scientific method easy experiments

Scientific Method Experiments for Kids: Easy & Fun Setup

Krystal DeVille

December 25, 2022

The Scientific Method is a method and process used to conduct research. It is an easy way to provide a road map that kids can use to quench their hunger for curiosity.

They are constantly trying to figure out how the world works around them, and by providing them with the Scientific Method as an outline, they can navigate their way to success.

It can help students develop traditional cognitive skills, including logic, rationalization, and problem-solving through the application of the Scientific Method.

Table of Contents

What is the Scientific Method

It may seem boring to experiment with the Scientific Method, but it provides kids with the tools needed to solve any problem or question!

It doesn’t necessarily mean filling out a worksheet as done in school or, in many cases, even writing anything down. The Scientific Method for kids is a proven method and process of research. It works as a step-by-step guideline to teach people, including kids, how to experiment properly and come to an evidence-based solution.

It is how people study and learn things! If you think your child can study and learn things, then they can most certainly use the scientific method.

Steps of the Scientific Method

• Ask a Question (Channel your inner curiosity and pose a question)
• Make a Hypothesis (Create a prediction: What do they think will happen?)
• Research (Gather information and observe what it is you are really studying)
• Experiment (This step may need to be repeated, A LOT. Keep on trying!)
• Make Observations (Yup, more observations. Examine what is happening.)
• Draw Conclusions (What happened compared to what you thought would happen? What would happen if you change a variable? This could be the part where you revisit step 4 and try all over again)
• Share and Discuss Results (Share them with everyone! The more you collaborate, the better your study will be)

Scientific Method Experiments for Preschoolers

For preschoolers, we will use a more toned-down version of the scientific method to not inundate them with a long, scary list.

• Ask a Question
• Ask them what they think will happen ( Hypothesis )
• Test it out ( Experiment )
• What actually happened? ( Conclusions )

Scientific Experiments:

The Fastest Fizz

• Sink or Swim

Blow the Biggest Bubble

Materials Needed:

• Two identical glasses or jars (Any type of container for the water)
• Ice cubes to fill the glass up to halfway
• Water (Cold and hot tap water will do)
• Two Alka-Seltzer Tablets
• Thermometer (Optional: To measure the temperature of the water before dropping the Alka-Seltzer)

Scientific Method Steps :

• Ask a Question: How does the temperature of water affect the fizzing of Alka-Seltzer?
• Hypothesis : Will the Alka-Seltzer fizz faster in warm or cold water?
• Experiment:

Step 1: Fill one glass halfway with ice cubes

Step 2: Add cold water to that glass up to an inch from the rim

Step 3: Stir the ice cubes with the spoon to even out the temperature

Step 4: Remove the ice cubes with the spoon right before you will drop the Alka-Seltzer in the glasses

Step 5: Add hot tap water up to an inch from the rim in the second glass

Step 6: Drop the Alka-Seltzer into the glass with warm water and time how long it takes for the tablet to disappear

Step 7: Drop the Alka-Seltzer into the glass with cold water and time how long it takes for the tablet to disappear

• Conclusion: Which glass made the tablet disappear faster? Why might that be? What else dissolves in water?

If you like to find more activities you can do at home, please check out our article, Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments .

Sink or Swim?

• Big bowl (Any large container that holds water)
• Recommended items: Twig

Scientific Method Steps:

• Ask a Question: Which types of materials will float or sink in the water?
• Hypothesis : Which items do they think will float or sink?

Step 1: Have them explore the backyard or a playground for items

Step 2: Encourage them to retrieve a variety of items including a leaf, a pebble, and/or twigs

Step 3: Place each item separately in the container of water

Step 4: Examine what happens!

• Conclusion: Which items floated and which didn’t? Why might that be!?

• At least 3 different varieties
• I suggest Bubblicious, Bubbaloo, Bazooka, or even a balloon.
• Ask a Question: What type of gum blows the biggest bubbles?
• Hypothesis : Which type of gum do they think will be bigger?

Step 1: Start with one brand of bubblegum

Step 2: Each person chews the gum for 5 minutes

Step 3: Begin blowing bubbles with your piece of gum

Step 4: Blow 5 bubbles with that brand of gum

Step 5: Measure each bubble with the ruler and write down the results

Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 using a different brand of gum

• Conclusion: Which gum blew the biggest bubble?

Kids love Microscopes as they can explore the unseen world around them. Please take a look at our article for more information, Microscope Activities for Kids – Fun Experiments Kids Will Love!

Scientific Method Experiments for Elementary-Aged Kids

Elephant toothpaste.

• Empty Plastic Bottle
• A wide washable surface area (A large tub or tray would work well – preferable if you are in the kitchen, bathroom, or outdoors; it will get messy)
• 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (It could be a higher percentage for a bigger reaction)
• Measuring Spoons (At least 2)
• Measuring Cups (At least 2)
• Safety goggles
• Liquid food coloring (Optional)
• Question: What happens when you mix yeast with hydrogen peroxide? (This may need some background information) After the first experiment: engage their curiosity by leading them to questions like: How would the experiment change if you add more yeast?
• Hypothesis : What do they think will happen? What might happen if you add more or less yeast?
• Research: Look into the chemical breakdown of what Hydrogen Peroxide is (H₂O₂) and how that can be broken down. If mixed with a catalyst, such as yeast, then the breakdown reaction can occur very quickly!
• Experiment :

Step 1: Put on your safety goggles (It may be called elephant toothpaste but don’t put it in your mouth!)

Step 2: Measure ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide and carefully pour it into the bottle.

Step 3: Add food coloring at this point if you opt to use that.

Step 4: In a separate measuring cup, mix one tablespoon of yeast and three tablespoons of warm water.

Step 5: Mix the yeast and water for about 30 seconds.

Step 6: Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle of peroxide and watch what happens.

• Observations: What happened? How fast did it happen? How much of a reaction did you get?
• Conclusions : What happens when you add yeast to hydrogen peroxide? What would happen if you added more or less yeast?
• Share and Discuss Results! Feel free to try again using different variables!

Rubber Egg Experiment

• Household Vinegar
• Glass/Jar/Container
• Food coloring (Optional)
• Plate or tray
• Question: Can you bounce an egg?
• Hypothesis: What do they think will happen? Will an egg really be able to bounce? How high will it be able to bounce?
• Research: An eggshell is made of calcium carbonate and vinegar is an acid. When the two are combined, a chemical reaction occurs that once again mixes to form a carbon dioxide gas. The vinegar can cross with the selectively permeable membrane of the eggshell through osmosis. Then, the vinegar proceeds to thicken the outer layer of the remaining eggshell to make it “bouncy.”

Step 1: Carefully place an egg in the glass cup or jar.

Step 2: Pour white vinegar in the glass until the egg is completely submerged (At this point you can add the food coloring if you’d like).

Step 3: Leave the egg in the glass for at least 48 hours.

Step 4: After 48 hours, or when the egg is translucent, you can remove it from the glass and run it through water.

Step 5: Gently rub off the exterior of the egg until it is completely translucent (Or the white part is gone).

Step 6: Examine the egg and begin bouncing, lightly at first and then test how far it can go (Have a plate or tray handy as this part could get messy).

• Observations: What happened? You should also encourage them to observe the changes during the 48-hour transition process. What did it look like? What happened to the size of the egg? How did the egg feel? How high can it bounce without breaking apart?
• Conclusions : What happens when you cover an egg in vinegar? How did that happen? What other liquids will have a similar reaction?

For more experiments with only a few simple items, check out our article, Easy Experiments in Fluids .

Air Cannon Experiment

Materials Needed: (This should be done with an older elementary-aged child or make sure they are mature enough to do this)

• Plastic Bottle
• Rubber Band
• Pieces of paper/plastic objects to knock over. (Dominoes, paper towel roll, plastic cups).
• Stickers (Optional)
• Question: Can you control air? Why does air move? How powerful can air be?
• Hypothesis : What do they think will happen? How strong can you make air when it is controlled? What objects can be pushed over by air?
• Research: Air is a gas making it difficult to contain or hold its shape. Air pressure and density can be felt by temperature changes or changes in elevation. Even tiny air molecules have weight, and when billions of those molecules come together, they weigh down on other objects. Look into the changes of air pressures at different levels of elevation even into the atmosphere.

Step 1: Cut the bottom of the end of the plastic bottle.

Step 2: Attach the balloon to the open part that you cut off. (If you need to, you can cut the end of the balloon to make it fit).

Step 3: Attach a rubber band to the outside of the balloon to make sure it is securely attached.

Step 4: Decorate the bottle with stickers to make it look cool! (Optional step of course)

Step 5: Stretch the end of the balloon back and release.

Step 6: See how many controlled objects you can knock down. (Again, think dominoes, paper towel rolls, plastic cups, etc.).

• Observations: What happened? How does this happen? How many objects were successfully knocked down? Which objects stood strong? Why might that be?
• Conclusions : How can air be controlled? What other objects can you knock down? What is needed to make the air vortex stronger and more powerful?

While it’s always fun to build an air cannon, I understand this can be complex, for younger kids. You do have the option to buy one to play around with. You can find the current price of one right here .

Oil vs. Water

• A glass cup/jar
• Vegetable Oil
• Food Coloring
• Measuring Cup
• Toothpick (Optional)
• Question: What happens when you mix oil and water?
• Hypothesis : What do they think will happen? Will they mix? How will they mix? What will happen when you add in food coloring?
• Research: Researching density will make this experiment more valuable to your kids. Water molecules are polarized and more dense than oil. Oil is made up of non-polar molecules and is a lot less dense. Polar molecules only dissolve in polar solvents while non-polar molecules only dissolve in non-polar solvents making them not compatible, therefore, not allowing them to mix.

Step 1: Pour ½ cup of oil into a glass cup.

Step 2: Pour ½ cup of water into the glass cup.

Step 3: Allow it to settle and watch what happens.

Step 4: Add a drop or two of food coloring.

Step 5: Allow it to settle and watch what happens. (If the food coloring drop needs a little bit of a push, you can do so with the toothpick)

Step 6: Examine the glass and see what happens.

• Observations: What happened? Why didn’t they mix? What happened to the food coloring?
• Conclusions : What happens when oil and water are in the same container? Why does that happen? What happens if you add different food coloring to the container? Why doesn’t the food coloring mix with the oil? What does food coloring mix with? What else doesn’t oil mix with?

Magic Inflating Balloon

• Water bottle (Soda bottle will work just fine too)
• Baking Soda
• Funnel (Two preferably: If you have one, then make sure you wash it completely before using it again)
• Question: Can you fill a balloon without air?
• Hypothesis : What do they think will happen? Will a balloon fill with baking soda and vinegar?
• Research: You need carbon dioxide gas to fill a balloon. When baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid) are combined, they create carbon dioxide gas. Since the gas doesn’t have a shape, it will quickly expand, filling in all of the space that it can, resulting in an inflated balloon.

Step 1: Put ⅓ of a cup of vinegar into a water bottle.

Step 2: Attach the other funnel (or the washed funnel) to the open end of the balloon.

Step 3: Place two teaspoons of baking soda into the balloon then remove the funnel from the balloon.

Step 4: Attach the open end of the balloon to the top of the water bottle. (Try not to let the baking soda mix with the vinegar when attaching)

Step 5: When the balloon is securely attached, lift the top of it so the baking soda does drop into the water bottle.

Step 6: Watch the balloon magically inflate!

• Observations: What happened? How fast did it happen? How did that happen? How long until it deflates?
• Conclusions : What happens when you mix a base and an acid? Will another acid work just as well? Is the size of the balloon dependent on the amount of acid?

Is soda really that bad for your teeth?

• Baby teeth (This one may take a little while to get, depending on their age. Egg shells work similarly, but the curiosity may not fully be there for them. Just make sure you hard-boil them).
• Different types of soda (At least 3 – can include a sugary drink such as Gatorade too)
• Multiple glass jars (Enough for each separate
• Question: How bad is soda for your teeth?
• Hypothesis : What do they think will happen? How will the soda/drink affect the teeth?
• Research: Research the acidity of different drinks and the effect they have on tooth enamel. Erosion will be the biggest effect as it occurs when the acid and carbonation of the soda touches the outer layer of the tooth, or the tooth enamel.

Step 1: Pour each soda or drink into its own separate glass jar up to ¼ of the way full (Up to ½ if you are using an egg).

Step 2: Place a tooth in each of the glass jars.

Step 4: Take out the tooth every day and record the changes that you’ve observed.

Step 5: After five days, take them out for good and record your final observations.

• Observations: What happened? What do they feel like? What do they look like?
• Conclusions : How did different types of soda affect the teeth? What will happen if you brush that tooth? How much do you have to brush to clean it?

Magic Cloud

• Water Bottle (The bigger, the better for this experiment, get a 2L bottle at minimum)
• Rubbing Alcohol
• A tablespoon
• A cork or a rubber stopper (Clay will work well too)
• Ball pump or Bicycle tire pump
• Safety Goggles
• Question: What is a cloud made of? How does a cloud form?
• Hypothesis : What do they think will happen? Do they think they’ll be able to simulate a cloud? How can you create a cloud?
• Research: Look into the changes in the atmosphere and how clouds emerge. The pump simulates the mass junction of air molecules to create clouds. Take this as an opportunity to research different types of clouds too.

