TPcraft.com: Science Experiments

Showing posts with label Science Experiments. Show all posts

6/15/15

Summer Boredom Busters for Kids :: Science Experiments

Most people have mixed baking soda and vinegar to create a fun eruption, but have you ever tried capturing all the gas that is released by the chemical reaction? In this fun experiment kids can actually SEE the result of mixing 2 chemicals. Click here for full details.

6/12/15

Summer Boredom Busters for Kids :: Science Experiments

Old film canisters can be tricky to find, but they're worth the hunt because with just a simple alka-seltzer tablet you can make the explode. Click here for all the details about this fun experiment.

6/10/15

Summer Boredom Busters for Kids :: Science Experiments

This is my daughter's favorite experiment that we do together. Basic nail polish remover will dissolve large amounts of styrofoam. Don't believe me, try it yourself!

6/8/15

Summer Boredom Busters for Kids :: Science Experiments

The Diet Coke & Mentos Explosion is a classic science experiment that kids of all ages love. For little kids be sure to supervise them closely and consider using the smaller bottles of diet coke.

6/6/15

Summer Boredom Busters for Kids :: Science Experiments

Elephant Toothpaste is always a super fun experiment around here. Not only do the kids love doing the experiment, but they love playing in the soapy foam after the eruption. Click here for all the details on how you can make your own Elephant Toothpaste.

6/4/15

Summer Boredom Busters For Kids :: Science Experiments

Tomorrow is the last day of school for us and that means the dreaded… MOM, I'm bored! I'm going to post a few of my favorite summer boredom busters every week, all summer long. Some of these will be old posts and some will be new, but they are all guaranteed to bring some fun into your summer.

My first summer boredom buster involves some science. Summer is the perfect time to break out the household chemicals and let the kids do some fun experiments. You can read all the details of how to make Disappearing Iodine Water here.

4/17/15

A Few Favorite UpCycled Projects

Since Earth Day is in just a few days I thought I'd feature a few of my favorite UpCycled projects from years past.

Crib Rails UpCycled into a Book Sling

Dish & Bowl Bird Feeder

Distressed Pallet Sign

Giant Spool UpCycled to Outdoor Science Lab

4/11/15

Mad Science Party Decorations and Details

Those little details are what really make a party pop. You can read all about our recent Mad Science Party over on the Jacksonville Moms Blog.

Decorations: Our decorations for this party were a piece of cake. The banner I made using graphics from the Periodic Table Writer. On the tables were jars that I filled with colored water and random plastic snakes, spiders, brains, etc. The dollar store was a great resource for animals that “grow” when you soak them in water. I added dry ice to our juice containers before serving and the kids thought it was amazing.

Pro Tip: Dry ice is an awesome special effect, but it should be handled with care and is NEVER to be ingested. I used it in containers with spigots where I knew the kids would not be able to drink it. Many Publix stores sell dry ice, and you can use the dry ice finder site to see where you can buy it in your area.

4/9/15

Mad Science Party Experiments

We did some great experiments at our recent Mad Science Party. You can read all about it over at the Jacksonville Moms Blog.

Experiments: After all the kids arrived we began the experiments. This was the highlight of the party for everyone. I had premeasured and prepped all the ingredients ahead of time so that each experiment was ready to go when we got to that station. If you’re having a party for older kids (I would say 6 and older) then check out my post of science experiments, complete with ingredients and directions. If you’re having a party for younger kids (under age 6) then take a look at some of the experiments in Nicole’s post.

Pro Tip: If it’s in your budget, purchase some test tubes with lids and use those to premeasure some of your ingredients for your experiments. It made the kids feel like they were real scientists.

3/23/15

Science Experiments {Live on the News}

A few weeks ago the kids and I made an appearance on our local Chanel 4 Morning Show to do some science experiments live on the air. It was shot in 2 separate segments so you can view our clips here and here. If you're interested in doing some of your own science experiments you can get the full supply list and instructions over on the Jacksonville Moms Blog.

3/13/15

Disappearing Iodine Water Experiment {as seen on Jacksonville Moms Blog}

Recently I wrote a post for the Jacksonville Moms Blog highlighting some of my favorite science experiments for big kids. These were all done for the Mad Science Party we threw for Cole's 8th birthday. Here are the details for the Disappearing Iodine Water Experiment.

