science experiments in spanish

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Conducting Science Experiments (Free Spanish Lessons for Kids)

Doing science experiments in Spanish is not only a brilliant way to introduce your kids to STEM but also to reinforce their Spanish knowledge and fluency!

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM learning programs intend to prepare and inspire the students to pursue a career and education in those fields. It involves lessons, practical activities, and experiments that combine traditional teaching methods with online learning. 

While STEM programs are great for kids to learn about scientific topics, they’re also beneficial to reinforce a second language knowledge. 

Read this kid’s guide to have fun learning science while practicing Spanish!

STEM as a Tool to Learn Spanish

STEM programs aim to prepare the next generation with relevant skills and knowledge for the modern world. 

Learning about science in different languages goes beyond language and social barriers. It’s possible to reinforce language knowledge while learning STEM topics.

Thanks to STEM, our kids work together with others to reach a common goal. At the same time, they learn about their different backgrounds, make use of the different abilities that diversity brings to the group and understand science from different points of view. 

STEM and science experiments in Spanish are exceptional conversation starters and an amazing way to peak our kids’ interests in learning another language while practicing science. 

Check out this FREE downloadable content with simple yet engaging questions for your kids to answer while experimenting. 

Download FREE Conducting Science Experiments in Spanish Activities for Kids!

Type your name and email below to get five activities for kids about the Water Cycle in Spanish! You will receive: Counting Candies Experiment, “Vi Crecer un Frijolito” Worksheet, Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheet, Record Sheet, Edible Cell Tags.

Explore more FREE SPANISH LESSONS FOR KIDS! ➡️ Enjoy over 70 unique lessons + free activity packets to download.

Let’s Do Experiments in Spanish

One of the coolest parts of STEM is that it makes challenging subjects like math and engineering accessible and understandable for kids of any age. 

Science is a wonderful tool to teach Spanish. Learning is always more meaningful with context, and science classes are perfect for that! They encourage kids to learn while being experimentales , (experimental).

Kids are natural scientists. Their curiosity and hunger for knowledge make them fantastic researchers. That’s why you should teach them Spanish and while they learn about science and natural phenomena.

The Scientific Method (El método científico)

To understand new processes and conduct experiments in Spanish, scientists use a technique known as el método científico (the scientific method) to create and test a scientific hypothesis.

El método científico has three important goals:

• Observe – observar
• Ask questions – hacer preguntas
• Seek answers – buscar respuestas

 The scientific method consists of 6 important steps: 

• Research – investiga
• Create an hypothesis – crear una hipótesis
• Experiment – experimentar
• Recollect information – recolectar información
• Analyze information – analizar información
• Conclusions – conclusiones

5 STEM Experiments in Spanish

It’s time to conduct experiments in Spanish! 

How do you say “experiments” in Spanish? Los experimentos.   

Are you ready to be a científico? Let’s begin! 

1. How Many Red Candies Are In The Bag? (¿Cuántos dulces rojos hay en la bolsa?)

This one is a simple experiment to enjoy with your kids. The idea is to hypothesize how many candies of their favorite color come in the bag, and for them to count, organize, and eat them! You can use any kind of candy with more than one color in it for this experiment.

Practice Spanish with your children by reviewing color names and counting in Spanish while putting their observation skills to test. 

Download our worksheet for this experiment. 

2. Watch a Little Bean Grow (Ve crecer un frijolito)

This classic experiment is perfect for kids to learn about germination and record the changes in their bean plant. 

Talk about the process in Spanish, and have the kids record the changes by both drawing and writing about them. 

Here are a few vocabulary words related to this experiment in Spanish:

Materials 

• 1 frijol pinto o negro – 1 pinto or black bean 
• 1 recipiente de vidrio pequeño – 1 small glass recipient
• Un poco de algodón – A small amount of cotton 
• Botella rociadora – Spray bottle 

Instructions 

Coloca el algodón en el fondo del recipiente y humedécelo un poco. Place the cotton at the bottom of the glass recipient and dampen it a bit.

