Thursday, December 8, 2016

50 Fun Kids Science Activities

Kids love science activities from chemistry experiments to ecology projects, physics and chemistry. 


My kids love doing these science activities includes some units and NGSS alignment as well as projects appropriate for home.


The brakes of the school bus squeal to a halt on a sunny but crisp Friday afternoon. Two sets of sneakers pound up the drive way. One breathless child exclaims, "Mom! Guess what we did today?" There was no doubt in my mind how his teacher had chosen to spend that afternoon.

I knew how he had chosen to play as a toddler: stacking blocks to watch the tower tumble, splashing fearlessly into the water to examine the hidden treasures of the lake.  If you've ever wondered why your child makes so many messes, you know what I mean. His eyes were always full of wonder. I had seen that same wonder in the eyes of scientists and professors I met at university. They called their million dollar tools "toys" and forgot to go home for dinner for sheer excitement.

Your kids will be running to tell you what they've learned with these science activities.
It was the weekend, but he was determined to repeat the project they had done at school.





Most students I had found in my high school classroom had lost that wonder. Their big bodies slouched with disinterest over the tiny classroom desks. Their eyes blinked with confusion, and they demanded that I give them a work sheet.

They didn't want to go play with the toys in the lab.

The good news about science


Check out a list of best jobs, and you'll see that most of them are science based (the rest are tech/math based). Kids who love science have an edge toward gaining the best careers as adults. Check out a list of top global problems and you'll find environmental degradation and food and water shortage. Science can help us find answers to these issues.

You can keep science exciting for your students- even with no formal training or a low budget and a long list of curriculum expectations. In fact, science might be the key to helping your students meet those expectations. 


How do you help kids keep their love of science?


My Mexican students claimed that they all loved jalapenos. They were connoisseurs, identifitying many kinds of the peppers. I, who stick to mild salsa even as an adult, was amazed.  What is the Mexican mamas' secret to raising an entire culture to love hot peppers? "We feed them to our babies."

Here are some science activities to help.
Baby food?


Constant exposure will cultivate love. If you keep exposing children to spicy peppers, they will love spicy peppers. If you keep exposing children to science, they will love science.  How do you do that? I'm so glad you asked!

Make stuff


Let your child feel the soft comfort of the home she designed herself to house her beloved ponies. Let you son hear the hiss of the explosion he just caused. Let your child's muscles fresh oxygen pulsing back to his brain as he studies.

Do It Yourself Toys

Making your own toys is a great way to learn science.
DIY Pony barn


Boats that Float

Bottle toss game

Bubble bottle

Lego catapult



Pretend pony barn

Pulley  to make sight words easier



Art
Working in nature makes learning easier
One of the most effective ways to learn



Dye Cotton

Messy fort

Pumpkin engineering

Texture quilt

Valentine cards


Windsock


Cook

You pull out a heavy pan, a shiny bowl, and some pungent garlic. Before you can reach for a cold stick of butter the screech of the step stool sliding across the kitchen floor tells you that you have company. Put those eager little hands to work, and learn some science.

Biology cooking lessons
How to have an amazing day preparing pumpkin with your preschooler
Preparing pumpkin

Baking 

Chicken

Chemistry cooking lessons

Pickles

Physics cooking lessons

Boiled eggs

Popcorn

Sun Tea

Preschool cooking lessons

Cookies 

Pumpkin


Read 

My child was not interested in stories for a long time. He loved to listen to books though: books about animals, books about nature, and books about how airplanes fly.  We began to make up science activities that go with a story. Crashing some bumper cars together makes reading about them much more fun!

Science with children's books

The Girl Who thought in Pictures (Dr. Temple Grandin)

Boy were we wrong about dinosaurs!



Book Lists


Combating the summer slide with books

Interest African American youth in science


Ask questions about what you experience


"Mom, come look!" "Mom, Why?" "MOM!" Sometimes your head starts to pound with the enthusiasm the kids bring to your life. Learn to capture those moments, and maybe slow them down enough to catch some quiet too.

Why does that happen?
Where does the echo come from?
Why is there an echo in a tunnel ?

Why do boats float?

Why do things go back and forth in the bath tub?

Why is there an echo in a tunnel?

What causes electric hair?

Why do you float in the swimming pool?

Why can heavy things float?

Why does ice stick to cement block walls?

Why do marshmallows melt in hot chocolate?

How can a stream of light be minuscule?

How you can give your child the fastest merri-go-round ride?

What is rot?

Why can you pick up soda with a straw?

Why are there rainbows in my bedroom?

How do we know which thing is holding still?

Enjoy Nature


Children wheezing asthmatically from breathing dirty air, women walking miles for a sip of clean water, cuddly critters disappearing forever, there are many environmental concerns in today's world. You can raise kids who care about the environment, here are few projects to get you started.
3 Ways to observe animals (without a zoo)
How to raise kids who care about the environment
Kids who care about the environment





Science experiments and projects


Sometimes, all you need to do is focus your young scientists.

Science projects

Environmental Engineering Challenge for Minecraft


A great science activity
Toy Car physics unit.


Pumpkin chemistry

Science fair

Classic winter experiment

Elementary science units



Try making time for a few of these kids science activities on a regular basis, and your children are going to love learning. They are going to enjoy science. Who knows, maybe some day he or she will be that professor with a gleam in their eye and a multi-million dollar "toy". 


Brilliant kids science activities that will enhance your curriculum or keep your own children busy and happy over the weekend.






My kids love doing fun science activities


Did you enjoy this list? I'd love to send you new ideas as they're published and remind you of great activities as they come into season. Sign up for the Thriving STEM monthly newsletter.

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