Science
ideas
Wheat Table
• Put wheat in the sand table.
Then put farm animals and the
tractors, etc. in with them. It
was easier to clean up than
sand. You can buy a 40 pound
bag at our local grocery store.
GAK


1/8c (2Tbl) Glue
1/8 c (2Tbl) –Liquid Starch
– a little less than this amount so it is not gooey.


1 drop food coloring
Combine in a bag and mix until all
absorbed.
FLUBBER / Real Silly Putty
In a zip lock bag, place 1 tablespoon
Elmer's glue, 1 tablespoon water and 2
drops of food coloring Mix well. In a
container mix 1/2 cup water and 1
tablespoon Borax. After the glue, water
and food coloring have been mixed, add
1 tablespoon of the borax mixture. Close
Ziploc and mix well. The result is a very,
very close resemblance to the real silly
putty.
Pepper Fun
• In a saucer of water shakes
pepper all over the dish. Then
put dish soap on the child’s
finger. Have them put their
finger in the center of the plate
to see what happens. (all the
pepper goes to the sides!) Cute
and fun!
Cavities
Take an apple and use a straw to poke a
hole in it. Observe what happens to the
apple over time. Discuss why it is
important to brush your teeth daily and
to visit your dentist regularly.
Germs/bacteria
Slice up raw potatoes. Pair children up. One
child in pair cleans hands with baby wipe,
other child puts hands in dirt. Give each
child a potato piece to handle. Then place
each child's potato in a plastic baggie with
his/her name on it. Each day have children
view their bags and record what they see.
Bird Seed Search
Put several items in the bottle, being sure
to note what you used. We used items
like pipe cleaners, crayons, markers,
Lego pieces, small toys, funky key
chains and more. After putting the
items in the bottle, fill the bottle about
3/4 or a little more with bird seed . Seal
well. The children turn and shake the
bottle to see what they can find in the
bird seed .
Sun Painting
• Take a dark color of construction paper
outside with 4-5 distinct objects-blocks,
letters, shapes, scissors, etc. Place the
paper on the ground in direct sunlight
(sidewalk works best), scatter the
objects on the paper and let the sun
work its wonders. After 2-3 hours of
baking, the paper will fade around the
objects. Take the objects off the paper
and you will see that where the objects
are, the paper hasn't faded!
Shiny Penny
• Gather a class supply of old, "dirty"
pennies, a box of salt, and a bottle of
vinegar. Tell the children you need to
clean your pennies and sprinkle some
salt over 2 or 3. When nothing happens,
pour vinegar over a couple more. Next,
mix the salt and vinegar in a pie pan,
and add the pennies. Let them help stir.
Voila! They will appear noticeably
shinier.
Mammal Mommies
• In a baggie (or camera film cups) place
1 cotton ball with a strong smell-cinnamon, vinegar, lemon, vanilla etc.
Make a matching baggie. Provide
enough for each of your students to
have a match. Tell them that they are
going to be mammal mommies in
search of their lost babies. They can
only use their sense of smell to find
them. No talking just smell.
Ooblick
• The children very slowly
added water to the corn
starch, with a little food
coloring just for fun.
When it is mixed
correctly (you find the
right amount of water
through trial and error)
the mixture is hard when
hit but soft if gently
pressed.
Crystals
• Get a jar full of warm water and some
washing soda and put a tablespoon of
the washing soda in the jar. Wait for the
washing soda to dissolve. Tie a
paperclip to a pencil and allow the
paper clip to hang in the solution. Allow
to cool and leave for a few days while
the washing soda crystallizes.
Volcanoes
• Place a small amount of baking
soda into a container. Pour
vinegar over the solution. Watch
what happens!!!
Rising and falling popcorn
• Fill small glass jar 3/4 full of water. Add
2 scoops of baking soda mixing well.
Add a drop or two of food coloring.
Next, add 10 to 15 popcorn kernels or
raisins. Finally, pour vinegar into
mixture. Within a minute or two the
popcorn seeds / raisins will rise to the
top then the bottom continuously.
Shattering Bubbles
• Keep a container of bubble
blowing solution in the fridge.
The next time it is very cold out
side try blowing the cold
bubble solution. You will see
the bubbles shatter instead of
just bursting
Colored Carnations
Carnations in water with food
coloring is to split the stem
of a white carnation into
three sections so that one
is in plain water, one in red
and one in blue. Ask the
children to predict what will
happen and wait to see.
You will get a multicolored
carnation!
Sensory Bottles
• Use clean clear bottle, hot glue tops when
finished. Aloe Vera-fill the bottle about 3/4 full
then add liquid water colors or food coloring
also can add glitter, marbles.
• Fill bottle about 3/4 with Corn syrup and fill the
rest with water add dark colored marbles, Glitter,
hair gel with marker caps
• I have filled bottles with items with out liquids,
children love them too. popcorn - beans - rice bells, aquarium rocks - marker caps - feathers
salt - sand - potting soil ...
Lima Bean Sprout
• Take a paper towel and fold it so that there
are 4 equal sections. Moisten the paper
towel and place it into a small ziplock
baggie. Have the children put in two lima
beans per baggie (note: soak lima beans
over night before doing the activity). Tape
the baggies to the window so that they are
exposed to sunlight. Spray water into the
bag daily to keep the paper towel moist
and watch your beans sprout
Magic String
• Suspend an ice cube in a glass of water.
Have the children take a piece of string,
lay it across the ice and try to pick up the
ice with the string. They won't be able to
do this. Tell them to lay the piece of string
on the ice again and have them sprinkle a
pinch of salt over the string. Count to 10
and lift the string. Magic...it sticks ! Have
fun watching their expressions. Be
prepared to do it over and over again
Dinosaur Egg
• I put a boiled egg into
vinegar for several weeks,
we can take it out each day
and feel it. After a few
weeks it loses the calcium
that makes it hard and
brittle, it becomes soft and
leathery like a real
dinosaur egg might have
felt.
Weighing and Sorting