Coloca el frijol sobre el algodón. Place the bean on the cotton.

Cuidadosamente, muévelo a un punto cálido y donde pueda recibir rayos de sol. Carefully, move it to a warm spot where the bean gets sunlight.

Agrega agua a los días, cuando el algodón se vea seco. Add water several days later, when the cotton dries out. 

¡Observa que pasa! Observe what happens! 

3. Butterfly Life Cycle (El Ciclo de la Vida de la Mariposa)

Bring a caterpillar to class and have the kids observe how it changes into a butterfly. Explain it to them in Spanish. 

Have the kids record their observations of the changes in the butterfly with clay. That way they not only learn about the process, but they also work with their fine motor abilities, their observation skills, and their ability to duplicate what they see. 

Here are some vocabulary words for you to review with your students for this experiment in Spanish.

4. The Water Cycle (El Ciclo del Agua)

This experiment is a really fun activity to learn and understand something as complex as the water cycle. 

See also: A Kid’s Guide to the Water Cycle in Spanish

• 1 tazón de vidrio – 1 glass bowl
• 1 recipiente de vidrio más pequeño que el tazón – 1 small glass recipient 
• 1 pedazo de soga para amarrar alrededor del tazón – 1 piece of rope to tie around the bowl
• 1 roca de mediano tamaño – 1 medium sized rock 
• Papel Film o plastico – Film paper or plastic
• Colorante azul – Blue dye
• Agua – Water

Mezcla agua con suficiente colorante azul para teñir el agua. Mix water with enough water dye to change the color of the water.

Coloca, con cuidado, el recipiente pequeño dentro del tazón de vidrio. Carefully put the smaller recipient inside the bowl.

Pon agua dentro del tazón de vidrio sin cubrir el recipiente pequeño. Pour water into the bowl but not into the small recipient.

Cubre el tazón con papel film o plástico y amarra la cuerda alrededor de este para que quede bien cerrado. Cover the bowl with film paper and tie the rope around it so it is closed properly. 

Coloca la piedra en medio del papel film y pon el tazón donde le dé mucho sol. Place the rock in the middle of the film paper and put the bowl in direct sunlight.

Observa que sucede. Observe what happens.

Here’s a Youtube video on this type of experiment in Spanish. 

5. An Edible Cell (Una célula comestible)

In this fun experiment, kids use candy and jello to make a realistic model of a cell.

The cell is an important unit of all living beings and a relevant theme for experiments in Spanish! 

Here is a brief vocabulary list with the most important words in Spanish for this subject. 

• 4 cucharadas de gelatina sin sabor – 4 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin
• 2 cucharadas de gelatina color rojo – 2 tablespoons of red gelatin
• 2 tazas de agua(Una fría y una caliente) – 2 cups of water (one cold and one hot)
• Dos pecanas peladas – 2 peeled pecans
• Dulces que se asemejen a las partes de las células – Candies that look like the cell parts
• Mondadientes – Toothpicks
• Masking tape – Masking tape

Instructions

Disuelve la gelatina sin sabor y la gelatina roja en el agua caliente. Dissolve the unflavored gelatine and the red gelatine in the hot water.

Agrega el agua fría y deja que cuaje. Add the cold water and let it set.

Una vez cuajada la gelatina, agrega los dulces imitando la ubicación de los diferentes organelos en la célula. Once the gelatine is set, add the candy imitating the location of the organelles in the cell.

Usa los mondadientes y el masking tape para indicar los nombres de los organelos. Use the toothpicks and the masking tape to indicate the names of the organelles. 

Science and Spanish Are the Perfect Combination!

Taking advantage of the amazing ability of our kids to learn fast and about several topics at the same time, by introducing them to science content and related Spanish vocabulary simultaneously!