Step 1: Pour 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol into the bottle.

Step 2: Shake the bottle around to ensure the rubbing alcohol touches all parts of the bottle.

Step 3: Use the pushpin to poke a hole in the middle of the bottle cap. (You may have to move it around a bit to make sure it is big enough for the bicycle pump)

Step 4: Add the cork or rubber stopper to the inside of the bottle cap.

Step 5: Put on your safety goggles. Slide the needle of the pump into the hole and start pumping. (The more you pump, the bigger the cloud).

Step 6: Keep your safety goggles on. Hold the bottle firmly and open the cap to release the pressure. (Be aware that a loud noise will occur here, so be prepared).

• Observations: What happened? How much of a reaction did you get?
• Conclusions : What would happen if you were to close the cap again in the middle of releasing the cloud? What would happen if you added more rubbing alcohol? How big would the cloud be if pumped more air into it?

There are a few ways you can do this, and I go into more in detail in this article .

Wrapping Up

A lot of these experiments are great but do require a lot of preparation and guidance from the parents/adults. If you really want to engage their curiosity, put every question they have to the test.

Do double-stuffed Oreos actually have twice the amount of stuffing? Test it. Are footlong hoagies really 1 foot long? Measure it. Can you revive a dead marker? Try it. Why do volcanoes explode? Research it. There is no need to keep them wondering, and it’ll pique their curiosity for future experiences.

The Scientific Method gives them the appropriate avenue to test some of these ideas, even if it is just verbally referencing them. You might learn some pretty cool things on the way too. Have fun experimenting!

Do your kids like to get messy? You can find messy STEM projects in our article, Messy STEM Science Experiments for Kids!

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Kristi Harjo

Adventures in ISTEM

8 Cool Scientific Method Experiments for Middle Schoolers to Try

August 10, 2023 by Kristi

It’s back to school time, and that means it’s time to reintroduce students to key science skills like the scientific method.  There are some simple and engaging scientific method experiments you can have your students do where they practice the key steps of the scientific method process.

The scientific method is a process that allows students to figure things out about the world.  They can use it to solve problems and learn more about what’s around them. 

It starts with making observations. Then, they ask questions about what they are seeing.  From there, they make an educated guess as to why the observing the phenomenon and what is causing it.  They create a controlled experiment to test their hypothesis where they gather data and more observations.  Next, they analyze the data to look for patterns and answers. Finally, they draw their conclusions and share their findings.  

Scientific Method Experiment 1: Paper Towel Test Strength

Growing up, for us, it was commercials that were designed to tell us which brand is best and why.  Now with Tik Tok and other social media, it is important for students to fact check what they are seeing. I like to show students old paper towel commercials and then have students create scientific method experiments to test the claims.

• First, I will show them one or two paper towel commercials that claim their brand is the best for strength and not tearing while it cleans the mess.
• Then, the students turn the commercials claim into a hypothesis.
• From there, they design a test to test the claim.  I usually provide four to five different towels, including the brown school paper towel and a generic store brand towel. I also provide different types of weights like marbles, washers, or pennies.
• The students perform their paper towel experiments and collect data.
• They then analyze the data and then use the evidence to determine if the commercial claim is true or false.

Scientific Method Experiment 2: Paper Towel Test Absorbancy

This is just like the strength test, but it focuses on the paper towels ability to absorb a spill. The steps are the same as the other test.  You could have half the class doing one test and the other half of the class doing the other test.  This way, you are using a lot of the same materials, and students can compare their results. In the end, you could see if they can create a test to determine which is the best paper towel for strength and absorbency.

• First, I will show them one or two paper towel commercials that claim their brand is the best for absorbing a mess over the other.
• From there, they design a test to test the claim.  I usually provide four to five different towels, including the brown school paper towel and a generic store brand towel.
• The students perform their experiments and collect data.

Scientific Method Experiment 3: Grow that gummy

I find that students love doing labs that involve food.  They especially like eating the leftover candies that weren’t used when the experiment is over. For this scientific method experiment , students use gummy candy and different liquids to determine which one will make the gummy candy grow the largest.  

• Start off by having the students make a hypothesis as to which type of liquid will make the gummy candy grow the largest. For liquids, you could use water, salt water, vinegar, milk, soda, juice, and vegetable oil.
• Then have students design an experiment that will test their hypothesis.  Have them share ideas for how they will measure the gummy and what factors will need to be controlled.
• Students will conduct the experiment and record their observations.
• They will then analyze the results and draw conclusions as to which liquid made the gummy candy grow the largest.
• Students will then share their results and compare their results and tests with other groups.  This step is important because if they created a controlled experiment, they should draw the same conclusions even though the actual data numbers might be different or the way they designed the test might be different.

Scientific Method Experiment 4: Candy Letter Lab

My students are always fascinated by this lab. Students act like magicians as they have the letters on the candy levitate to the top of the liquid without touching the candy.  

• Start by using hard candy that has a letter or word stamped on it.  If find that Skittles and m&m’s work best for this. You might want to have some groups test Skittles while others test m&m’s to see if they get different results.
• Have students create a hypothesis for which liquid they think will be the best at removing the letter from the candy.
• Next, students will design an experiment that will test their hypothesis.  
• They will then analyze the results and draw conclusions as to which liquid was the fastest at removing the letter from the candy.
• Students will then share their results and compare their results and tests with other groups.  

Scientific Method Experiment 5: Where did the stripes go?

This is a great lab to do during the winter holidays when candy canes are in more abundance.  In this lab, the students design scientific method experiments to see which liquid will remove the stripes from the candy cane the fastest.  

• Start by using a regular candy cane or red and white peppermint candy.  I find the mini candy canes work the best and are not that expensive when you buy them in bulk.
• Have students create a hypothesis for which liquid they think will be the best at removing the red stripes from the candy cane. 
• They will then analyze the results and draw conclusions as to which liquid was the fastest at removing the stripes from the candy cane.

Scientific Method Experiment 6: Growing plants

One scientific method experiment that is good to do at the beginning of a long unit is growing plants from seeds.  This takes a while to see results, so it’s one that you will want to start and then check on periodically over a few weeks. 

The best seeds to use for this would be green beans, spinach, lettuce, or radish.  They have short germination periods.  To start, students can discuss what plants need to grow and thrive.  They can come up with a variety of different questions about how different factors might affect plant growth.

• Have students choose one question they want to test.
• Then, students create a hypothesis for their question. 
• They will then analyze the results and draw conclusions to determine if their hypothesis was supported or not supported.

Scientific Method Experiment 7: Pendulum swing

This lab is great for students to determine not only the hypothesis but also the question. You might want to start off with a demonstration of a single pendulum.  You can then start an “I Wonder” session.  I wonder how adding more weight affects the number of swings? I wonder how adding more weight affects the time it takes a pendulum to swing back and forth 10 times. Have students come up with their own I Wonder questions.  Once you have a good list, they can then choose one of them that they would like to test and investigate.

• Have students create a hypothesis for their question. 
• Students will conduct the pendulum experiment and record their observations.

Scientific Method Experiment 8: Crystal Growing

This is another lab I like to do before winter break.  Students can not only practice the steps of the scientific method, but they can also create ornaments or sun catchers that they can then take home.  In this scientific method experiment , students will be given different questions about crystals and decide which question they would like to test.

• Does the type of solution affect the amount of crystal growth?
• Does the type of solution affect the size of the crystals?
• Does the level of saturation affect the amount of crystal growth?
• Does the level of saturation affect the size of the crystals?
• Does the temperature of the solution affect the amount of crystal growth?
• Does the temperature of the solution affect the size of the crystals?

Why Teach the Scientific Method

Having students practice using the steps of the scientific method helps them to develop the soft skills that they will need outside of school and when they enter adulthood.

• Critical thinking skills- Being able to analyze data, draw conclusions, and make evidence-based decisions.
• Problem-solving abilities- approaching challenges using a systematic approach by identifying the problem, forming a hypothesis, and finding solutions.
• Communication skills- communicating effectively their findings and using evidence to support their conclusions.

Practicing the steps of the scientific method provides middle school students with a host of valuable benefits that extend beyond the classroom. Engaging in scientific method experiments such as testing paper towel strength and absorbency, growing crystals, and investigating candy properties helps students develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication.

These skills are vital for their future endeavors, enabling them to make evidence-based decisions, tackle real-life challenges, and express their findings clearly. Embracing the scientific method empowers students to explore the world around them and equips them with essential skills for success in adulthood.

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Scientific Method For Kids With Examples

Kids have questions about the world around them every day, and there is so much to learn through experimentation with simple materials. You can begin using the scientific method with elementary kids. Below we’ll share with you how and when to introduce the scientific method, the steps of the scientific method, and some easy scientific method experiments. There are so many great ways to enjoy science projects with kids!

What Is The Scientific Method?

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 put to the test 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.

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.

Can Young Kids Use the Scientific Method?

Kids are great scientists at any age, and can use the scientific method in context to what they are learning. It can be adapted for any age!

The scientific method is a valuable tool for introducing kids to a logical way to solve scientific problems. Scientists use the scientific method to study, learn, and come up with an answer!

The scientific method is a process that helps double-check that answers are correct and the correct results are obtained through careful planning. Sometimes the guesses and questions change as you run your experiments.

Kids can use the scientific method too on questions that are relevant to them!

Let’s break the scientific method for kids down into six parts, and you can quickly see how each can be incorporated into your next science experiment.

What Are The Steps In The Scientific Method?

• Make initial observations.
• Come up with a question of interest that is based on the observations.
• Develop a hypothesis or prediction to go along with the question.
• Experiment and test.
• Gather and record results of tests and experiments and draw conclusions.
• Share and discuss results.

Whoa… Wait A  Minute! That sounds like a lot for a young kid!

You are correct. Depending on your kid’s abilities, following all the scientific method steps precisely will not go well. Someone will get frustrated, bored, and turned off by just how cool science can be. We do not want that to happen!

Using The Scientific Method For Preschool and Kindergarten

Use the scientific method steps as a guideline in the back of your mind. You can cover most of the steps by talking with your kids about…

• What do they think will happen?
• What is happening ?
• What happened compared to what they thought would happen ?

No writing is required! It’s also best to pick pretty straightforward ideas that aren’t overly involved or complicated to set up and test. Kids always have burning questions and “what ifs.”

See if you can tackle their next “what if” using the scientific method by listening carefully to their conversations. You can even have them keep a journal with their “what if” questions for your next science time.

Learn more about Science Activities For Preschoolers and Kindergarten Science Experiments .

Now on to how to apply the scientific method for elementary kiddos and beyond.

Scientific Method Steps In Action

Learn more about the steps of the scientific method below, which are great for science at home with your kids or in the classroom! We have also included some simple scientific method experiments for you to enjoy.

Ice Science Experiments are perfect for this! Try these 3 today !

STEP 1: Make Observations

Tons of everyday activities would make for cool science experiments using the scientific method. Listen to what your kids talk about and see happening. My son noticed that ice melted pretty fast in his water.

Observation is simply noticing what’s happening through our senses or with tools like a magnifying glass. Observation is used to collect and record data, enabling scientists to construct and test hypotheses and theories.

Learn more about observations in science.

STEP 2: Come Up With A Question 

Your kids’ observations should lead to some sort of question. For my son and his ice observations, he came up with questions. Does ice melt faster in different liquids? His curiosity about what happens to the ice in liquids is a simple science experiment perfect for using the scientific method.

Next! Do some research and come up with ideas!

STEP 3: Develop A Prediction or Hypothesis

You have made your observations, you have your question, and now you need to make a prediction about what you think will happen.

A prediction is a guess at what might happen in an experiment based on observation or other information.

A hypothesis is not simply a guess! It’s a statement of what you believe will happen based on the information you have gathered.

My son hypothesizes that ice will melt faster in juice than in water.

STEP 4: Conduct An Experiment

We made a prediction that ice will melt faster in juice than it will in water, and now we have to test our hypothesis. We set up an experiment with a glass of juice, a glass of water, and an ice cube for each.

For the best experiments, only one thing should change! All the things that can be changed in a science experiment are called variables. There are three types of variables; independent, dependent, and controlled.

The independent variable is the one that is changed in the experiment and will affect the dependent variable. Here we will use different types of liquids to melt our ice cube in.

The dependent variable is the factor that is observed or measured in the experiment. This will be the melting of the ice cubes. Set up a stopwatch or set a time limit to observe the changes!

The controlled variable stays constant in the experiment. The liquids should be roughly the same temperature (as close as possible) for our ice melting experiment and measured to the same amount. So we left them out to come to room temperature. They could also be tested right out of the fridge!

You can find simple science experiments here with dependent and controlled variables.

STEP 5: Record Results and Draw Conclusions

Make sure to record what is happening as well as the results—note changes at specific time intervals or after one set time interval.

For example…

• Record when each ice cube is completely melted.
• Add drawings if you wish of the setup up and the end results.
• Was your prediction accurate? If it was inaccurate, record why.
• Write out a final conclusion to your experiment.

STEP 6: Communicate Your Results

This is the opportunity to talk about your hypothesis, experiment, results, and conclusion!

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS: Switch out an ice cube for a lollipop or change the liquids using vinegar and cooking oil.

Now you have gone through the steps of the scientific method, read on for more fun scientific method experiments to try!

Free printable scientific method worksheets!