Set out a large container of
unshelled nuts for children.
Use a balancing scale to
figure out more than, less
than, etc.
Add a muffin tin for sorting
Use mallet to open the nuts
when finished.
For the Birds


Explain how birds
build their nests.
Have materials for
children to build
their nests with.
– Paper, yarn, sticks,
etc.
Sink or Float


Have children sit in a circle
around the object that you have
water in. Talk to them about
what floating and sinking
means.
Hold up one item at a time and
ask the students if they think
that item will sink or swim.
After they predict, put it in the
water and see what happens.
Mix a Rainbow
 Give
children small amount
of red, yellow and blue paint.
 Let children mix the colors to
create the secondary colors.
 Have students use their
paints to paint a rainbow
picture.
Color Wheel
Draw onto a coffee filter with
water based markers.
Add a few drops of water to
each color
Observe the way the spots
expand and colors
separate
Balloon Blow up


At a table, give each child a small cup
containing baking soda and one
containing vinegar. Have the children
pour the vinegar into the baking soda.
Now, pour one inch of vinegar into a
bottle with a small mouth. Put 1
tablespoon of baking soda into a
balloon using a funnel. Place the
balloon opening over the mouth of the
bottle, being careful not to get the
baking soda into the bottle. Gently lift
the balloon so that the baking soda
drops into the bottle.
Spider Webs


Cut pieces of cardboard into 8
inch squares. Cut ½ inch slits
every 1 to 2 inches around the
outside of the cardboard. Pull the
end of the yarn through one slit
and tape it to the back of the
cardboard. Let the children
weave the yarn through the slits
until the project looks like a spider
web.
Marble paint with white paint onto
black paper.
Paper Snake

Fold construction paper strips into a
circle and glue or staple. Thread the
circles onto a piece of yarn, making the
snake. Glue wiggle eyes on the
snake’s head.
Tin Can Phone



Turn two cans upside down and hammer a nail
through the bottom of each can to make a hole in
the center. Remove the nail.
Cut a long length of string. Poke one end through
the bottom of one can, knotting on the inside.
Repeat wit the other end of string in the other can.
Have two children take the can and move apart until
the string is taut.
Rose Colored Glasses



Trace glasses or magnifying
glass. Cut the pattern out
including the lens area.
Cut a piece of cellophane to fit
over the magnifying glass and
tape to the inside of the lens.
Encourage children to explore
their environment using their
colored magnifying glass.
Colored Musical Chairs


Tape different colored
squares on the seats of the
chairs, using a different color
for each chair.
Play music as the children
walk around the chairs.
When the music stops, the
children have to say what
color paper is on their chair.
Tortoise and the Hare




Mark a starting line with masking
tape and mark the finish line ten
feet away.
Lay the circles of the tortoise
and the hare on the starting line.
Give the children a newspaper
to fan the air behind their animal
to make it move.
Have them experiment with the
shape of the newspaper.
Whose Baby?



Cut out pictures of young
and mature animals. Glue
them onto cards.
The children sit in a circle
on the floor; give each
child a card.
The teacher holds a card
and asks “Who has my
baby?”
Other Ideas















Bubbles
Using the telephone
Rainforest animals
Blubber glove
Colored carnations
Digging in the dirt
Texture book or painting
Tasting
Playdough sensory
Mirror and Reflections
Listening games
Cooking
Weather/Changes in
seasons
Caterpillars and Butterflies
Shadows














Raisin Rising
Bone dig
Volcano
Invisible ink with lemon juice
Textures
Hatching an egg
Class garden
Watching and feeding birds
Community helpers
Life Cycles
Gears, clamps and vices
Weighing objects
Sound vibrations
Paper airplanes