Learning Spanish opens your child’s eyes to a world beyond their front door and encourages conversations around diversity, culture, and respecting others. And, did you know that kids who know Spanish learn other Romance languages like Italian, French, and Portuguese more quickly and efficiently than their peers? In the competitive world where our kids are growing up, we have to give them all the tools they need to be successful individuals. 

Sign up your kids today for a free trial class with one of our fun, professional, native-speaking teachers at Homeschool Spanish Academy. They’ll be speaking Spanish from day one! 

Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these

“This is the best way for your kid to learn Spanish. It’s one-on-one, taught by native Spanish speakers, and uses a curriculum.”

– Sharon K, Parent of 3

“It’s a great way to learn Spanish, from native Spanish speakers in a 1-on-1 environment. It’s been fairly easy to schedule classes around my daughter’s other classes. The best value for us has been ordering multiple classes at a time. All the instructors have been great!”

– Cindy D, Parent of 3

“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”

– Erica P. Parent of 1

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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Curiosikid: science experiments for kids...in spanish.

5 Simple, At-Home Spanish STEM Challenges

These 5 simple, at-home Spanish STEM challenges are fun, have minimal mess, and can be completed with everyday household items. They foster a love of science, technology, engineering, and math all while bringing these disciplines into the Spanish or bilingual classroom. 

I’ve chosen activities that have minimal prep and mess, and materials that are easy to find (most are probably lying around your house). These Spanish STEM challenges can even be completed virtually as students watch along with the teacher or assigned for students to complete at home (with some parent supervision). 

But first, what’s STEM?

STEM stands for S cience, T echnology, E ngineering, and M ath. It’s become popular in education because it promotes problem-solving in fun, real-life ways by combining at least two or more disciplines (engineering and math, science and technology, etc.).

Why STEM and Spanish?

Because you need to communicate those newfound problem-solving skills. And as we are living in a global community, being able to communicate in more than one language is not only a benefit but a necessity. 

While I’ve chosen well-known (yet quick and easy) STEM challenges, I’ve adapted them for Spanish learners. You’ll find vocabulary, materials needed, and just how to tie them into your Spanish class, bilingual classroom, homeschool, or at-home learning.

#1 Make a Paper Chain/ Haz una Cadena de Papel

This first activity comes from Little Bins Little Hands . It’s an engineering and math challenge that’s as quick and easy as you can get. The goal is to make the longest paper chain using ONE piece of paper. This is genius because of its minimal setup. 

Materials : a piece of paper, scissors, tape, tape measure (optional)

Materiales : una hoja de papel, tijeras, cinta adhesiva, cinta de medir (opcional)

Tie this into your Spanish or bilingual class by:

• Describing length ( largo/corto ) and thickness ( ancho/estrecho )
• Comparing – Mi cadena es más larga que la tuya. Mi cadena es más corta que la tuya.
• Counting – ¿Cuantos anillos tiene tu cadena? Mi cadena tiene ____ anillos.
• Number Forms – Students write the number in word form ( uno ) and standard form (1) as they count each ring.
• Measuring – Mi cadena mide ___ pulgadas/centímetros.
• Gender – Cadena de papel is feminine while anillo is masculine. Kids will have to take that into account when describing each word. La cadena es larg a . El anillo es anch o .

Vocabulary:

• cadena de papel – paper chain
• anillo – ring
• largo – long
• corto – short
• ancho – wide
• estrecho – narrow
• más larga que – longer than
• más corta que – shorter than
• forma estándar – standard form (numeral)
• forma en palabras – word form
• medir – to measure

#2 Screen-Free Coding/ Coding Sin Pantalla

This next activity also comes from Little Bins for Little Hands , and is another fantastic STEM find. Kids learn the basics of coding by using a printable grid and small objects they have at home. Kids essentially create a maze. Then follow that up with directions on how to get from start to finish. In the coding world, those direction are technically an algorithm (or a series of steps). 