Fun Scientific Method Experiments

Sink or float experiment.

A Sink or Float experiment is great for practicing the steps of the scientific method with younger kids.

Grab this FREE printable sink or float experiment

Here are a few of our favorite scientific method experiments, which are great for elementary-age kids . Of course, you can find tons more awesome and doable science projects for kids here!

Magic Milk Experiment

Start with demonstrating this delightful magic milk experiment. Then get kids to apply the steps of the scientific method by coming up with a question to investigate. What happens when you change the type of milk used?

What Dissolves In Water

Investigate  what solids dissolve in water  and what do not. Here’s a super fun science experiment for kids that’s very easy to set up! Learn about solutions, solutes, and solvents through experimenting with water and common kitchen ingredients.

Apple Browning Experiment

Investigate how to keep apples from turning brown with this apple oxidation experiment . What can you add to cut apples to stop or slow the oxidation process?

Freezing Water Experiment

Will it freeze? What happens to the freezing point of water when you add salt?

Viscosity Experiment

Learn about the viscosity of fluids with a simple  viscosity experiment . Grab some marbles and add them to different household liquids to find out which one will fall to the bottom first. 

Seed Germination Experiment

Set up a simple seed germination experiment .

Catapult Experiment

Make a simple popsicle stick catapult and use one of our experiment ideas to investigate from rubber band tension to changes in launch angle and more. How far can you fling your objects? Take measurements and find out.

Floating Orange

Investigate whether an orange floats or sinks in water, and what happens if you use different types of oranges. Learn about buoyancy and density with a simple ingredient from the kitchen, an orange.

Bread Mold Experiment

Grow mold on bread for science, and investigate how factors such as moisture, temperature, and air affect mold growth. 

Eggshell Strength Experiment

Test how strong an egg is with this eggshell strength experiment . Grab some eggs, and find out how much weight an egg can support.

Free Printable Science Fair Starter Guide

Are you looking to plan a science fair project, make a science fair board, or want an easy guide to set up science experiments?

Learn more about prepping for a science fair and grab this free printable science fair project pack here!

If you want a variety of science fair experiments with instructions, make sure to pick up a copy of our Science Project Pack in the shop.

Bonus STEM Projects For Kids

STEM activities include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As well as our kids science experiments, we have lots of fun STEM activities for you to try. Check out these STEM ideas below…

• Building Activities
• Engineering Projects For Kids
• What Is Engineering For Kids?
• LEGO Engineering Projects
• Coding Activities For Kids
• STEM Worksheets
• Top 10 STEM Challenges For Kids

Printable Science Projects Pack

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

19 Comments

A great post and sure to help extend children’s thinking! I would like to download the 6 steps but the blue download button doesn’t seem to be working for me.

Thank you! All fixed. You should be able to download now!

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it is so great, thanks a lot.

This helped for a science project.Thanks so much.

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Science Experiments

35 Easy Science Experiments You Can Do Today!

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

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

Musical Jars Science Experiment 

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Musical Jars Science Experiment

Viscosity of Liquids Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->   Viscosity Science Experiment

Floating Egg Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->   Floating Egg Science Experiment

Paper Towel Dry Under Water Experiment

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

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

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

Mixing Oil & Water Science Experiment

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

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

Will it Float or Sink Science Experiment

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

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

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

Water Temperature Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Water Temperature Science Experiment

Balloon Blow-up Science Experiment

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

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

Floating Ping Pong Ball Science Experiment

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

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

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

Hair Stand on End Science Experiment

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

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

Oil Bubbles in Water Science Experiment

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

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

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

Color Changing Water Science Experiment

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

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

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

Magnetic Paper Clip Chain Science Experiment

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

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

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

Is it Magnetic Science Experiment

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

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

Cloud in a Jar Experiment

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

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

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

Magic Milk Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Magic Milk Science Experiment

Walking Water Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Walking Water Science Experiment

Light Refraction Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Light Refraction Science Experiment

Dancing Raisins Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Dancing Raisins Science Experiment

See Sound Experiment

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> See Sound Science Experiment

Elephant Toothpaste Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Elephant Toothpaste Science Experiment

Upside Down Glass of Water Science Experiment

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

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

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

Pick up Ball with a Jar Science Experiment

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

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

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

Will It Melt Science Experiment

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

Pepper Move Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial ->  Pepper Move Science Experiment

Crush a Plastic Bottle Science Experiment

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

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

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

Egg in Vinegar Science Experiment

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

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

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

Straw Through a Potato Science Experiment

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

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

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

Rainbow in a Jar Science Experiment

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

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

Tornado in a Bottle Science Experiment

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

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

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

Why Doesn’t the Water Leak Science Experiment

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

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

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

Use a Bottle to Blow-up a Balloon Experiment

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

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

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

Orange Float Science Experiment

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

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

Detailed Instructions & Video Tutorial -> Orange Float Science Experiment

Pick up Ice with String Science Experiment

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

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

Color Changing Walking Water Experiment

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

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

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

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Exploring the Scientific Method

Students in science classes often start off the first chapter with that familiar step-by-step flow chart showing how scientists develop a hypothesis, test a hypothesis, gather data, and then draw conclusions. These chapters often include an experiment where students follow directions and answer a question.

Unfortunately, these experiments often don't do justice to the creative process of designing a method to test a hypothesis, because the method is provided for them. The development of an authentic way to test a hypothesis requires students use logic and communication, as well as flexibility with changing a design that doesn't seem to work. Inquiry labs, or open-ended labs, allow students to explore science, answer a question, or test a hypothesis without the traditional recipe tied to traditional labs. Inquiry labs are a great way to start a chapter on the scientific method, or start any science class.

Teachers are sometimes nervous to conduct inquiry labs due to equipment availability or safety concerns. However, inquiry labs can be cheap and fun for the students. The following list gives some ideas for beginning inquiry with a list of equipment you could use, but like the labs themselves, no other instructions are given. Students must figure out how to answer the question using logic and data gathering. Each lab starts with a simple question....

1. Oreo Cookie Challenge

Do Double-Stuff Oreos actually have double the stuffing or regular Oreos ?

Equipment: Scale, Beaker, Rulers, *Oreos and Double Stuff Oreos

*you may need to set some guidelines about eating the experiment items

2. Are Bounty paper towels more absorbant than generic paper towels?

Equipment: Beaker, Graduated Cylinder, Scale, Rules, Water, Two types of towels

Dissecting trays or pans might help for catching water.

3. How does surface area of a candy affect how quickly it dissolves in water?

Equipment: smarties or sweet tarts (or any sugary dissolvable candy that can be cut into smaller portions), water, ruler, scale, *scalpel or blade, timer

*requires safety discussion beforehand

4. Many gum brands claim that they have the longest lasting flavor. Design and conduct an experiment to determine what type of gum has the longest lasting flavor.

clock, a variety of different types of gum

5. Which type of polish remover works best, acetone or acetone free?

fingernail polish, polish remover (2 types), dishes, lids, or other surfaces to paint on, variety is good so that students must consider the surface when conducting the experiment.

Remember that the answer to the question is not as important as the process, and in fact, some might not have an exact correct answer. Students should document their process, instructors should write guidelines on the board and have students turn in their lab report with data gathered and an answer to the question. It is important to circulate around the room and offer suggestions and criticisms for the student designed experiments.

Sample Guidelines On a single paper for your group write: 1) Experiment Question 2) Your hypothesis (include reasoning) 3) Your experimental design * 4) Data collected 5) Your Conclusions

*You may want to withhold experimental equipment until after students have presented a valid design, this forces students to really think about how they will test rather than just grabbing stuff and jumping right in.

Now that students have a feel for consumer testing, ask them to evaluate claims they see on commercials, possibly design and conduct an experiment to test those claims.

Related Resources

Variables with Simpsons  – read stories involving characters from the Simpsons and determine the independent and dependent variables

Independent Variables  – read a short sentence of science experiment and determine the variables

Investigation – Heat Storage and Loss  – Use a jar and different types of insulation to explore how heat is lost and which materials are better insulators ( Key, TpT )

Plop Plop Fiz Fiz  – measure the rate of dissolving in alka-seltzer tablets in both hot and cold water (a basic experiment for introducing the scientific method)

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Hands On As We Grow®

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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Teaching the Scientific Method with 7 Easy Science Experiments

I’m sure you have seen long, drawn-out lesson plans for teaching the scientific method in the elementary grades.

It doesn’t really have to be that difficult to teach kids how to work through the steps.

What if I told you there was an easy way to introduce the scientific method to your students and help reinforce science-related skills?

Well, there is! Maybe I should say I have seven easy ways to teach and reinforce the scientific method to students.

I actually came up with 7 Easy Science Experiments that do just that. (TIP: Use the code THANKYOU for 10% off today!)

They are easy, fun, and engaging.

Easy Experiments for Teaching the Scientific Method

I know you are wondering what these experiments entail. And you probably want to know just how easy they really are. Trust me. I like easy. They are easy.

The 7 easy science experiments include:

·        Rainbow Milk Experiment

·        Tornado in a Bottle Experiment

·        Fingerprint Science Experiment (Read more about this one HERE )

·        Marshmallow Toothpick Tower Experiment

·        Coffee Filter Pigment Experiment

·        Flubber Slime Experiment

·        Clean and Dirty Penny Experiment

  So, what’s in each book?

Each experiment can be used as a stand-alone project and includes:

·        Directions for each experiment

·        Full digital version

·        Student flipbooks (fill in the blank, observation notes, experiment notes)

What is the digital version?

The digital version is the exact same lesson including the student worksheets, but it’s all done online.

Students get the same workbook pages on Google slides and can fill out the whole thing online and then click “present” to share their saved information with a teacher or parent.

This digital version can be incorporated into a virtual learning environment in a lot of ways.

You can make your own videos and upload them.

Maybe you don’t want to make a video. There are tons of them on YouTube that can be used when teaching the scientific method.

It’s versatile and super easy to adapt to your teaching style and teaching environment.

It can all be easily added to Google Drive, so you have the option of creating a full virtual experience for students.

Ways to Incorporate the 7 Easy Experiments Lessons into the Classroom

There are a lot of ways to use these lessons for teaching the scientific method.

Use it for an end-of-week, fun day activity on Fridays.

It makes a great reward lesson once students have accomplished a class goal.

It can be used for extension or enrichment activities.

What Other Teachers are Saying:

Conclusion:

This bundle seriously has everything you need to teach and reinforce the scientific method. It has booklets, worksheets, directions, tab books, and a full digital version of the activities too.

Do you have any tried-and-true tricks for teaching the scientific method? Share your ideas with us!

P.S. Two ways to grab a copy of the 7 Easy Science Experiments

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Interactive Science: Labs to Master the Scientific Method

As imperfect as it may be, the Scientific Method remains humanity’s greatest tool. Some may even see it as the lever to move the world . But a tool for doing what? As Greg Epstein points out , it is the “most reliable tool for determining the nature of the world around us.” In this blog entry, we’ll take a look at some ideas for introducing the scientific method to students. What’s more, I’ll offer some suggestions for engaging young scientists.

The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge. It has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century. It involves careful observation, observing then applying rigorous skepticism to those observations. That’s important since one’s cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. ( source )

The process varies in its details from one discipline to another. But generally, the scientific method is often represented in a simple diagram:

Source: Brightyellowjeans – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 | See Others

Although the steps appear simple, more work must take place than just completing a science lab. Students must engage in discussion and reflection. As I reviewed some of the fun labs in this blog entry, I realized that I had had little exposure to the problem-solving aspect in my school days. To make sure that’s not happening with your students, be sure to follow the steps included in the diagram below.

View online and make a copy – Created by author, adapted from John Almarode’s description in his book

Introducing the Scientific Method

Engaging in scientific reasoning and critical thinking is hard work. How do you introduce it to students in a way that engages them? In the blog entry, How to Design Research-Based Science Lessons , I describe the first step which includes three goals:

• Get students engaged in learning science
• Give students ownership of their learning
• Assess and scaffold student progress from where they are to where they need to be

This means that students must internalize the scientific method and engage in metacognition. They must ask themselves, “What does the evidence say? What do I think about that evidence? What does it imply for next steps?”

Clarifying Vocabulary

Before I share some examples, let’s take a look at some key vocabulary terms to know:

• Observation . What you see occur or happen
• Hypothesis. A suggested explanation for the observation
• Control group . A set of controlled variables that are unchanged. You only adjust the one variable for experimentation. The variable that is adjusted is known as the Independent Variable (IV).
• Independent Variable (IV) . This is the variable that is changed to see how it affects something else.
• Dependent Variable (DV). The variable that is being measured/observed. It is assumed that the DV is affected by the IV. The DV’s value depends on the IV ( source ).

Below are some tried and true demonstrations that students can observe, write about, and discuss:

Demo #1: Water Temperature and Effect

Does water temperature affect how fast an Efferdent tablet dissolves? Give this activity a try for middle school students.

Tips for Implementation

Here are some suggestions from Carlos Gomez. I’ve also included some website links I thought might be helpful:

• Get the tablets at a Dollar store .
• Get a bag of ice in a cooler for the cold water. You can warm up water in an electric kettle. I pour it for the kids into their beakers so they don’t have to use tongs. Use room temperature water from the sink as your control.
• Students time from the start (drop tablet) until fully dissolved. Temperature doesn’t need to be recorded because we simply care that one is hot water and the other is cold.
• You can do a simple graph (bar or line) with independent variable (IV) being water temperature (hot, room, cold). Time can serve as the dependent variable (DV).
• You can also try this with Alka-Seltzer, but Efferdent tablets are less expensive. View lesson plan .
• Also use tablets to measure how much carbon dioxide gas is in an Efferdent tablet.

