Science experiments at home

If you’re a parent or caretaker, you must be bored of hearing the phrase ‘I’m bored’ by now. Keep the kids occupied with a few science experiments that only require items you would have around the house

Lava Lamp

Who doesn’t love a lava lamp but we bet you didn’t know how easy it is to make one. All you need is some oil, water and some Eno.

Fill up one-third of a container with water and add a thick layer of oil on top (don’t fill it to the brim). If you have food colouring on hand, add a few drops to enhance the effect.

Finally sprinkle the contents of your Eno packet a little by little and watch as the magic happens.

Science tells you why: The water and oil do not mix due to difference in densities. The Eno reacts with the water to make bubbles of carbon dioxide. The bubbles attach themselves to the blobs of water and bring them to the top of the glass.

Rock Candy

The best science experiments are edible! Heat two cups of water just enough to mix four cups of sugar into it. Optionally add flavouring extracts and food colouring to this saturated sugar solution. Get wooden sticks, such as barbecue skewers, wet them slightly and coat them with sugar. Let them dry while you pour the sugar solution into a glass jar/cup. Put the completely dry sticks into the glass, and suspend it with a clothespin. Make sure the stick is not touching any surface of the glass. Cover the jar loosely with a paper towel and leave it in a cool dry place for about a week or two. You should see crystals forming within a day, if not reheat the solution and add another cup of sugar into it and repeat the process.

Science tells you why: It shows how a supersaturated solution will form crystals once it cools down. The stick just gives the crystals a place to latch on.

Self-Inflating Balloon
Don’t want to create a mess with the traditional volcano experiment? Well, here is a worthy substitute. You’ll need a bottle with a small mouth, a balloon, vinegar and some baking soda. Put a spoon of baking soda in an empty bottle and vinegar in a balloon. Attach the balloon over the mouth of the bottle and let the vinegar pour in. The balloon will inflate on its own.
Science tells you why: Vinegar is acidic and baking soda is basic; on reacting they produce carbon dioxide, filling up the balloon.

Colour Cabbage
Place a leaf of cabbage or a stalk of celery in water mixed with food colouring/ watercolour. Observe how the colour travels along the leaf to show how plants get water from their roots to their leaves.
Science tells you why: Most of the time, plants get their water from the ground, which means it has to transport the water from its roots to the rest of the plant. Water moves through the plant by means of capillary action. The colour slowly moving up the leaf through the veins simply helps you visualise this.

Pepper and soap
This is a great experiment to show the importance of handwashing to young kids. Get a plate filled with water and sprinkle some pepper on it. The pepper will act as mock germs. Get your toddler to dip a finger in the water, demonstrate how it makes no difference to the pepper as it continues to float on the water and even latches on to their finger. Now have them dip a finger into dish soap and then into the water. The pepper should be repelled away from the finger.
Science tells you why: Soap is able to break down the surface tension of water, which is a part of why it’s a good cleaner. As the soap moves into the water, and the surface tension changes, the pepper no longer floats on top.