Coding is really popular right now, and rightfully so since code is what makes our technology function. But the real gem here, is that with all the screen time our kids are getting these days, this STEM challenge gives them a quick break. 

Materials : printable grid, index cards (or small pieces of paper), small objects

Materiales : papel cuadriculado, fichas, objetos pequeños

• Practicing giving directions

Vocabulary :

• algoritmo – algorithm
• coding/ programación – coding
• Sigue recto – Go straight
• Gira a la derecha – Turn right
• Gira a la izquierda – Turn left
• Para – Stop
• Vuelve atrás – Go back

#3 Walking Water Experiment/ Agua Andando

This activity, thanks to Coffee Cups and Crayons , is a science experiment that shows capillary action ( acción capilar ) and color mixing ( mezcla de colores ).

Students place three cups in a row, filling the outer cups with water, but leaving the center cup empty. Next, add food coloring. You’ll want to use primary colors in the outer cups (blue and red, red and yellow, or blue and yellow). Then place a rolled paper towel from cup one to cup two, and another paper towel is placed from cup two to cup three. Finally, the magic happens! Watch as water walks up the paper towels from the outer cups to the center cup until all cups have an equal amount of water. As this happens you’ll see the colors combine to make a secondary color in the center cup (blue and red make purple, red and yellow make orange, blue and yellow make green).

Note: Capillary action is when water moves upward against gravity. This is how trees and plants get water and nutrients from soil.

Materials : three glass cups, water, food coloring, paper towels

Materiales : tres vasos de vidrio, agua, colorante, toallitas de papel

• Describing quantity/volume – Este vaso tiene más agua que el otro.
• Reviewing colors and color mixing
• más que – more than
• menos que – less than
• la misma cantidad – the same amount
• lleno – full
• vacío – empty
• colores primarios – primary colors
• colores secundarios – secondary colors

#4 Water Cycle Bag / La Bolsa del Ciclo del Agua

This next experiment from Playdough to Plato , is a great way to observe and discuss t he water cycle and weather.

By drawing a sun and cloud on the bag, adding some water, and taping it to a window students will be able to observe the water cycle in action over a few hours/days. So while this activity is quick to set up, its best for long term observation or a class project. 

Materials : a plastic sandwich bag, black marker, water, tape, food coloring (optional) 

Materiales : una bolsa de plástico para sándwiches, marcador negro, agua, cinta adhesiva, colorante (opcional) 

• Discussing the water cycle
• Talking about the weather
• el ciclo del agua – the water cycle
• el tiempo/ el clima – the weather
• precipitación – precipitation
• condensación – condensation
• evaporación – evaporation
• nubes – clouds
• vapor de agua – water vapor
• Está soleado – It’s sunny
• Está lloviendo – It’s raining
• Está nublado – It’s cloudy

#5 How Strong is Spaghetti?/ ¿Qué tan fuerte es el espagueti?

Finally, Frugal Fun 4 Boys , has a fun spaghetti strength test. They test how much weight spaghetti can hold both vertically (you’ll need styrofoam for this and not every family has that on hand) and horizontally (I recommend this way as you don’t need styrofoam). This challenge is a great introduction to engineering .

Materials : spaghetti, books, small toys, styrofoam (optional)

Materiales : espagueti, libros, juegetes pequeños, poliestireno (opcional)

• Describing strength; or
• Counting the number of objects spaghetti holds
• fuerte – strong
• débil – weak
• El espagueti sostenga ____ juguetes/libros – Spaghetti holds ___ toys/books.

I know we are all racking our brains for activities that can be done at home. These 5 simple, at-home Spanish STEM challenges check that box, plus they give kids the opportunity to have fun, learn STEM skills, and practice their Spanish. Win-Win.

For more at-home activities try 10 Simple First Week of School Activities for Online Learning (in Spanish!) or 8 No Hassle, No Prep, At Home Spanish Activities for Kids .