Image Source: Newton’s Third Law

Demo #2: Barbie Bungee

Use scientific method as students differentiate between speed, velocity, and acceleration. They will also compare and contrast Newton’s three laws. Try this activity with high school chemistry students.

• Follow the steps in this eighth grade science teacher guide.
• Explore Fawn Nguyen’s guide (also source for image shown right).

Demo #3: Slug Lab

Students write their own research questions about slug feeding behavior, then gather evidence. The goal is to learn how to design experiments that successfully gather the evidence needed. This activity works well for middle and high school students.

• Review Cornell Institute for Biology Teachers instructions for the Slug Lab.

Demo #4: Paper Tower Challenge

In this experiment, students work to discover the best way to assemble a paper tower. The independent variable is the tower design. The dependent variable is the height of the tower. Provide same materials (type and amount of paper, scissors). The materials will serve as the control.

• View lesson plan for standard challenge .) or explore an alternative.
• Use as much or little tape as you want.
• Rip/cut/fold paper.
• Cannot tape tower to floor or desk.
• Only 20 minutes to design and build.
• Cannot get extra paper, so make a plan before cutting or ripping the paper.
• Height is from base to top only counting paper (cannot make a tape spire).

There are many other cool lab ideas that can engage students. Use these to develop their scientific reasoning.

Be sure to explore Save Fred , Pringle Ring Challenge , Baking Soda Rockets , and Gummy Bear Osmosis. You may find the Bubble Gum Lab and Elephant Toothpaste of interest as well.

You can find many more labs for a variety of age ranges and grade levels online. Here are a few places where you can find those:

• Five Scientific Method Experiments along with Scientific Method activities
• Three Simple Scientific Method Experiments
• Water Drops on a Penny Lab Activity
• Teachers Pay Teachers has a collection focused on Scientific Method , one of several available.

In part two of this blog, Interactive Science: Virtual Labs , we will explore virtual labs that can help with the Scientific Method. Stay tuned!

• Feature image attribution. Whatiguana, CC BY-SA 4.0 < https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 >, via Wikimedia Commons
• Archimedes’ Lever. ZDF/Terra X/Gruppe 5/ Susanne Utzt, Cristina Trebbi/ Jens Boeck, Dieter Stürmer / Fabian Wienke / Sebastian Martinez/ xkopp, polloq, CC BY 4.0 < https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 >, via Wikimedia Commons
• Carlos Gomez’ suggestions for science lab. Available online on 09/09/2021 .
• Kerry BresMontgomery’s suggestions for science lab. Available online on 09/09/2021 .

Miguel Guhlin

Transforming teaching, learning and leadership through the strategic application of technology has been Miguel Guhlin’s motto. Learn more about his work online at blog.tcea.org , mguhlin.org , and mglead.org /mglead2.org. Catch him on Mastodon @[email protected] Areas of interest flow from his experiences as a district technology administrator, regional education specialist, and classroom educator in bilingual/ESL situations. Learn more about his credentials online at mguhlin.net.

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3 Science Experiments Using the Scientific Method

July 1, 2018

If you’ve ever conducted a scientific experiment with your child, you’ve probably noticed that most kid-friendly experiments rely heavily upon observation. For most of your child’s life, he or she has been asked to observe a reaction or result of an experiment to learn about the underlying scientific principal. 

What Exactly is Scientific Method? 

You’ve probably heard of the scientific method, and used it yourself when you were in school. The scientific method is used by scientists to ensure that the results of their experiments are reliable and valid. When kids use the scientific method, they learn more and think critically, asking questions and making predictions about their experiments. 

Scientists start with a question they want to answer, which serves as a goal and sets a purpose for the experiment. This is the most important part! Every experiment should start with a big question that guides the research being conducted. Next, participants form a hypothesis , or a prediction based on prior knowledge. After gathering materials needed for the experiment, the procedure is conducted and scientists make observations and record data and results. Finally, a conclusion is reached and published. 

Your child can emulate this process at home by simply modifying each experiment to include a big question, and a hypothesis that will drive their experiment and process. Let’s explore ideas for 3rd grade science experiments using the scientific method! Learn more how to incorporate science into your child's routine . 

  Experiment 1. Which Liquids Melt the Fastest? 

Simple scientific method experiments should be easy and fun and include everyday supplies you can find in your own home! This experiment will help your child understand how various household liquids melt at different rates.

For detailed instructions to complete this experiment, and for even more information on using the scientific method with your child, check out the full video guided by Kids Academy teacher!

Materials Needed: 

• Different liquids, like milk, water, iced tea, and orange juice
• Ice cube trays

Experiement 2. How Does Water Travel from Roots to Leaves? 

Has your child ever wondered why a plant’s leaves are supple and moist? When we water plants, how does the moisture travel from the roots to the leaves? This experiment teaches kids about the xylem tubes that transport water through plants through the process of capillary action! 

• 3 clear, glass jars
• 3 different colors of food coloring
• 3 celery stalks

Step 1: Help your child form a big question before getting started. 

Step 2: Encourage your child to make predictions based on their prior knowledge. For instance, plants are alive, just like people, and may have cells or structures that transport the water from roots to tip.

Step 3: Gather the above materials.

Step 4: Cut the bottom off the celery stalks, about one inch from the base.

Step 5: Fill each jar about half way with water. Add a few drops of food coloring to each, ensuring that each jar is a different color. 

Step 6: Place a stalk of celery in each jar and let them sit for about 20 minutes to an hour. 

Step 7: Observe the results! Rip apart the stalks to see how the coloring travels through each stalk. Notice how the color reaches the leaves at the very tip of the stalk! 

Step 8: Record results and help your child draw a conclusion. 

Explain to your child that xylem tubes are structures in plants that carry water from the roots up through the tip of the plant. This process is called capillary action, and it works a lot like a straw sucking the water up through the plant! 

Play & Learn Science

  Experiment 3. Does it Dissolve? 

Do all substances dissolve in water? Kids explore the varying levels of solubility of common household substances in this fun-filled experiment! 

• 4 clear, glass jars filled with plain tap water
• Talcum or baby powder
• Granulated sugar

Step 1: Help your child form a big question before starting the experiment. 

Step 2: Make a hypothesis for each substance. Perhaps the salt will dissolve because your child has watched you dissolve salt or sugar in water when cooking. Maybe the baby powder will not dissolve because of its powdery texture. Help your child write down his or her predictions. 

Step 3: Scoop a teaspoon of each substance in the jars, only adding one substance per jar. Stir it up! 

Step 4: Observe whether or not each substance dissolves and record the findings! 

Your child will likely note that that sugar and salt dissolve, while the flour will partially dissolve, and the baby powder will remain intact. The grainy crystals of the sugar and salt are easily dissolved in water, but the dry, powdery substances are likely to clump up or remain at the bottom of the jar.  

As you can see, the scientific method is easy to work into your child’s scientific experiments. Not only does it increase your child’s scientific learning and critical thinking skills, but it sparks curiosity and motivates kids as they learn to ask questions and prove their ideas! Get started today with the above ideas, and bring the scientific method home to your child during your next exciting science experiment! 

  Play & Learn Science

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49 Science Experiments for Kids to Try at Home

Looking for science experiments for kids? Thanks to common household ingredients, some ingenuity, and our guide, these at-home science experiments for kids make any day exciting. To help you prepare, we’ve rated each experiment from one to five sponges so you know the messiness factor ahead of time. If you’re looking for seasonal projects, check out these water-themed science experiments . Or how about a few science projects for kids that are perfect for the backyard ?

TIP: Did you know there are a ton of awesome science kits and subscription boxes that will further develop your child’s love of science? KiwiCrate is one of our favorite ed-tech companies, as they offer seriously fun & enriching science & art projects, for kids 0 months up to 13+.

Classic Science Experiments for Kids

Potato battery science experiment.

A lesson in: Chemical to electrical energy

When these nails and copper wires collide, heat is generated (psst ... heat is a result of expended energy, so you can explain to your little runner why he feels warmer after a race around the house). But with some potato magic, the properties of the nail and copper stay separated, allowing the heat to become the electric energy needed to power up your devices. Build your own potato battery with this tutorial from Wiki How .

Messiness factor: One sponge

Make a Baking Soda & Vinegar "Steam" Powered Boat

A lesson in: Chemical reactions

Sure, anyone can do the old baking soda and vinegar volcano, but what about creating a boat that is propelled by this classic chemical reaction ? Keep your little Einsteins busy this afternoon with this cool science project for kids that doesn't require a lot of prep. 

Messiness factor: Three sponges

Make Water Float

A lesson in: Air pressure

Can you make water float? We bet you can. No, you don’t need to be a wizard or a witch. You don’t need to cast a spell. There’s nothing magic about it at all, in fact. You can make water float using science. The “trick” to this experiment is air pressure. Get everything you need and the how-to, right here , thanks to Mike Adamick and his book, Dad's Book of Awesome Science Experiments .

Messiness factor: Two sponges

Photo by Mike Adamick. Copyright © 2014 F+W Media, Inc. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Germ Testing Science Project for Kids

A lesson in: Germs

This germ-growing science project for kids will help them understand how even the cleanest-looking surfaces (and hands) can be filled with germs, is one of the easiest science experiments for kids we've found. Get the fun and yucky instructions at Kids Activity Blog .

Make an Edible Water Bottle

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zar🐴 🦜Travel Fun (@chasing_ice88)

A lesson in: Chemistry and specifically, spherification.

This futuristic science experiment will leave your kids wanting to know more about chemistry. Quench her thirst for knowledge when you create an edible membrane around teaspoons of water to make these handy water “bottles.” The tutorial is in video form over at Inhabitat.  Trust us, it’s as cool as it looks!

Messiness factor: One sponge.

Make Crystal Egg Geodes

View this post on Instagram A post shared by STEM Girls | Fun Learning STEM (@brownstemgirls)

A lesson in: Molecular bonding and chemistry.

This grow-your-own experiment lets you grow crystals inside an eggshell. Be sure to get alum powder that contains potassium, or else you won’t get any crystal growth. Adding drops of food dye to the growing solution yields some super cool crystals. A perfectly formed geode takes about 12-15 hours to grow, making this a great weekend project. Get the tutorial for this science experiment for kids at Art and Soul.

Messiness factor: Four sponges.

Check the Iron in Breakfast Cereal

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kimberly Scott (@kimberlyscottscience)

A lesson in: Magnetism.

You’ve probably seen the label that says “fortified with iron” on your cereal box, but how much iron is actually in your cereal? Is there enough to cause a magnetic reaction? This super easy experiment doesn’t require too many fancy ingredients (cereal + magnet) which means you and the kiddos can try it right away. The results may surprise you! Get the how-to at Rookie Parenting and get started!

Messiness Factor: Two sponges.

Learn About Shooting Stars

A lesson in: Astronomy

With this fun video from They Might Be Giants , kids can learn that shooting stars are not stars, they're meteorites. Then, take it out back for a fun backyard stargazing session. We love this science experiment you can do at home! 

Messiness Factor: One sponge

Related:  14 Backyard Science Experiments for Kids

Marshmallow Tower

A lesson in: Engineering

Using only marshmallows and dry spaghetti noodles, kids can experiment with structure, stability, and weight distribution. Get the instructions from Kesler Science by clicking here.  

Messiness factor : 1 sponge

Paper Airplane Science

A lesson in: Aerodynamics

By making various paper airplanes , your scientists can test the drag of each plane, which will have an effect on how far they fly. Get more info on this science project for kids here .

Messiness factor: 1 sponge

Walk on Eggs

A lesson in: Weight distribution

How can you walk on eggs without breaking them? Steve Spengler shows us how and teaches an awesome lesson on how an egg’s unique shape gives it tremendous strength, despite its seeming fragility. Check out this easy science experiment for kids to get started.

Messiness factor: 1-3 sponges, depending on the state of the eggs in the end!

A Lesson in: Molecules

Fill a shallow dish with milk, drop food coloring, and make sure the drops don't touch. Then, dip a cotton swab in dish soap and place it in the middle of the dish. The colors will begin to swirl and seem as though they are moving on their own! Explain to your kids that the soap reduces surface tension and makes the fat molecules in the milk move. Click here for more science experiments that use food coloring.

Messiness Factor: 2 sponges

Professor Egghead's Lesson about Light

A Lesson in : Light

Learn all about the sun and what it gives humans (think energy and warmth!) You'll also do an experiment to learn about different kinds of light, even ultraviolet rays. Get the video from Professor Egghead here.  

Messiness factor: 1 sponge 

Cup Amplifier

A lesson in: Sound

Slide a mobile phone into this low-tech amplifier and the result will be music to your ears. The audio is deeper, richer, and louder, thanks to the science of sound waves and the natural amplification created by the cone-shaped cups. If the two cups look a bit like the attentive ears of a cat or fox, that’s no coincidence. Animal ears use the same science, but in reverse: they help creatures hear by gathering sound waves and directing them into the ear. For engineers, that’s a design worth copying.

