Creekside Learning shares a fun tutorial for creating your own catapults from popsicle sticks.

Check out this Seek-n-find Alphabet Game from Mama Miss.

This activity that combines flubber and baskets from Juggling with Kids looks like TONS of fun!

Have an idea or activity to share??? Link up below! Next week I’ll be sharing my favorites from the ones you submit!

Feel free to add the button to the post you’re submitting!

Yet another fun and exciting experiment from our Fascinating Science for Kids eBook (get yours now…it’s currently free)!  This post was inspired by The Recipe Room, Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas, and Steve Spangler Science.

Just so you are not confused, this is not a real lava lamp…you can’t plug it into the wall or anything.  But it does, however, imitate the look of a lava lamp!

Here’s what you’ll need: a 16 oz. or 1 liter bottle (we used a 2-liter and it used WAY too much oil), vegetable oil (or whatever kind you have), water, a funnel, food coloring, and Alka-Seltzer tablets.

*Alka-Seltzer tablets are considered medicine and contain aspirin.  Do not let your child handle this medication.*

1.  Fill your plastic bottle half-full with oil.  This is why I suggest using a smaller bottle…we used over half a bottle of oil with this experiment alone!

2.  Fill the remaining half with water.  Have your children watch as the water separates and slowly sinks to the bottom (because it is heavier than the oil).

3.  Add 10 drops of food coloring (use only 1 color).

4.  Cut one Alka-Seltzer tablets into fourths.  Again, do not let a child handle the Alka-Seltzer tablet as it is medication.

5.  Drop a fourth of the piece of Alka-Seltzer into the top of the bottle and watch what happens!

6.  To get the “lava-lamp” effect, you’ll need to add another fourth of Alka-Seltzer every 30 seconds or so.

The Science Behind It:

Both the water and the food coloring sink to the bottom of the bottle while the oil floats at the top because water is heavier than oil.  The food coloring dissolves in the water but not in the oil.  When you drop the piece of Alka-Seltzer into the bottle, it reacts with the water and creates carbon dioxide gas bubbles.  Because the food coloring has already dissolved into the water, the bubbles are “colored” and float to the top!  Once they ‘pop’, the colored bubbles sink back to the bottom of the bottle.

Download your free Science eBook with this experiment and 14 others by clicking below and entering your e-mail address.  You’ll immediately receive an e-mail that will have the link to the eBook!  If you would rather not be an e-mail subscriber, “like” us on Facebook and then send us a private message to claim your FREE eBook.

This was my favorite of our Fascinating Science for Kids experiments…although it only lasted about 20 seconds.  The boys, Prince Charming, and I were all amazed with what happened when we dropped Mentos into a bottle of diet soda!

I originally found this experiment on Kitchen Pantry Scientist as well as Steve Spangler Science!

Here’s what you’ll need:  a package of Mentos, a 2-liter of diet soda (dark-colored works best), tape, and a piece of construction paper (or this Steve Spangler Geyser Tube).  *Tip:  Get the cheapest Diet Soda you can find!*

 1.  Cut your piece of construction paper in half.  Begin rolling the construction paper as tightly as possible around the Mentos to make a cyclinder.  Check to make sure that it is small enough to fit inside the top of your 2-liter bottle.  It won’t work correctly unless the cylinder easily fits in the top of your 2-liter.

 2.  After you’ve made the cyclinder, unwrap the mentos and place them inside.  Hold your hands over the bottom of the cylinder to keep them from falling out.

Or…if you want a sure-fire way to make it work without using the construction paper, you can buy this plastic tube created specifically for this purpose that can be reused over and over again…

 3.  Place the 2-liter of Diet Soda in the middle of your yard and remove the lid.  Children should stand at least 15 feet away.  Have an adult take the cylinder filled with unwrapped-Mentos (still holding the bottom with your hand) and quickly place it in the top of a the bottle.  Run back as fast as you can…unless of course, you want a Diet Soda shower!