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Science Resources in Spanish

CRS has gathered a handful of science resources in Spanish for you and your elementary level students .

We would love to add to our list of science resources in Spanish. Do you have a favorite we have missed? Please contact us at [email protected] with your recommendations.

• PBS SCIGIRLS ESPANOL has many shows that are translated and have Spanish resources with them. (Grande 2-5)
• Peep and the Big Wide World - The Emmy Award-winning science and math focused series has a bilingual Spanish/English website. Includes science curriculum & professional development videos. (TK-2)
• Science Friday has put together some elementary science experiments that can be done from home in  English  and in  Spanish
• YouTube series Tiny Ice: Bits from Antarctica/Hielo Pequeño: Pedazos de la Antártida serie de videos  from PolarTREC's informal educator Jocelyn Argueta, who traveled to the South Pole to make the series in 2019. (Grades 6-8)
• Science @ Cal has created a page  Un Vistazo al Laboratorio that has videos of scientists touring their labs in Spanish. (Grades 6-8)
• The Instituto de Física Teórica in Madrid celebrated Women's Day by asking over 290 women why they love physics. Listen to their responses about what called each of them to study science.
• Researchers and scientists from the Spanish National Research Council created this #YoInvestigo (I research) series of videos explaining what they're working on and why it matters. **We recommend starting from the 3rd video in the playlist**
• The Instituto de Biomedicina in Valencia, Spain answered student questions about Covid19 in their "Un virus, mil preguntas" (One virus, a thousand questions) playlist .

• Our amazing BASIS (Bay Area Scientists in Schools) have made Science@Home videos of their lessons so they can continue to share science explorations with your students even during distance learning.
• Ciencia in Casa con Erika: ADN  In this video Erika uses strawberries and common household chemicals to isolate the DNA inside a strawberry
• Ciencia en Casa: Luis Columna de Winogradsky  Este video muestra una forma fácil y sencilla de cómo recrear la Columna de Winogradsky— simulación de un ecosistema de microbios. 

• Unite for Literacy  free online books to read or to listen to the narration. Available in English and Spanish. (TK-3)
• Fathom Reads  has created electronic versions of books from a handful of different publishers. Students can listen to native speakers read the books or read them on their own in a chosen language or English. Subscriptions for families, schools, or districts
• The National Science Museum in Madrid has a variety of read alouds in Spanish showcasing the lives of prominent scientists from around the world. The ten stories are audio only, and include an optional activity.

• The Tech Interactive has put together these  Actividades En Casa  with topics like physics, chemistry, engineering, the environment and more! Also available in  English
• Ocean School has developed Learn at Home pages in both English and Spanish  with videos and activities about marine science. 
• Golden Gate Audubon Society has put together resources kids can use at home to explore birds in their neighborhood. Available in English and Spanish
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has their Celebrate Urban Birds website and Celebra las Aves Urbanas
• Science Penguin has created some Outdoor Science Scavenger Hunts in English and Spanish that they have posted on Teachers pay Teachers for free.
• (Engineering is Elementary) EiE Families offers free, hands-on, research-based activities designed for families with children ages 4–11 and are available in both English and Spanish. 
• ESA Kids has tons of fun activities, neat lab and art activities, and interesting facts for students to explore. Several Languages to choose from on the languages tab.
• ArbolABC is a Spanish based site that has science experiments, science stories, and articles for students K-3 that focus on the science of animals, insects, and technology.
• Mundo Primaria has scientific articles and activities about natural sciences, including human anatomy, the environment, animals and more (Middle School).
• TryEngineering has a range of engineering activities in Spanish for students grades 1-12.
• NASA’s Space Place in Spanish offers games and activities, videos and vocabulary units that are centered around the solar system, space technology, and more.
• Educapeques has a “Misión Azul/Blue Mission” unit in Spanish that teaches TK-2 graders about the science of plants, the water cycles, different types of animals and dinosaurs.
• Kids.CSIC has a variety of science history related videos, games, and quizzes for K-4 students
• KQED offers several science-based lesson plans in Spanish