Customize your amplifier to fit any size phone!

Tabs cut all around the hold make it easy to glue the cardboard tube in place.

Cut a slot with a flap to support your phone.

What’s Going On The Cup Amplifier focuses and projects sound waves, in the same way that a cheerleader’s megaphone (or even just your cupped hands) amplifies your voice. Once sound waves are created, they want to spread out in all directions. The amplifier directs them from your phone’s speakers into the cardboard cups, where, instead of scattering, they are gathered and channeled in one direction—out the openings.

Excerpted from  Cardboard Box Engineering  © 2020 by Jonathan Adolph. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.

Skittles Science

A Lesson in: Stratification

A great way to get rid of extra candy, this easy science experiment for kids uses Skittles and whatever liquids you want to use. The idea is, the candy is made of ingredients that dissolve, so kids get a chance to guess which liquid will make the Skittles dissolve the fastest. Get more info over at Little Bins for Little Hands . 

Find Out How Many Water Drops Fit on a Coin

A Lesson in: Chemistry

An easy science experiment to do at home is one that helps kids find out what affects the surface tension of water! You'll need basic materials like a penny and a water dropper, and be sure to make a hypothesis before you start. You might be surprised! Get the tutorial from Rookie Parenting . 

Pulley Experiment

A Lesson in: Physics

This simple experiment requires a trip to the hardware store, but putting it all together is a cinch. Once you've completed the system, have your kids pick up different-sized rocks and make a note about how difficult it is. Then, try with the pulley. Is it easier or is it harder? To find out how to make your pulley, and for other questions to ask your kids, head over to Little Bins for Little Hands . 

Make a Volcano Explode

A Lesson in: Chemical reactions

There's a reason why this science experiment is so popular. When the solid baking soda (sodium bicarbonate—a base) mixes with the liquid vinegar (acetic acid—a weak acid), it creates a gas—carbon dioxide! Besides the chemical reaction, kids enjoy making the actual volcano, whether it's out of clay, mud, or foam sheets. Get a great step-by-step tutorial from The Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments by clicking here . 

Messiness Factor: Four sponges

Bake Hygroscopic Cookies

A Lesson in: Hygroscopy. 

This simple science experiment is best when you check in on it the next morning. Bake up a batch of cookies, then place them in an airtight container with a piece of fresh bread. Watch as the cookies stay straight-from-the-oven soft thanks to the moisture of the bread (The sugar in the cookies is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs water molecules out of the bread). The best part? Getting to eat the cookies!

The Juice-Tasting Challenge

A lesson in : Taste buds and olfactory senses.

Tummy’s rumbling–it’s time to eat! Did you know that you “eat” with your nose and eyes as well as your mouth? It’s true. Put your family’s sense of smell and sight to the test with this juice-guessing game.

You’ll Need: Masking tape 4 glasses Pen and paper 4 flavors of juice 4 food colorings

How to: 1. Stack a piece of tape on the bottom of each glass and number them one to four, making sure your partner can’t see the numbers. Pour one type of juice into each glass.

2. Send your partner out of the room. Drip a different food coloring into each juice and stir so your partner can’t recognize the juice by its color alone. Record the number, juice type, and color in each glass on a piece of paper.

3. Call your partner back. Tell her to hold her nose, sip from each glass, and guess the juice If she’s like most people, she’ll be kind of confused–her eyes and tongue give her two conflicting flavor messages.

4. Ask her to unplug her nose, close her eyes, and sniff the juice before drinking it. Her guesses should be on target now. All hail the mighty schnoz!

Reprinted from  Exploralab: 150+ Ways to Investigate the Amazing Science All Around You . 

Messiness factor: One sponge. 

Experiment with Tie Dye

A lesson in: Chemistry.

Dyes are fiber reactive, so there's a chemical reaction between the dye and the fabric. You can do this experiment with everything from paper to t-shirts. We've got a great list of tie-dye projects here . 

Messiness Factor : Five sponges.

Make a Sundial

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jennifer Carter (@_thebestkindofchaos_)

Unravel the mysteries of time. Or at least figure out the basics by setting up a sundial outside . Take time each hour to check the sun’s positioning and make note of it so your sidekick can see the bigger picture.

Messiness Factor : One sponge

Dry Ice Bubbles

A lesson in: Gas.

Dry ice is already cool enough on its own, but it takes science to turn them into bubbles. When you add water, it changes the temperature of the dry ice, causing the ice to go from solid to gas. That’s where the fog and bubbles come from! Head to Simply Modern Mom to get the full tutorial. But be careful: Dry ice can cause serious skin burns, so make sure your kids are well-supervised and know not to touch the ice.

Messiness factor: Three sponges.

Invisible Licorice

A lesson in : Light and perspective.

Did the candy melt or disappear? Your sweetums might think it’s magic, but it’s really all about how oil redirects light, causing half the candy to disappear! Click here for the instructions on how to recreate this mind-warping experiment.

Egg in a Bottle

Your whistler has the basics of air pressure down just by using their mouth to blow. And now you can amaze them with this science experiment for kids. There is a little fire play involved (dropping a lit paper into the bottle), but that’s what causes the unbalanced air pressure, which pushes the egg into the bottle. Want to test it out? Head over to Steve Spangler Science for the tutorial.

Invisible Ink

A lesson in: Oxidation.

If your snacker has noticed how their apples have turned brown after being left out for too long, then they’ve seen oxidization in action (loss of electrons and nutrients when in contact with oxygen). Fortunately, lemon juice only oxidizes when in contact with heat. This method works with baking soda and milk too. Click here to find out how to write secret messages with your little spy.

Kid-Safe Lava Lamps

A lesson in: Density and intermolecular polarity.

These sound like big words for our little ones, but there’s an easier way to break it down. Water and oil won’t mix because they’re not the same “weight” or substance (just like clay and LEGOs won’t become one). Now add a drop of food coloring (which is heavier than oil) and a fizzy tablet and watch the air bubbles take coloring with them to the top. Head on over to S. L. Smith’s blog to see how it’s done .

Messiness factor: Two sponges.

A Lesson in: Crystallization.

Be careful: The water only has the power to make the sugar crystals “invisible” when it’s piping hot. After the water cools down and evaporates, the sugar turns back into a solid. And with a little help of your sugar-soaked string, the crystals will find a home to grow upon and become rock candy. Learn how to make your smart sweets with these instructions from the Exploratorium .  

S'more Solar Oven

A lesson in: Solar power.

Harness the power of the sun to make your favorite campfire treat! With just a few common household items you can create an  eco-friendly oven  just for melting marshmallows and chocolate, plus you can teach kids about the power of the sun. Click  here  to learn how.

Homemade Slime

A lesson in: Polymers.

Is it a liquid or solid? The answer is both! This DIY slime—made from glue, borax, and water—is also known as a polymer (molecules that can stick close together to be a solid or spread apart and take liquid form). And it’s all thanks to borax, which acts as a binder to prevent the glue from going completely liquid. Check out Explorable’s recipe for mixing the ingredients . Prolong the life of your goo by keeping it in an airtight container in the fridge. And, if you need help with cleanup, check out our guide for how to get slime out of clothes, couches, and hair . 

Make Fizzy Lemonade

Plain old fresh-squeezed lemonade is so last year. Boost the fun quotient and learn a simple science concept simultaneously when you recreate this edible Fizzy Lemonade drink from  Learn With Play at Home . It’s super easy to mix and little sippers report it’s pretty tickly too. A great alternative to the baking soda-vinegar volcano, it shows kids what happens when an acid and base are mixed together. 

Whirlpool in a Bottle

A lesson in: physics, weather science. 

This easy little experiment doesn't take much: just two empty and clear 2-liter bottles, a metal washer, water and duct tape. Food coloring is optional. Fill one bottle with about two-thirds water. Place the washer on the bottle and line up the empty bottle on top of the water-filled one. Wrap the duct tape around the middle securing the two bottles together. Then, turn the bottles upside down. Does the water go straight down or do you see a mini whirlpool (Swirl the top or bottom a bit for a better effect.)? The spinning water is called a vortex, and all tornadoes, hurricanes and typhoons are examples of air vortexes. Since you’re using water, this is an example of a whirlpool. As the water spins faster, it pushes to the outside of the bottle creating a hole in the middle. The air from the bottom of the bottle comes up the middle and the water from the top flows back down through the hole.

Messiness factor : Two sponges.

Salt Crystal Feathers

A lesson in: Evaporation

You’ve probably tried a salt crystal growing kit at some point in your life (5th grade Science Fair perhaps?) but Schooling a Monkey takes the idea to a new level with these Salt Crystal Feathers. This awe-inspiring project is deceptively simple and inexpensive to achieve, and requires just a wee bit of patience to see the results—kids will love checking in on the progress. 

Soda Blasting Experiment

A lesson in: Chemistry, pressure, and release of pressure

This experiment is one you'll definitely want to do outside. Step it up with this Mentos + soda experiment: head to Steve Spangler  for all the need-to-know details on this engaging experiment. 

Messiness factor: Three (very epic) sponges

Melting Rates

A lesson in: Solar science and absorption

Different colors have different heat-absorbing capacities. Black has the greatest heat-absorbing capacity, which results in ice melting quicker than white, which reflects the most light. Learn how to observe and report on which colors affect ice’s melting rates here on Curiodyssey.  Get more sidewalk science ideas here .

Make Elephant Toothpaste

A lesson in:  Chemistry and the exothermic process <<<impress your kids! 

If you’ve ever wondered how elephants keep their tusks clean, we’ve got the answer. They use elephant toothpaste! Find out how to mix your own and figure out the science behind this dynamic exothermic (heat-releasing) reaction from Fun at Home With Kids . Our favorite part? That you get to throw in some sensory playtime after the action’s over.

Messiness factor:  Three sponges. Maybe four. 

Bending Water with a Comb

A lesson in: Electrical currents and static electricity

This  static electricity science experiment couldn't be any easier. In fact, other than a balloon or going down the slide, it might be the easiest way to teach kids about electrical currents. And, you can impress them with your wizarding skills once before you reveal the science behind it. Click here to get the step-by-step. 

Regrow Leftovers

A lesson in : Photosynthesis and plant science.

Insert a little plant science into the mix by re-growing food from scraps. Think onions, potatoes, and lettuce for this one ( psst… green onions are a super easy, fast option). Get the low down on all that recycled goodness at Mrs. Happy Homemaker . Since plants need water and sunlight to grow, exposing scrap roots to that winning combo helps them recharge.

Messiness factor:  Two sponges.

Turning Pennies Green

A lesson in: Chemical reactions.

It happens to the Statue of Liberty and it happens to the change in your pocket! Create your own home lab with just a few household ingredients (this experiment will literally cost you just pennies). It’s also a chemical reaction with very non-toxic ingredients, so it’s safe and fascinating even for young kids. Click over to Buggy and Buddy to get the simple how-to.

Film Canister Rocket

A lesson in: Rocket science.

Like the popular baking soda and vinegar experiments, this film canister rocket literally takes it to the next level by using that creation of gas and energy to jet off into the sky. If your explorer has seen videos of mountain tops getting blown off during a volcanic eruption, this science project is pretty much any space lover’s version. Get the building instructions over at The Science Kiddo .

Disappearing Egg Shell

Can you and the kiddos solve the mysterious case of the disappearing eggshell? Following the simple how-to at Go Science Kids , you’ll learn the step-by-step and talking points about the process along the way. Warning! Although it’s totally non-toxic, toddler-aged kids will be tempted to squeeze the egg at the end so make sure it’s a supervised experiment. Visit Go Science Kids to get cracking!

Fishing for Ice

A lesson in: Freezing/temperature.

Children living in snow-covered cities might witness their neighbors salting the driveway. Well, while that is definitely not for fun, this experiment is. Salt lowers the freezing point of ice so it melts, but it won’t be able to freeze unless it’s cold enough. See how The Science Kiddo made a clever game with this knowledge.

A lesson in: How clouds hold water.

Let your imagineers pretend shaving cream is a cloud that holds colorful raindrops. As they squeeze more and more food coloring, their “cloud” will soon release the excess below—just like how real clouds get too heavy and let the rain loose on a gloomy day. Learn how to re-create this weather experiment here .

Dyed Plants

A lesson in: Capillary action.

Find out how plants “drink” water with some food coloring . Use carnations, roses, or stalks of celery submerged in the colored water and watch the liquid slowly seep through the plant’s “veins” and towards the leaves. Keep an eye out -- you could have a very colorful bouquet just after the first day. Get the rundown by Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments  over  here .

Dancing Oobleck

A lesson in: Sound waves.

The word “oobleck” comes from a Dr. Seuss story where a young boy must rescue his kingdom from a sticky substance. But the neat part of this experiment is how oobleck reacts to vibrations. Put the oobleck over a subwoofer (on top of a cookie sheet!) and watch it dance to different frequencies. Your dancer will see how sound isn’t just about volume! Check out more of this awesome experiment from Tammy of Housing a Forest .

Messiness factor: Five sponges.

Homemade Lightning

A lesson in: Static electricity. (Or weather science.)

Lightning is essentially electrons moving uber fast between the sky and the earth—and with a few simple materials, you can use homemade static electricity (the reason behind your hair sticking up when you rub a balloon or go through a tunnel slide super fast) for DIY lightning. Figure out how to recreate a family-friendly version of this spark by visiting the activity blog Learn Play Imagine .

