUT GERMS

Photo: Melissa Heckscher

Help kids understand how surfaces that appear to be clean can actually be filled with germs (and your hands, too!). Get the instructions here.