This holiday season, it is just about the right time to add a touch of sparkle to your home activities in the form of fun holiday-themed science experiments. Such hands-on activities are not just a good way to keep kids entertained but also to subtly squeeze in some learning while celebrating the season.
Let’s dive into some of the easiest, most magical science experiments you can try at home with kids who always have that inquisitive question “why?” with each turn. From erupting snow to making your own holiday lights, each one of these experiments will add a touch of festive fun to your science exploration.
1. Erupting Snow Volcano
Materials Needed:
– Baking soda
– Vinegar
– Dish soap
– Glitter (optional)
Snow-or a snow substitute: mix some baking soda with just enough water to create a snow-like texture Food coloring, red and green
Directions
If you have actual snow outside, wonderful! If not, take some baking soda and mix in a little bit of water until it becomes a snow-like texture. You will make a mound with the snow; take your finger and poke a small hole at the top-this will be your “volcano.”. Add a few drops of dish soap, glitter, and food coloring to give that holiday feel in the hole. Finally, pour vinegar over this mixture and watch your snow volcano bubble and fizz!
This is just a simple chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar that makes this eruption effect amaze kids. Moreover, it is a good way to learn about acid-base reactions!
2. Candy Cane Dissolving Race
Materials Needed:
Clear cups or jars Candy canes Hot, warm, and cold water Instructions Fill each jar with different temperatures of water. Drop a candy cane into each jar and start a timer. Ask the kids to predict which candy cane will dissolve the fastest. Observe how the candy canes begin to break down at different speeds in accordance with the temperature of the water.
Kids get to see the red and white stripes mix with the water in some really cool, swirly ways. This experiment will show how temperature impacts the rate at which something dissolves, and is a simple introduction to the concept of physical changes.
3. Snowflake Crystals
Materials Needed:
* Borax powder
* Pipe cleaners
* Boiling water
* Glass jar
* String
Instructions:
1. Bend the pipe cleaner to make a snowflake. Tie a string around it and hook it with a pencil in such a way that it is freely hanging upside down inside the jar.
2. Boil water and fill up the jar carefully with hot water.
3. Put about 3 tablespoons of borax into each cup of water. Stir until all the borax is dissolved.
4. Place the pipe cleaner snowflake into this solution and make sure it is fully submerged.
5. Let it sit overnight. Voilà! You shall see sparkly crystal-coated snowflakes in the morning!
This activity introduces kids to crystallization. As the water cools down, borax particles form crystals on the pipe cleaner, creating a brilliant decoration ready for the holidays.
4. Holiday Slime
Materials Needed:
• White school glue
• Baking soda
• Contact lens solution
• Green or red food coloring
• Glitter (optional)
Instructions:
Mix about 4 oz of glue in a mixing bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda; mix in well. Add in 1 Tablespoon of contact lens solution. Knead until stretchy slime is achieved. Add in glitter for an extra festive touch!
But slime is not only fun to play with; it really is quite a good way to learn about polymers. Slime-making teaches children how different kinds of chemicals can put together new textures and properties.
5. Holiday Lava Lamp
Things Needed:
• Clear jar or bottle
• Vegetable oil
• Water
• Alka-Seltzer tablets
• Food coloring, red or green
Instructions:
1. Fill the bottle two-thirds with oil, then top it off with water.
2. Add a few drops of food coloring and let it settle.
3. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into pieces and drop them in one at a time.
4. Watch as bubbles rise and create a “lava lamp” effect.
Kids absolutely love the colorful blobs floating around! This experiment teaches how oil and water don’t mix and about density and release of gas through bubbles.
6. Reindeer Toothpaste
Foamy Fun
Materials Needed:
Hydrogen peroxide
Dish soap
Warm water
Dry yeast
Brown food coloring
Empty bottle
Instructions:
1. Put ½ cup of the hydrogen peroxide into the bottle.
2. Add a squirt of dish soap and several drops of brown food coloring to make the “reindeer fur.”
3. In another container, mix one packet of yeast with warm water.
4. Quickly pour the yeast solution into the bottle and step back!
They’ll love this foamy eruption that looks like a giant squirt of toothpaste! This is an example of an exothermic reaction, a situation wherein the release of heat is accompanied by the foaming action.
7. Holiday Light Circuits
Materials Needed:
Small LED lights
Copper tape
Coin cell batteries
Festive paper or cardstock
Instructions:
1. Use copper tape to create a simple circuit path on the paper.
2. Place an LED light in the path, but ensure the positive leg of the LED is pointing toward the same direction as the positive of the battery.
3. With another strip of copper tape, complete the circuit with a battery inside to illuminate the LED.
Kids can create drawings of holiday cards and illuminate them! Kids will learn about introductory electric circuits and conductivity in this fun teaching.
8. Snow Globe Sensory Bottles
Materials Needed:
Clear plastic bottle
Baby oil or glycerin
Water
Glitter
Small holiday figurines (optional)
Directions:
Fill bottle half full with water and fill remainder with baby oil or glycerin.
Add glitter and small figurines if desired.
Tightly screw the lid on, shake and watch as “snow” falls slowly!
These homemade snow globes are quite mesmerizing to watch, apart from being a wonderful way to learn about density and suspension.
The holiday season has just gotten a little brighter with these experiments. It adds that much-needed magic to your home and curiosity for learning. Be it the growth of crystals of snowflakes, the eruption of volcanoes, or the making of reindeer toothpaste, each has its own magic factor that makes the activity fun and intriguing.
Plus, these experiments make for fabulous holiday memories! Break out the supplies, round up the kids, and get set for a holiday full of fun, learning, and just a little bit of magic courtesy of science.
For more holiday ideas in science and some creative activities to do with kids, be sure to visit other posts on our site!
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