Make a Bug Vacuum

A Lesson in: Entomology

Scientists capture bugs for study using a mouth-powered vacuum, called an aspirator or a pooter. Kids can make their own version from a mason jar, then use it to gather ants (or other small insects) and observe them in action.

What you'll need: Pint-size mason jar with a two-piece lid Milk or juice carton Hole punch 2 bendy straws Tape Gauze pad

How to:  1. Open the milk carton along the seams and flatten it out. Use the inner lid of the mason jar as a template to trace a circle on the carton. Cut out the circle and punch two holes in the center about an inch apart.

2. Carefully slide the short ends of the bendy straws into the holes. Tape a piece of gauze pad around the end of one straw to prevent any bugs from getting sucked up.

3 Set the lid on the jar and fasten it in place with the ring.

4. To use your pooter, place the tip of the straw without the gauze near a bug. Put your mouth on the straw with the gauze, and gently suck in. The bug should travel up the straw and land unharmed at the bottom of the jar.

Take It Further Capture some ants in your bug vacuum, then use a magnifying glass to observe these remarkable insects up close. Open the jar and feed them a few drops of sugary water or corn syrup, or try giving them some birdseed. Ants live in colonies headed by a queen ant, and they can’t last long on their own. When you are done observing them, release your ants where you found them. (Note: Some ants bite, so be careful handling them.)

Tell Me More Ants were the Earth’s first farmers. For millions of years, certain species have been creating underground gardens where they grow their favorite fungus for food. They tend to their crops, bringing them water and even weeding out other fungi they don’t want.

Excerpted from Mason Jar Science © by Jonathan Adolph, used with permission from Storey Publishing . Available online , $12.69.

Messiness Factor : One sponge. 

A Smell Challenge

A Lesson in: Olfactory senses.

Teach kids the importance of smell with this activity that asks them to use only their noses to identify objects. Can they sniff out the fish oil over the garlic cloves? The lemon juice over the orange oil? Homeschooling blogger Ana has the instructions at Babble Dabble Do .

Is This Soluble?

A Lesson in: Mixtures 

Teaching children chemistry can become a fun, at-home activity as a weekend afternoon project or as part of their remote learning curriculum. One of the best experiments you can do is the mixing activity. With this exercise, children will learn the difference between soluble and insoluble substances. Do not worry! You can do it with ingredients you already have in your kitchen!

Ingredients

• Oil (cooking oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, etc.)
• Food Coloring
• Transparent containers with a lid or transparent cups with a spoon to mix

Before you begin the activity, ask the children what each ingredient is—whether it is a solid, liquid, or gas—and what they think will happen when you begin mixing them. This guarantees a hands-on experiment that will allow the children to feel they are in control.

• Mix the water and the sand. Children will notice there is a separation between both ingredients and that layers have formed, so it is an insoluble reaction.
• Mix the water and the food coloring. Children will see them combine—the water turning into that color—and know it is a soluble reaction.
• Mix the water and the table salt. The salt will disappear in the water, making it another soluble reaction.
• Mix the water and the oil. This time, a clear layer will be formed, showing another insoluble reaction.

After these mixing activities, you can further this experiment by letting the children find other ingredients to mix with water and have them determine if that substance is soluble or insoluble. The main goal is to show them different reactions and layers.

For a clear example of this experiment, check out this video .

Messiness factor: 2 sponges 

Experiment courtesy of Dr. Stephanie Ryan. See more fun about science over at letslearnaboutscience.com

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Scientific Method for Kids: Steps and FREE Printable Template

Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links. That means if you use them to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. You can read my full affiliate disclosure  HERE .

Are you looking for an easy way to teach the scientific method for kids? I’m sharing each step in this post, along with a free template you can print to help your kids walk through the scientific process.

Being inquisitive is in a kid’s nature. They LOVE asking questions (and come up with some of the best ones!). And although I love to answer them, as they get older I know that part of my job as a homeschool mom is to not answer each and every question for them.

Sooner or later, they need to have the tools to gather information and draw conclusions on their own , whether that happens inside science class or not. For kids, learning the scientific method steps can be a great way to build on skills that will be valuable in many areas of their lives.

An Englishman named Sir Francis Bacon helped create what we know as the scientific method. I thought it was interesting to learn, though, that there were multiple professional scientists and scholars who developed the scientific method over many years , and that many disagree on different ways to implement it. However, there are basic steps that have come to be accepted and taught as the scientific method (and that we get to explore with our kids!).

Scientific Method Steps for Kids

These steps to the scientific method that help us guide our research involve observing and asking questions, formulating a scientific hypothesis (or educated guess), planning and running an experiment, evaluating data and drawing conclusions.

Why Should Kids Learn the Scientific Method?

Why is it important that we teach our kids the scientific method? Isn’t it enough to just have fun doing experiments when we want to? We learn so much from them without formally teaching all of these steps!

Well, yes – we certainly learn a ton from fun experiments! But as my kids are getting older, I am finding they are needing a little bit more structure in thinking through their thoughts, making guesses based on thoughtful observations, and drawing valid conclusions after careful study. These are all important skills to learn and practice. (And don’t worry – I created a FREE printable that will help you walk through this entire process. It’s not as scary as it sounds!) .

Here are some other reasons you’ll want to use the scientific method for kids in your homeschool:

• The scientific process helps us dig in and learn more about God and His creation (and there is so much to observe and learn!).
• Scientists actually use the scientific method to research, study, learn, and solve problems. And your kids will have fun being scientists too!
• Following the scientific method steps allows us to conduct experiments correctly. It also teaches young kids the importance of documenting their steps and research so those that come behind them can replicate results, or build on their research. Carefully recording information is an important skill they will be able to translate to so many other areas.

Steps of the Scientific Method for Kids

Here are the basic steps in the scientific method you’ll want to teach your kids:

• Observe and ask a question.
• Form a hypothesis.
• Do an experiment.
• Evaluate your data.
• Draw a conclusion.

Let’s go over each of the steps in a little bit more detail with an easy example, so you can see how you might teach it in your homeschool. You’ll then be able to use this method with any of your science experiments in your homeschool; my free printable will definitely help walk you through the steps as well , and is a great addition to your kids homeschool scientific journal.

How to Teach the Scientific Method for Kids

Let’s use an easy example to walk through how the scientific method might look.

1. Ask a Question.

You have a couple of plants sitting on your windowsill, and your son asks the simple question about why they are sitting on the ledge. He wonders how the amount of light affects how a plant grows, and if it will grow without light.

And so begins the process of scientific investigation!

The first step for your kids is to take note of what questions they have, or what problems they might want to solve. What is something they are unsure about? Have them brainstorm some ideas and then do some observing and initial research to lay the groundwork for their experiment and help with the next step.

2. Make a Hypothesis.

Next, they’ll form a hypothesis, or an educated guess (a guess made from good reasoning and observing!), about what they think will happen. Before they do so, it might be helpful to make sure the question is clarified and is written in “testable” form, which will help them be clear in their experiment.

For example, the question from above might be, “I wonder if plants can grow in the dark?” You can help guide your child in re-forming this question to make it testable by using phrasing like:

• “Does changing __________ affect ___________ ?”
• “If I change __________, will it affect __________ ?”
• How does changing __________ affect __________ ?”

So – “How does the amount of light affect plant growth?”, or, “If I change the amount of sunlight a plant gets, will it affect it’s growth?”

Your child can then make a guess about what they think will happen, a possible answer, and begin planning on how to conduct the experiment.

3. Do an Experiment.

Now comes the fun part – finding out if you are right or wrong! Your child gets to map out their procedure (what they will actually do, how and what they will record) and make a list of materials they will need to conduct the experiment.

An important part of this step is noting what the independent and dependent variables will be. An independent variable is something that you will change; a dependent variable is what you will measure. A good experiment will only have ONE independent variable at a time – you don’t want to change too many things at once, or it will be hard to measure what actually produced the results.

In our example, our independent variable will be the light source – we’ll put one plant in sunlight and one in a dark place. We’ll try to keep them in rooms of the same temperature, and we’ll use the same amount of soil, same amount of water, and the same number and type of seed in each cup.

The dependent variable is what we are going to measure – how much the plants grow.

4. Evaluate Your Data.

This is the step where they record what is happening, what they observe, and then evaluate the results.

Drawing pictures and/or making graphs can definitely be helpful to display the data collected. Let them be creative with how they record this, but remind them that accuracy and being able to share data with others is important!

5. Draw a Conclusion.

Finally, they get to make a final conclusion. Did the experiment answer your question, and was your hypothesis correct? Thinking about what they learned and other new questions that may have arose as a result of the experiment are worth noting.

In some cases, it might be worthwhile to repeat the experiment with a new hypothesis, or try it again in a slightly different way to help draw conclusions. For example, maybe we could repeat the plant experiment with a different type of plant to see if we got the same results.

Have Fun With It!

Remember that learning about God’s creation and natural world through science experiments should be fun and enjoyable! Choose activities your kids will love, or let them help you decide what fun experiments to try. The skills that they will learn as they work through the scientific method will be valuable for them in years to come.

Can I Use the Scientific Process with my youngest kids?

Absolutely! Even young children will love following along as you perform experiments with your older kids. Although they won’t be able to journal or record data like the bigger kids, simply walking through and talking about the series of steps is a great way to introduce them to the scientific process.

When your little ones ask a good question that might make for a simple science experiment, ask them what they think will happen! Then recruit any older siblings to join in on the fun.

Science Experiment Ideas

You might have kids who are very scientifically-minded, and ask questions about everything! If not, sometimes coming up with a fun experiment can be a stumbling block.

Here are a few scientific questions your kids might have fun exploring, to get you rolling on the first step of practicing the scientific process for kids. These are also perfect to investigate for a science fair project at your school or homeschool co-op!

• Does music affect animal behavior?
• Where are the most germs in your home?
• Which paper towel brand is the strongest?
• What is the best way to keep cut flowers fresh the longest?
• What plant fertilizer works best?
• What brand of battery lasts the longest?
• How much weight can the surface tension of water hold?
• Which soda decays fallen out teeth the most?
• Can hamsters learn tricks?
• What is the effect of salt on the boiling temperature of water? On it’s density ?
• What type of grass seed grows the fastest?

Once they get started brainstorming, your kids can probably come up with lots of ideas to explore for their own experiments!

Scientific Method for Kids Books

There are a few great books you might want to check out as you introduce the scientific method steps. They are also wonderful for experiment ideas!

What is the Scientific Method? Science Book for Kids Mad Margaret Experiments with the Scientific Method (In the Science Lab) Awesome Science Experiments for Kids: 100+ Fun STEM / STEAM Projects and Why They Work Awesome Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids: 50 STEAM Projects You Can Eat! Steve Spangler’s Super-Cool Science Experiments for Kids: 50 mind-blowing STEM projects you can do at home Smithsonian 10-Minute Science Experiments: 50+ quick, easy and awesome projects for kids 101 Great Science Experiments: A Step-by-Step Guide The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments

Step-by-Step Scientific Method Printable

My older kids are in 2nd and 3rd grade right now, and I created this printable for them (so it works well for mid-upper elementary-aged students). However, you can absolutely adapt it if you have younger students , or students who aren’t quite ready to do so much writing just yet. You can still teach the process!

This FREE printable comes with one sheet that lists out all the scientific method steps; this is perfect to print out and hang in your homeschool room to refer to. And if your kids are younger, you can verbally talk through the process while doing simple experiments with them, which will help prepare them for a more in-depth process when they get older.

There is also one-page-per-step that walks them through the scientific method, and a basic list of some fun science experiment ideas to try. I also have a one-page sheet your kids can use to write out their process, if you want a simpler, more compact template.

Grab yours for FREE today!

Grab your FREE Scientific Method Printables!

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I hope you have so much fun making memories with your kids learning about science and the scientific method for kids.

Drop a comment below: What has been your favorite science experiment you have done with your kids? What would they say is their favorite?

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Hello! Can the Scientific Method freebie be used with students I am teaching on Outschool? I am using a slide show to teach the steps, but it would be nice to have some resources for them to actually carry out the process. If this does not follow your copyright rules, I totally understand. Thanks for your consideration.

Thank you for asking, Christina, and I would love for you to use it! If possible, please give them the link (or send it to their parents) so they can download it for free from my website. I hope you get a lot of good use out of it!

Sara, I really enjoyed your post and will look into Science Shepherd. I’ve tried to use the “subscribe” button to access the free scientific method packet, but can’t seem to connect. I’m hoping this will suffice to subscribe to your channel. Thanks and have a blessed coming school year, Bonnie

Thank you so much Bonnie!! I was having an error on my site for downloading the packet, but I think it’s fixed. Please let me know if you still have issues downloading it!

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• Science Fair Project Ideas for Kids, Middle & High School Students ⋅

Easy Science Projects That Use Scientific Methods

Science Projects on Magnets for the Fourth Grade

Assigning easy science projects is a way to introduce the scientific method to your kids or students. There are six main steps in a scientific method, most of which are included in every experiment your students will complete, regardless of the project's simplicity. The steps include asking a question, researching the issue, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis with an experiment, analyzing data to arrive at a conclusion and stating results. Lead your students through potentially dangerous elements of an experiment, and ensure that both you and they wear the appropriate safety clothing at all times.