• "We speak like scientists and engineers" place mats or sentence frames  in English and in Spanish  (K-2)
• The Exploratorium has their hands-on experiment series  Science Snacks (English) and Bocadillos científicos .
• KidsGardening offers their Lessons to Grow By in both English and Spanish (free in Spanish)
• Enchanted Learning "Label Me" Printouts in Spanish contains elementary-level diagrams on many subjects.
• STEM Ecosystems has a STEM Activity Guide for families that is available in both  English  and  Spanish

• FOSS   resources are available in both Spanish and English under the Teacher Resources Section of every module. 
• Mystery Science  offers Spanish naration and transcripts for full lessons. Combine them with the Spanish worksheets for a Spanish-language science option for your classroom.
• Brainpop provides video and activity ideas for a fee. It is available in English and Spanish and French
• Newsella  offers a number of their articles in Spanish. 
• Early Edge California has put together a page of resource for distance learning for dual language learners.
• Colorín Colorado  is a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs).
• Teachers Pay Teachers has NGSS based science lesson plans in Spanish available for purchase.
• Generation Genius has science resources for K8 students, including videos dubbed in Spanish and corresponding lesson plans, activities, vocabulary lists, and assessments for teachers. They offer their curriculum on a yearly subscription .
• Elesapiens offers bilingual lesson plans and activities for 1st-4th grade students. Some lessons are for free and others are for purchase.

Most textbook companies have leveled readers for science in both Spanish and English:  

• Science A-Z leveled reader available in Spanish and English

Science museums and nature centers around the Bay Area try to meet the needs of all the students who participate in their programs. Many of them have staff that speak Spanish, but they do not always advertise that programs are available in Spanish because staffing changes on a year to year basis.

• California Science Center Virtual Field Trips
• The Nature Conservancy: Excursiones virtuales de Nature Lab
• NASA STARS in Spanish  - Live broadcasts in Spanish for your classroom.  
• EBMUD has put togehter their Mastadon Among Us Tour in Spanish  Mastodontes entre nosotros

For additional resources that may better match what you’re looking for, we have a few tips to guide your search.

• Search for key terms in Spanish , the more specific the better. For example, “extracción de adn en frutas” (DNA extraction in fruit) will get you closer to the experiment you’re looking for than searching “experimento de ciencias para niños” (science experiment for kids). Use Google translate for help with spelling/punctuation/translation.
• Search using another google extension for Spanish speaking countries such as google.com.mx (or .ar, .cl, .co, .bo, .ec, .es, .gt., .pe, .uy) and/or click the “Español/ Latinoamérica” version. For non-Spanish speakers, use Google Chrome so that your search results will be translated easily.
• Specify by grade level to filter out higher ed results.
• Reach out to us for help.   We know the start of the year is busy, and we’re always here to help, email us to find what works for your science teaching.

Community Resources for Science 1611 San Pablo Avenue, Suite 10 B Berkeley, CA 94702

Phone: (510) 527-5212 Fax: (510) 527-5216 Email: [email protected] EIN: 94-3262587

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The mission of CRS is to empower teachers and STEM professionals serving schools in historically marginalized communities to activate TK-8 students’ curiosity about the world, foster critical thinking, and inspire children to imagine future career pathways. We envision a community of educators, scientists, families and partners working together to build school cultures that equip all children to explore the world around them and build the skills needed to become innovators, problem solvers, environmental stewards, life-long learners and leaders. CRS leads a dynamic network, fostering relationships and collaborations that leverage expertise and resources to transform science teaching and learning toward greater equity, opportunity, and success for all students.

Our goal is simple: help teachers give students more opportunities to “do science” – to ask questions, test ideas, get their hands on real science activities. We need to inspire the next generation of thinkers, makers, problem solvers, and leaders!