Disappearing Iodine Water

Materials: 2 cups of water (about 1/2 way full), Vitamin C, Iodine, Droppers

Directions: Fill 2 plastic cups 1/2 way full with ordinary room temperature water. Crush up 2 vitamin C tablets and stir the powder into one of the cups of water. Add approximately a tablespoon of Iodine to the other cup of water. Use your droppers to carefully mix a few drops of iodine water into the vitamin C water. You’ll see that the dark brown Iodine water “disappears” when it hits the vitamin C water. Be careful with this experiment because Iodine will stain clothes (and lab coats). The good news is that some of that vitamin C water will get it out.

Why it works: When Iodine and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) are combined in solution, a chemical reaction takes place. In this chemical reaction, the vitamin C (ascorbic acid) molecule loses electrons, which are transferred to the Iodine molecule.

3/11/15

Inflate A Balloon Experiment {as seen on Jacksonville Moms Blog}

Inflate A Balloon

Materials: Small Empty Water Bottle, Baking Soda, Vinegar, Balloon, Funnel

Directions: Use the funnel to fill your balloon with 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda. Fill your small water bottle about ½ full with vinegar. Carefully put the top of your balloon over the mouth of the water bottle. Don’t dump the baking soda in until it is secure. Hold your balloon upright and gently shake it so that all the baking soda falls down into the vinegar.

Why it works: The baking soda and the vinegar create an ACID-BASE reaction and the two chemicals work together to create a gas (carbon dioxide). Gasses need a lot of room to spread out and the carbon dioxide starts to fill the bottle, and then moves into the balloon to inflate it.

3/9/15

Dissolving Styrofoam Experiment {as seen on Jacksonville Moms Blog}

Dissolving Styrofoam

Materials: Styrofoam Cups, Maximum Strength Acetone (nail polish remover), Droppers

Directions: Pour the acetone over the Styrofoam and watch it dissolve (it is dissolving, it is NOT melting).

Why it works: Styrofoam is made up of polystyrene foam. When the polystyrene dissolves in the acetone, the air in the foam is released, causing it to look like you’re dissolving this massive quantity of material into a small volume of liquid.

3/5/15

Exploding Film Canister Science Experiment {as seen on Jacksonville Moms Blog}

Exploding Film Canister

Materials: Film Canister, Water, Alka-Seltzer Tablet

Directions: Fill the film canister 3/4 full of water. Add Alka-Seltzer (generic brand works just as well) tablet and close the lid tight. Stand back and watch the lid shoot off into the sky.

Why it works: When the tablet hits water, a chemical reaction takes place very quickly. The bubbles are carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and there’s a lot of it! In the closed canister, the CO2 builds up so much pressure that the lid is forcibly removed from the inside.

3/3/15

Elephant Toothpaste Science Experiment {as seen on Jacksonville Moms Blog}

Elephant Toothpaste

Materials: Clean & empty soda or water bottle, Yeast, Warm Water, Food Coloring, Dish Soap, 6% Hydrogen Peroxide (you can find this online or at a beauty supply shop)

Directions: In a separate cup mix 1 teaspoon of yeast with 2 tablespoons of warm water. In your soda bottle mix together ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide, a squirt of dish soap and a few drops of food coloring. Swirl the soda bottle to mix slightly. Pour the contents of your yeast & water mixture into the soda bottle and watch your elephant toothpaste erupt.

Why it works: Hydrogen peroxide naturally breaks down into water and oxygen. It is stored in opaque containers to help slow down this process. Yeast speeds up the reaction. Dish soap catches the oxygen and makes bigger bubbles and the food coloring makes it look cool. The foam and bottle feel warm because the reaction is exothermic–it releases energy as heat.

2/28/15

Mentos & Diet Coke Science Experiment {as seen on Jacksonville Moms Blog}

Mentos & Diet Coke Explosion

Materials: Mentos Candy, Diet Coke (you don’t need to need name brand soda, the generic diet will work but it MUST be diet to create the explosion), Geyser Tube Cap (optional, but it’s really cool)

Directions: This is an easy experiment that the kids can do by themselves. Simply drop the Mentos into the diet soda bottle and watch it erupt. The geyser tube is an awesome addition to the experiment because it makes the stream shoot even higher in the air.

Why it works: It’s due to a process called nucleation, where the carbon dioxide in the soda is attracted to the Mentos. That creates so much pressure that the soda goes flying.