Term 3 school holidays are creeping up on us already! With the prospect of kids being at home for two weeks, you’ll need to have plenty of activities ready to keep them busy, especially if you’re in lockdown. So you’ll be ideally looking for activities that provide hours of fun as well as lasting educational value, that you don’t have to leave the house for, and don’t break the bank.
DIY Science Experiments are the answer, and being Australia’s premier science communicators, we’ve got quite a few highlights that we know your junior scientists will love!
Ready to Launch – DIY Rockets
Rockets aren’t just for astronauts – you can create your own mini rocket launch at home, and launch it again and again for less than it costs to buy lunch! But first, you’ll need rocket fuel to make that happen.
We’ve devised a super easy, super quick recipe for rocket fuel that requires mostly everyday kitchen items you’ll have stored away in the pantry, as well as some basic lab equipment such as pipettes (little tubes used to transport and dispense liquid).
Now the rockets themselves! You can pick these up, ready made, via our online store. Alternatively, if you have a birthday coming up and you’d like to launch rockets with your mates, we now have DIY Rockets Party Kits available.
Rainbow Science – The Science of Sweets
Got a sweet tooth? Love to eat lollies as a special treat? Part of the fun of eating lollies is seeing all the beautifully bright colours they come in. There’s a lot of fascinating science behind the colours we encounter in everyday life – the proper science term for that is chromatography.
Want to explore chromatography at home? You can lead a simple colour separation experiment all by yourself with just some M&M’s and a bowl of water – check it out here. For those junior scientists who are looking for something more in-depth to investigate in their home labs, we recommend our Chromatography Kit.
Germs, Germs, Go Away – Make Your Own Hand Sanitiser
During a pandemic, it’s vitally important to take additional measures to keep yourself, and others, safe and germ-free. That’s why we put together a recipe to make your own hand sanitiser that is super easy to follow, so you can make sure you always have a bottle handy!
Please keep in mind that not all homemade hand sanitisers are effective at eradicating viruses – for your DIY hand sanitiser to be effective, you’ll need to use alcohol-based products with a 60% or greater ethanol content, and you can purchase such ingredients from your local pharmacist.
Because this experiment uses alcohol, it’s also very important that you don’t EAT this science. And as always, safety first! Make sure you’ve got some safety goggles and other reliable lab equipment ready – head on over to our online store to grab these.
Retro Revival – DIY Lava Lamp
Lava lamps aren’t just mesmerising to look at – they’re an example of some fascinating chemical science in action! Lava lamps are the result of oil being added to a container of water, and because oil is denser than water, the water sinks below the oil and the oil blobs move around inside the container. Read all about the science, and learn how to make your own lava lamp using kitchen ingredients, here.
And check out our Ultimate Junior Scientist Set that contains lab equipment such as specimen jars and pipettes that are very useful in making and storing your lava lamps.
Round It Off With A BANG – DIY Volcano!
We’ve saved the best until last – yes that’s right, junior scientists, you can make your own VOLCANO with ingredients usually used for baking! This experiment, while entertainingly explosive and fun, is very messy, so make sure you go outside to do it. Check out the instructions here.
In this experiment, your DIY volcano is created through a chemical reaction caused by vinegar and baking soda interacting with each other. This then creates carbon dioxide, which is the same gas that is used to produce fizzy drinks.
If you want to create a model of a real volcano and learn all about where they’re located and how they work, check out this DIY Make Your Own Volcano Kit.
Street Science has you covered these holidays – we can deliver science directly to you in a myriad of ways, no matter where you are located. Hungry for some more science? Sign up for the Learning Lab and gain access to quality science lessons and exclusive video content for just $30 a month!