The cameraman (aka Prince Charming) didn’t stand far back enough to capture just how high the geyser went, but I would venture to guess it was at least 20 feet!

Investigating the bottle afterwards…we were all amazed!

The Science Behind It:

Even scientists are stumped by this phenomenon.  But many speculate that when you drop the Mentos into the soda, you break the surface tension.  Soda is bottled with carbon dioxide (which makes it fizz).  When you drop the Mentos into the bottle, tiny bubbles form around each of the tiny indentations on the Mentos.  And because the Mentos are heavy, they sink to the bottom.  When all of this gas is released, it pushes all of the soda up at an incredible force!

Download your free Science eBook with this experiment and 14 others by clicking below and entering your e-mail address.  You’ll immediately receive an e-mail that will have the link to the eBook!  If you would rather not be an e-mail subscriber, “like” us on Facebook and then send us a private message to claim your FREE eBook.

This super-simple experiment, originally from the Questacon Science Club, might stump even the smartest of adults!

Here’s what you’ll need:  a balloon, a 2-liter plastic bottle (I used a 16 oz. bottle, but the 2-liter will work better), a thumbtack, and a nail.

Begin by asking the following question:  Can you blow up a balloon inside a bottle?  

Try it out…

1.  Put your balloon into the top of your bottle and stretch the neck over the bottle opening.   Try to blow the balloon up while it is still in the bottle.

Does it work?

Nope, the balloon will barely budge.

Try this…

Use a thumbtack to puncture a hole in the bottom of your plastic bottle.  Use a nail to make the hole larger, to there it is at least 1/4 inch in diameter.

Again, place the balloon in the top of the bottle and stretch the neck over the bottle opening.  Try blowing it up again.

It worked!

The Science Behind It:

In order for a balloon to blow up, you must force air inside it.  However, when you try to blow the balloon up inside an “empty” bottle, you can’t because the bottle is actually already filled with air!  Our lungs don’t exert enough pressure to force the air out of the bottle.  Once you poke a hole in the bottle, some of the air can escape as you blow more air into the balloon!

You could also do what Questacon Science Club did and trick a friend with this experiment.  :)

Find this experiment and many more in my FREE Fascinating Science for Kids eBook!

Download your free Science eBook by clicking below and entering your e-mail address.  You’ll immediately receive an e-mail that will have the link to the eBook!  If you would rather not be an e-mail subscriber, “like” us on Facebook and then send us a private message to claim your FREE eBook.

Comment #49:  Alyce C. who said, “That would definitely help. I think i would need a back seat organizer for every seat in my minivan!”

Congratulations, Alyce!  You should have received an e-mail from me.

A special thanks to Prince Lionheart for sponsoring this great giveaway and to each of you for entering!

This was definitely one of the boys’ favorite experiments from our Fascinating Science for Kids eBook (that is currently FREE).  We used up almost a whole bag of balloons and a whole bottle of vinegar doing this over and over and over again.  I’m not complaining…I was equally as fascinated by this phenomenon!

Here’s what you’ll need:  a 16 oz. bottle, vinegar, baking soda, a funnel and a balloon (actually several…your kids will want to do it repeatedly).   :) 

1.  Use the funnel to pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar into the bottle.  Rinse and dry the funnel.

 2.  Use the (clean and dry) funnel to put 1 tablespoons of baking soda into the bottom of the balloon.  Shake gently to make sure all of the baking soda falls to the bottom.

 3.   Stretch the open end of the balloon over the neck of the bottle and make sure it is secured tightly.  Let the rest of the balloon hang over the side (while you hold the bottle upright) so that no baking soda falls into the bottle just yet.

 4.   Hold onto the neck of the bottle (where the end of the balloon is) and carefully lift the heavier end of the balloon until you are holding it completely upright.  All of the baking soda should fall into the bottle.  The reaction will be immediate!

 SO COOL!

