Easy Science Experiments - Guest Blogger Brooke

Hi! The furniture looks different here! Must be because I am crashing in someone else's house today :)


 I'm Brooke from Teachable Moments guest blogging for April today. Thanks April for having me.

We all know that kids love hands on activities. We try to deliver these to them in Literacy and Mathematics. But I find in my classroom that we are so focused on these subjects that often the 'fun' stuff falls by the wayside. Enter Easy Science Experiments 101!


I want to share a couple of fun and easy science experiments that I have used in my classroom before and some I am dying to try that I have seen on Pinterest.

Egg in a Box

This is where students let their imagination run wild! Build something safe for your egg to survive a drop from a height. I usually provide egg cartons, boxes, paper, bubble wrap, tissue paper, balloons - basically any household junk. It's include to see what the students create and how their minds are thinking about protecting their egg. When its time for the egg drop, make sure you have your camera ready!

Make GOO

Ingredients:
1 cup of cornstarch
small amount of water
Add small bits of water to the cornstarch until the goo starts to drip from a spoon. The mix will seem hard when you try to touch it but once you pick it up, it should ooze through your fingers. If the mix is too drippy, add a bit more cornstarch. Try adding some food colouring for more outrageous fun :)
Your kids will definitely get a kick out of this one.

Making Sherbet! 

- this from the CSIRO website

WARNING: This experiment is edible! Make sure you use clean equipment.

You will need

• Icing sugar
• Citric acid
• Bicarbonate soda
• Flavoured jelly crystals
• A teaspoon
• A dessert spoon
• A small mixing bowl
• A container or bag to keep you sherbet in (unless you eat it all at once)

What to do

1. Add 1 level teaspoon of citric acid crystals to the bowl.
2. Add 1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the bowl.
3. Now add 3 heaped dessert spoons of icing sugar.
4. Add at least 2 level dessert spoons of jelly crystals (or more to taste).
5. Place a small amount, about half a teaspoon on your tongue.
6. After tasting you may need to vary the ingredients. If it is too bitter add more sugar, if there isn't enough fizz you may need to add either bicarbonate soda or citric acid. Make sure you add only in small amounts, remember you can always add more but it is very hard to remove some.

I promise you can get it to taste just like Wizz Fizz and who doesn't like that? YUM!

Cloud Dough

This one I saw on Pinterest and really want to try :)

Pour 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil into a large flat container. It feels like flour as you run your fingers though it but you can mold it into shapes and mounds etc. I would think its a great tactile activity as well as a lot of fun!

I hope you will try some of these easy science experiments in your classroom for science time, an end of week reward or just because!

Make sure you come and visit me at Teachable Moments soon and thanks April for having me :)