Plant Population Density

Challenge your students to write a prediction -- known as a hypothesis -- on what they think will happen during this plant-population-density experiment. Separate the class into two halves based on students’ hypotheses; instruct students to work as a group to develop a two-minute speech based on why they have made their prediction. Lead the classroom through the experiment as you set up two identical parts of an experiment design next to one another. Take two identical glass jars and fill them with the same amount of damp soil. Mark one glass "few" and plant two runner bean seedlings in it and mark the other glass "many" and plant 20 runner bean seedlings in it. Leave the jars on the same windowsill, so they receive the same environmental conditions, and water them every other day. Have students observe their growth and compare how the overcrowded and roomy growing conditions affect plant growth.

Acids vs. Bases

To conduct this experiment -- with the common scientific method of using controls and variables -- students should empty a medicine dropper of water, white vinegar (the acid) and ammonia (the base) into three separate, identical plastic cups. Students should then douse three single sheets of paper towel in one of the liquids before wrapping each around a mild steel nail. Have students leave their nails wrapped in paper towels on a side where they will be undisturbed overnight. Students should return and note their observations as well as take photographs that can be used in a presentation or at a science fair. Have students check on their nails once a day for a school week. Students should draw comparisons between the three different conditions and consider how the conditions affected the rate of the nail's rusting.

Magnets and Charge

This simple physics project gets students to think about magnetism and electric charge. Have your students take an iron nail that is roughly 6 inches long and approximately 20 inches of copper wire. Students should strip an inch of insulation from each end of the copper wire and wrap the middle section of the wire around the nail into a coil; ensure students leave at least 2 inches of copper wire at each end of the coil. Students should take both parts of the wire that are not coiled on the nail and attach them to the positive and negative terminals of a 9-volt battery. Get students to experiment with their electromagnet by passing it near iron filings or metal paper clips. Have students unravel half of the coils on the nail, pass the electromagnet near these items once more and see if they notice any difference in the magnet's strength.

Hawaiian Islands Geology

Easy science projects do not have to be based on students carrying out their own experiments; instead, they can focus on research from library books, journals and articles as well as Internet resources. One idea for a science project that centers on the background research phase of the scientific method gets your students to research the formation of the Hawaiian Islands. Students can look at historic ideas behind how the Hawaiian Islands were formed before thinking specifically about Hawaii's different volcanoes and mountain ranges. Educate your students about the appropriate ways of using resources and referencing the work they included during their research; this will prove valuable, particularly for students looking to continue into college. Suggest a specific style of referencing, such as the Harvard system, where your students must write the author name, then open brackets, and enclose the publication's year before closing brackets.

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• Science Buddies: It's Crowded in Here! A Study of Plant Population Density
• Science Buddies: Magnets and Charge
• Science Buddies: Steps of the Scientific Method

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I have been involved in coaching and administration of youth soccer with the Herts FA for several years. I have many years experience with the technical side and equipment of soccer, cricket, rugby, snooker and poker. I studied the health and fitness and dietary side of competitive sport while at University. Currently, I am not ready for on-camera opportunities, but this could change with access to training and equipment.

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50 Exciting 4th Grade Science Projects and Experiments

Did you know you can make plastic from milk?

Nothing gets kids more excited for science than hands-on experiments! Watch your 4th grade science students’ eyes light up when they try some of these activities. You’ll find physics, biology, engineering, chemistry, and more. These projects are easy to set up and really help drive the learning home. Get ready for some science fun!

To help you find the right 4th grade science projects and activities, we’ve rated them all based on difficulty and materials:

Difficulty:

• Easy: Low or no-prep experiments you can do pretty much any time
• Medium: These take a little more setup or a longer time to complete
• Advanced: Experiments like these take a fairly big commitment of time or effort
• Basic: Simple items you probably already have around the house
• Medium: Items that you might not already have but are easy to get your hands on
• Advanced: These require specialized or more expensive supplies to complete

4th Grade Science Fair Projects

4th grade stem challenge science projects, 4th grade motion and energy science activities.

• More 4th Grade Science Projects and Experiments

These 4th grade experiments also work well as science fair projects. Try changing up the variables to turn it into a real experiment, then form a hypothesis and find out what happens.

Blow unpoppable bubbles

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium

A soap bubble you can hold in your hand? It’s true! A little glycerin makes the soap bubble layers stronger, so you can even toss them gently from person to person.

Learn more: Unpoppable Bubbles Experiment at Learning Resources

Grow crystal names

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium ADVERTISEMENT

No list of 4th grade science projects would be complete without crystals! Kids of all ages love growing crystals, making this an ideal way to learn about supersaturated solutions. The classic experiment gets a new twist when you have kids shape pipe cleaners into their own names first.

Learn more: Crystal Letters at Playdough to Plato

Grow bacteria in petri dishes

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Medium

Your students will truly feel like scientists when they perform this classic experiment. They’ll prep the dishes with agar, swab different surfaces, and see what bacteria they grow. It’s gross science, but it’s also easy and impressive.

Learn more: Growing Bacteria at Steve Spangler Science

See coastal erosion in action

Here’s a cool experiment to include in your unit on oceans. Build a miniature coastline, then see how wave action erodes the shore.

Learn more: Erosion Experiment at Little Bins for Little Hands

Erupt a lemon volcano

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Basic

Early chemistry experiments with acids and bases are always a lot of fun. This one uses the natural acids of lemon juice and adds a little food coloring to up the wow factor.

Learn more: Lemon Volcano at STEAM Powered Family

Sink and float to explore density

Adding items like salt or sugar to water changes its density, as does the temperature itself. Turn this into a 4th grade science fair project by experimenting with different solutions and forming hypotheses about the results.

Learn more: Salt Water Density at Science Kiddo

Discover a density rainbow

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Basic

Colorful, simple, and impressive: It’s the trifecta of 4th grade science experiments! Wow your students by layering colored sugar water as you learn about density, adhesion, and cohesion.

Transform milk into plastic

Plastic seems incredibly modern, but people have been making casein plastic from milk for centuries. In this 4th grade science project, students experiment to create the formula for the best milk plastic. They’ll be amazed at the results!

Simulate an earthquake

The ground under our feet may feel solid, but an earthquake changes that pretty quickly. Use Jell-O to simulate the Earth’s crust, then see if you can build an earthquake-proof structure for a practical and fascinating 4th grade science fair project.

Learn more: Earthquake Simulation at Teaching Science

Test Sharpie solubility

Find out if Sharpie markers are really permanent with this 4th grade science project that uses the scientific method to explore solutes and solvents.

Learn more: Sharpie Solubility at Around the Kampfire

Find out if mood rings really work

Apply the rigors of the scientific method to mood rings ! Find out what makes mood rings change color, then see if they really reflect a person’s mood.

Learn more: Mood Rings Validity Test at Education.com

Create a new plant or animal

Kids will really get into this project, indulging their creativity as they invent a plant or animal that’s never been seen before. They’ll need to be able to explain the biology behind it all, though, making this an in-depth project you can tailor to any class.

Learn more: Create an Organism at I Love 2 Teach

Investigate decomposition

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Easy

Yup, it’s gross … so kids will love it! Seal food items in a plastic bag and experiment to see what factors affect their decomposition, helped along by a heaping dose of mold.

Learn more: Decomposition at Mystery Science

Assemble a lung model

With just a few supplies including balloons and a plastic bottle, you can make an impressive working model of human lungs. This makes a very cool 4th grade science fair project.

Explore the causes of tooth decay

They hear it from their parents all the time, but this experiment will prove to your students once and for all what can happen to their teeth when exposed to different drinks such as soda and milk. This is one of those classic 4th grade science fair projects every kid should try.

For students who love to tinker, STEM challenges can spark incredible 4th grade science fair projects. Here are some of our favorites for this age group.

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 . ( Get more 4th grade STEM challenges here. )

Learn more: Drinking Straw Roller Coaster at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Make a wigglebot

Who knew electricity could be so adorable? Explore the science behind batteries and motors by creating a simple “wigglebot.” Experiment with weights to throw the motor off balance and create fun designs.

Learn more: Wigglebot at Research Parent

Construct a working flashlight

You’ll only need a few supplies to guide your students in building their own LED flashlights. They’ll learn how electricity travels and the way circuits work. The slideshow available through the link makes this lesson a breeze for teachers too.

Learn more: DIY Flashlight at Mystery Science

Build a hovercraft

It’s not exactly the same model the military uses, but this simple hovercraft is a lot easier to build. An old CD and a balloon help demonstrate air pressure and friction in this fun 4th grade science experiment.

Learn more: DIY Hovercraft at Education.com

Create a smartphone projector

No projector in your classroom yet? No problem! Have your students help you construct one for your smartphone using a cardboard box and large magnifying glass . They’ll learn about convex lenses and how the brain processes images too.

Learn more: DIY Smartphone Projector at The STEM Laboratory

Set up a pulley system

The science of machines never fails to fascinate kids. In this experiment, they’ll design their own pulley system to make it easier to lift an object.

Learn more: DIY Pulley at 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Design a working elevator

Engineering activities make for amazing hands-on learning. Challenge your 4th grade students to build an elevator that can safely lift a certain amount of weight.

Make a model seismometer

Explore the science of seismology and learn how scientists study earthquakes and their effects. This model seismometer is easy to build and fun to experiment with.

Learn more: Model Seismometer at Science Sparks

Conduct an egg drop

Here’s one more classic to add to our list of 4th grade science experiments: the egg drop! The great thing about this project is that kids can do it at any age, with different materials and heights to mix it up. Hit the link below to get an egg drop project designed just for 4th graders.

Learn more: Egg Drop Challenge Ideas

Demonstrate Newton’s laws of motion with balloon rockets

Who doesn’t love balloon rockets?! Your students will have a blast(off) displaying Newton’s third law of motion while learning about physics.

Many 4th grade science standards include units on energy and motion. These energy science activities offer cool hands-on ways to spice up your classroom lessons.

Flick marbles to learn transfer of energy

This experiment is a bit of a thinker: What will happen when one moving marble hits several stationary marbles sitting in a row? Flick the first marble and find out!

Learn more: Marble Energy Transfer at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

See energy transfer in action with sports balls

Place a tennis ball on top of a basketball and bounce them together to see how energy transfers from one object to another. This one is very easy, and kids will love seeing how high they can get the balls to bounce!

Go an on energy scavenger hunt

Emphasize the fact that energy is all around us in one form or another with this easy, free printable energy science activity. For a more advanced version, help students identify each kind of energy (kinetic, stored, heat, etc.) they find.

Learn more: Energy Scavenger Hunt at The Science Penguin

See a heat-powered windmill demonstrate convection

Heat rises, and its interaction with cooler air creates convection currents. Find out how we can put convection to work for us with this 4th grade science craft project.

Capture waves in a bottle

Here’s a quick and easy way to show wave action in a no-mess way. You don’t need to add a little ship to the bottle, but it does make it more fun!

Learn more: Waves in a Bottle at What I Have Learned Teaching

Assemble a wave machine

Turn this one into a class cooperative activity, or try it as a science fair project idea. Either way, it’s an incredibly fascinating way to demonstrate the energy science of waves.

Use a Slinky to demonstrate types of waves

A Slinky is more than just a toy—it’s also a terrific science manipulative! Use it to see waves in motion, both longitudinal and transverse.

Watch gravity beads prove Newton’s laws

You’ll need a loooooooong string of beads for this experiment. Make your own by taping dollar-store strings together, or buy a long bead garland . Pile them in a cup and get the beads going; it’s fascinating to watch inertia and gravity at work.

Learn more: Gravity Beads at Teach Beside Me

Spin marble tops to learn about inertia

Glue together marbles in a variety of pyramidal patterns to form tops, then form hypotheses about which will spin best. Afterwards, kids will have fun new toys to play with!

Learn more: Marble Tops at KidsActivities.com

Visualize the second law of motion with soda cans

Newton’s second law, concerning acceleration, force, and mass, can be a little hard to understand. This easy 4th grade science demo makes it a little easier to visualize.

More 4th Grade Science Projects and Activities

Use these cool science experiments to encourage a love of science, at home or in the classroom!

Measure a magnet’s attraction force

Fourth grade science students already know that magnets attract metal objects. In this experiment, they’ll measure to see how close a magnet needs to be to an object for the attraction to work. Mix things up with different sizes of magnets and objects of various weights.

Learn more: Magnet Measurements at Ashleigh’s Education Journey

See light refraction in action

This seems more like a magic trick, but we promise it’s science! Make colors seem to appear and disappear, change numbers into letters, and more.

Learn more: Light Refraction at Ronyes Tech

“Draw” on water with dry-erase marker

This is another one of those mind-blowing science demos that kids will want to try over and over again. Draw on a shallow bowl or plate with dry-erase markers , then slowly add water. The marker (which is insoluble in water) will float to the top!

Paint with sunscreen

Prove that sunscreen really does provide protection from harmful UV rays. Turn this into a full-blown experiment by trying different SPFs or comparing it to other creams or lotions without SPF.

Learn more: Paint With Sunscreen at Team Cartwright

Become human sundials

Choose a sunny day and grab some sidewalk chalk—your students are about to become sundials! They’ll practice measuring skills and learn about the movement of the sun across the sky.