 The boys loved it so much, we had to try all the colors!  :)

The Science Behind It:

When the baking soda and vinegar mix, it creates a chemical reaction.  We know this because we see bubbles.  This chemical reaction gives off a gas which inflates the balloon.

Download your free Science eBook with this idea and many others by clicking below and entering your e-mail address.  You’ll immediately receive an e-mail that will have the link to the eBook!  If you would rather not be an e-mail subscriber, “like” us on Facebook and then send us a private message to claim your FREE eBook.  

I can’t stand it when my kids are sick.  I feel so helpless and powerless and I automatically jump to the “worst case scenario” mode.  I had myself convinced that Little Brother had meningitis this week because he had a high fever and was holding onto his neck…but it turned out to be strep throat (which can still be serious, but not nearly as bad as meningitis).  A few weeks ago, I was equally convinced that Little Brother had MRSA…but that ended up being a scab from him scratching due to eczema.  Yep, I am a little crazy and paranoid.  Thankfully, my dad is a family physician and can usually put my mind at ease with just a phone call or quick trip to his office.

As much as I hate seeing my children suffer when they are sick, there is one silver-lining…the fact that I get to hold them all day long and cuddle with them.  Besides doling out the medicine, it is one thing that I can do that makes me feel like I am helping the situation.  I can cuddle, love, hold, and rock as long as it takes…and I don’t mind one bit.

So, even on the days that I am nearly sick with worrying about their sicknesses, I will cherish the sick days.  I will put all other things aside to hold, cuddle, and love on my little sicklings.  I will find comfort in knowing that in some small way, I can comfort them with my presence.  That’s the power of a mama.

Continuing our journey through Fascinating Science for Kids (my eBook you can get for FREE here), today we’re exploring the reaction that takes place when yeast is mixed with hydrogen peroxide and a tiny bit of soap.  Preschool Powol Packets (where I first saw this idea) coined the title “Elephant Toothpaste” for this experiment.  I seem to think that name fits rather perfectly!

Here’s what you’ll need:  a 16 oz. bottle, hydrogen peroxide, instant dry yeast, dish soap, food coloring, a funnel, and a large pan.  

*Please note:  Preschool Powol Packets recommends using 6% hydrogen peroxide for a more dramatic effect, which can only be bought at beauty supply stores.  I chose to just take our chances with the hydrogen peroxide we had in our medicine cabinet (which was bought at Walgreens) and I was very satisfied with the results, even though it wasn’t quite as “fluffy”.

 1.  In a small bowl or dish, mix 2 tablespoons of warm water with 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast.  Gently stir together and let sit for a few minutes.

 2.  In your 16-ounce bottle, use a funnel to pour 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide.

3.  Add 4-5 drops of food coloring and a squirt of dish soap to the bottle as well.

 4.  Place the bottle on a large pan and carefully pour the yeast mixture into the bottle.  The reaction will be immediate!

 …Overflowing

The boys were DEFINITELY entertained!

 ”Can we do it again?”

Let your child touch the overflow foam as well…just make sure they wash them promptly afterwards and don’t put their hands in their mouths!

The Science Behind It:

Hydrogen peroxide naturally breaks down into water and oxygen.  The yeast (which is a catalase, an enzyme in all living things) speeds up this process.  The dish soap creates bubbles, which overflow out of the bottle!

Download your free Science eBook with this idea and many others by clicking below and entering your e-mail address.  You’ll immediately receive an e-mail that will have the link to the eBook!  If you would rather not be an e-mail subscriber, “like” us on Facebook and then send us a private message to claim your FREE eBook.  

Did you know that you can make music with your palms?  Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational shares this tutorial for making palm pipes!

It seems like science is on the brain for many-a-blogger these days!  Carrots Are Orange shares a fun soap experiment!

Looking for a frugal and fun teacher appreciation gift?  Cheerios and Lattes shows you how to make Edible Crayons!

Have an idea or activity to share??? Link up below! Next week I’ll be sharing my favorites from the ones you submit!

Feel free to add the button to the post you’re submitting!