Learn more: Human Sundial at Rhythms of Play

Mine for chocolate chips

If you’re learning about mineral resources, this quick hands-on activity is an interesting way to explore the effects of mining. Kids have two minutes to find as many chocolate chips as they can in a cookie. Will they smash it up and destroy it entirely? Pick them out one by one? This experiment can lead to intriguing discussions.

Learn more: Mining for Chocolate Chips at Sarah’s STEM Stuff

Assemble an edible DNA model

Use licorice sticks, four different-colored candies or fruits, and toothpicks to build an edible strand of DNA. Learn about chemical bonds and the helix shape, then eat your creation!

Learn more: Edible DNA Model at wikiHow

Layer an edible soil model

Digging in the dirt is fun, but it’s even more fun when you can eat the dirt when you’re finished! Create edible soil-layer models, complete with gummy worms, for a simple earth science project. ( Find more edible science projects here. )

Learn more: Edible Soil Layers at Super Teacher Blog

Turn a penny green

Experiment with simple chemical reactions as you turn pennies green using vinegar. (Don’t forget to tell students that the Statue of Liberty is green for this very same reason!)

Learn more: Penny Reactions at Buggy and Buddy

Use marshmallows to explore Boyle’s law

Seeing Boyle’s law (which relates pressure and volume of gasses) in action makes it a little easier to understand and remember. This simple 4th grade science experiment uses marshmallows to make a great visual.

Learn more: Boyle’s Law at Hojo’s Teaching Adventures

Form ocean currents

Learning about oceanography? Demonstrate how ocean currents form using warm and cold water (and a few plastic sea creatures for extra fun!).

Learn more: Ocean Currents at Life Over C’s

Understand the impact of non-renewable resources

This is a neat Earth Day activity . Discuss the differences between renewable and non-renewable resources, then have your class form “companies” to “mine” non-renewable resources. As they compete, they’ll see how quickly the resources are used. It’s a great tie-in to energy conservation discussions.

Learn more: Non-Renewable Resources at The Owl Teacher

Explore blood components

Use simple kitchen supplies to create a jar full of “blood” that includes plasma, platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. (You can even snack on the blood cells along the way!)

Learn more: Blood Model at Almost Supermom

Create cool colors with candy

Learn about diffusion in the sweetest way! Grab a bag of Skittles for this quick and easy 4th grade science project.

Wow them with glowing water

Your students will ooh and aah at the result of this exploratory way to show phosphors in action with a black light, different types of water, and a highlighter. The results of this experiment might surprise both you and your students!

Learn more: Glowing Water Experiment at Cool Science Experiments Headquarters

Keep the STEM excitement going with these 25 Fantastic Free 4th Grade Math Games .

Plus,  sign up for our newsletters  to get all the latest teaching tips and ideas, straight to your inbox..

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10 Fun & Easy Science Experiments with Recording Sheets & Scientific Method

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Your elementary students are going to love these fun, easy, and engaging science experiments.  These 10 science activities will help student learn about the world around them in a hands-on way. Watch your students' eyes light up when they figure out something new and see them work together as they explore the world of science.

Grab the Science Experiment bundle and get 60 science experiments that can be used all year long!

All of these science experiments use common household items which makes them easy to prepare for.  These fun and easy science experiments are perfect for introducing science lab rules, teaching science procedures, modeling the scientific method, or adding some scientific fun to any day of the year! 

Each experiment includes the activity directions and a recording sheet so students can record their observations.  You also receive a materials page to help you gather supplies for the experiments.  Perfect for in class use or at home use with distance learning.  

10 Science Experiments includes:

• Materials Page
• 10 Student Recording Sheets (includes materials and procedures)
• Extension questions for each activity

The 10 Science Experiments are:

• Which airplane design flies the farthest distance?
• Does the amount of air change the distance the balloon travels?
• Exploding Baggies
• Which liquid allows the gummy bears to grow the most?
• Marshmallow Catapults
• Apple Volcanoes
• Ice Cream in a Bag
• Which soda reacts the most to Mentos?
• Which ramp design allows the ball to move the farthest distance?
• What liquid cleans pennies the best?

**View  the preview to see exactly what's included!**

Teachers like you say:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This was an amazing resource, as supplies are readily easy to find and engage students in scientific phenomena. Thank you so much!"

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"I was looking for fun ways to experience science throughout the year and this is the product to do just that! I love the experiments and can't wait to use these next school year!"

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"Some of these activities were perfect for home- the materials were things most kids had in their houses already. Worked out great for my distance learners!"

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"I used it as stations in my STEM night at school. Needing a variety of levels, these activities engage all. Parents were able to easily understand wish was our goal, getting the families involved. Materials are easy to find and gather not expensive."

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The dye in Doritos can make mice transparent

By Lauren Leffer

Posted on Sep 5, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

6 minute read

Credit: USNSF

X-Ray specs and invisibility cloaks are the stuff of sci-fi and fantasy, but sometimes science is just stranger than fiction. A food dye that helps give certain sodas and snacks their hallmark orange hue renders mouse skin almost completely see-through in a reversible, potentially non-toxic research method that could transform medical and scientific imaging. Because of a counterintuitive fundamental physics principle, Tartrazine, also known as Yellow 5, can temporarily turn biological tissue transparent to the naked eye, as described in a study published September 5 in the journal Science. 

So far, the scientists behind the new discovery have used the method to see the organs in a mouse’s intact abdomen, glimpse the pulsing vessels surrounding a rodent skull, and to get an exceptionally clear view of muscle tissue through a microscope. With further safety and efficacy research, the method may spur new scientific findings, boost microscopy advances, and improve medical diagnostic strategies and treatments. 

“I instantly looked at it and went, ‘my god, this is revolutionary,’” says Christopher Rowlands, a senior lecturer and biophotonics researcher at Imperial College London. Rowlands wasn’t involved in the study, but wrote an accompanying perspective article on it after he acted as a reviewer for the research. “In optics, we spend an awful lot of time trying to increase [how well we can see into tissue] by 20 percent or 50 percent. These guys come along and they annihilate the boundary by a factor of 10.” The most advanced current optical imaging (i.e. non-invasive, and not reliant on radiation) techniques might allow a scientist to see a couple of millimeters into live tissue, but the new method could make detail more than a centimeter deep visible to the naked eye, says Rowlands. “It’s not magic, but it’s still very powerful,” he adds. 

[Related: Want more weird science in your inbox? Sign up for the Popular Science newsletter .]

The method is simple. In short, massaging tartrazine solution into hairless mouse skin over the course of a few minutes or using microneedling achieves “complete optical transparency in the red region of the visible spectrum,” per the study. Wash the dye away, and the skin returns to its natural, opaque state. 

“Biological tissues, like skin, are usually not see-through because light gets scattered as it passes through them,” says Guosong Hong , co-senior study author and a bioengineer at Stanford University. Animal flesh is a matrix of different materials, mostly water and fats, and these two types of compounds refract light at different angles, he explains. A light particle, or photon, traveling through tissue under normal circumstances moves from water particle to lipid particle, being bounced around, taking a long, winding path, and oftentimes being absorbed by one of the many molecules it collides with along the way. 

But tartrazine dye, through its powerful absorption of blue wavelengths of light, changes the refractive index of water to be much closer to that of fat, Hong says. This happens through a basic physical principle called the Kramers-Kronig relations , which dictates that waves (like those of light–which is both a particle and a wave) are the result of predictable signals. As a result, a photon can pass through skin almost as if the tissue were homogenous. It takes a shorter path, avoiding all of the bouncing and angle changes that increase the likelihood of light absorption, ultimately illuminating the inside of a mouse.

The physics concepts involved in the process are so fundamental that, “I was kicking myself that I hadn’t thought of it,” Rowlands tells Popular Science. “It’s one of these moments where it’s blindingly obvious, but you need somebody else to tell you it first. It makes so much sense in retrospect.” It’s a “triumph of fundamental understanding,” he adds, which demonstrates what happens when a deep understanding of a theory comes together with real-world experimentation.

Hong and his colleagues came to their precise method through modeling how different dyes would shift the way light travels in tissue. They homed in on Yellow 5 and a handful of other pigments as candidates for improving transparency. Then, they tested it out in liquid mixed with silica particles, raw chicken breast, live mice, and other mouse tissue samples–measuring how quickly and deeply the dye dispersed. They further combined the dye with other optical microscopy techniques, showing that tartrazine can be used to improve existing tech. Finally, they conducted an initial toxicity analysis, looking for short and long term effects in their rodent test subjects and tracking how quickly the mice seemed to clear the dye from their systems via urine and feces. The scientists determined that Yellow 5 passes through the body within 24 hours, causes little inflammation or irritation, and shows “minimal systemic toxicity.”

However, the method isn’t yet perfect and can’t, for instance, make an entire living mouse invisible or immediately enable us to see the inner-workings of a human abdomen. For one, Yellow 5 can only penetrate so far into tissue, so it won’t be as useful for imaging through thicker, less permeable flesh (like that of a human) without a targeted delivery strategy and a fine-tuned understanding of what concentration works best. Plus, though the dye reduces photon scattering, it doesn’t entirely eliminate it, notes Rowlands. The thicker the tissue you use it on, the darker and less clear the resulting image will be. Finally, though initial toxicity assessments bode well, Rowlands isn’t so sure tartrazine will prove totally harmless in the long term, with additional tests. “I would suspect that dumping that amount of anything into a live organism is going to have some substantial effect,” he says. 

Hong, too, notes that more safety research is needed. “We strongly discourage attempting this on human skin, as the toxicology of dye molecules in humans, particularly when applied topically, has not been fully evaluated,” he tells Popular Science.

If Yellow 5 dye does prove safe in topical applications for humans, it might eventually be used for purposes as varied as early skin cancer detection, easing the process of routine blood draws for those with hard-to spot veins, speeding up laser tattoo removal, or supercharging photothermal cancer treatments, says Hong. Yet even if the snack-dye technique remains relegated to lab mice, it offers a better window into one of the most commonly used model organisms than we’ve ever had before. “In the short term, it’s a research tool,” says Rowlands, who envisions great strides coming from the finding soon: Optical imaging of a complete mouse brain, for instance. “If that’s not a paper [within a year], I’ll eat my hat.”

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By Alisha McDarris

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Accelerating AI-driven scientific discovery with end-to-end learning and random projection

Scientific discovery of new knowledge from data can enhance our understanding of the physical world and lead to the innovation of new technologies. AI-driven methods can greatly accelerate scientific discovery and are essential for analyzing and identifying patterns in huge volumes of experimental data. However, current AI-driven scientific discovery pipeline suffers from several inefficiencies including but not limited to lack of precise modeling , lack of efficient learning methods , and lack of human-in-the-loop integrated frameworks in the scientific discovery loop. Such inefficiencies increase resource requirements such as expensive computing infrastructures, significant human expert efforts and subsequently slows down scientific discovery.

In this thesis, I introduce a collection of methods to address the lack of precise modeling, lack of efficient learning methods and lack of human-in-the-loop integrated frameworks in AI-driven scientific discovery workflow. These methods include automatic physics model learning from partially annotated noisy video data, accelerated partial differential equation (PDE) physics model learning, and an integrated AI-driven platform for rapid analysis of experimental video data. My research has led to the discovery of a new size fluctuation property of material defects exposed to high temperature and high irradiation environments such as inside nuclear reactors. Such discovery is essential for designing strong materials that are critical for energy applications.

To address the lack of precise modeling of physics learning tasks, I developed NeuraDiff, an end-to-end method for learning phase field physics models from noisy video data. In previous learning approaches involving multiple disjoint steps, errors in one step can propagate to another, thus affecting the accuracy of the learned physics models. Trial-and-error simulation methods for learning physics model parameters are inefficient, heavily dependent on expert intuition and may not yield reasonably accurate physics models even after many trial iterations. By encoding the physics model equations directly into learning, end-to-end NeuraDiff framework can provide ~100% accurate tracking of material defects and yield correct physics model parameters.

To address the lack of efficient methods for PDE physics model learning, I developed Rapid-PDE and Reel. The key idea behind these methods is the random projection based compression of system change signals which are sparse in - either value domain (Rapid-PDE) or, both value and frequency domain (Reel). Experiments show that PDE model training times can be reduced significantly using our Rapid-PDE ( 50-70%) and Reel ( 70-98% ) methods.

To address the lack of human-in-the-loop integrated frameworks for high volume experimental data analysis, I developed an integrated framework with an easy-to-use annotation tool. Our interactive AI-driven annotation tool can reduce video annotation times by 50-75% , and enables material scientists to scale up the analysis of experimental videos.

Our framework for analyzing experimental data has been deployed in the real world for scaling up in-situ irradiation experiment video analysis and has played a crucial role in the discovery of size fluctuation of material defects under extreme heat and irradiation.

NSF-CCF-1918327

Nsf-iis-1850243, nsf-cmmi-1728419, accelerating discovery and diagnostics of plasma-wall interactions using machine learning.

Office of Fusion Energy Sciences

N00014-20-1-2043

N00014-22-1-2160, degree type.

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Computer Science

Campus location

• West Lafayette

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Additional committee member 2, additional committee member 3, additional committee member 4, usage metrics.

• Artificial intelligence not elsewhere classified
• Machine learning not elsewhere classified
• Computer vision