It’s important to read stories and teach math to little kids. Chemistry is a subject that is grossly overlooked when it comes to engaging little minds. This is unfortunate since there are both fun and safe experiments out there to help in teaching chemistry to little kids.
I have selected 3 of my favorite chemistry experiments to share with you below: 1) Make a Volcano; 2) The Egg Float; 3) Bath Time Prep
These experiments use everyday items in your home making them cost effective as well as engaging.
1. Make a Volcano
Make your very own volcano – my little ones squeal with delight with this one.
What you will need:
– Some Baking Soda (also known as Bicarbonate of Soda)
– Household Vinegar
– A bowl
Instructions:
Place a generous amount of baking soda at the bottom of the bowl. Pour in the vinegar until the combination starts to bubble. Enjoy the safe volcanic eruption!
What to explain: Teaches the concept of acids and bases
Baking soda is a base while vinegar is an acid. When mixed together, they neutralize each other to form carbonic acid which is unstable. It is the carbonic acid that flows out the bowl and makes a mess.
You can also give them different examples of acids and bases in the house.
Acids – lemons and lemon juice, vinegar
Bases – Toothpaste and cleaning agents (Handy Andy contains ammonia)
To make this even more fun, you can mix powdered food coloring with the Baking Soda before adding the vinegar to make a colored eruption.
2. The Egg Float
What happens when you add salt to an egg in water?
What you will need:
– An egg
– A tall, clear glass
– Salt
– Water
Instructions:
Fill the glass halfway with water and stir in about 6 teaspoons of salt. Fill up the remainder of the class with clean water being sure not to disturb the salty mixture.
Now lower the egg very gently into the glass with a dessert spoon and watch what happens.
What to explain: Teaches the concept of density
This experiment teaches kids that the denser a liquid is, the easier it is for objects to float in it. For this reason, if the experiment is done correctly, the egg should float between the clean and salty water.
The salty water is denser than the clear water – therefore the egg floats in the salty section and sinks in the clear water section.
You can explain to them that the ocean is salty which means it is very dense. Objects will float in salty water if they are less dense than salty water.
3. Bath Time Prep – this is not really an experiment but is still fun.
This one teaches you how to make colorful bath salts to use at bath time.
What you will need:
– A cup of washing soda
– A rolling pin
– A Ziploc bag
– A bowl and spoon
– Essential oil – the more scents, the better
– Some food coloring – the more colors you have, the better
– Jars for storage
Instructions:
Place the washing soda into the Ziploc bag and crush it with the rolling pin by applying pressure. Once crushed, throw the pieces into a bowl (use more than 1 bowl if you have different colors).
Drop a few drops of essential oil into the bowl with the washing soda. You can use different bowls for different fragrances.
Add food coloring and mix until the pieces are completely covered.
A good idea is to color each fragrance with a different color.
Once coated with fragrance and color, pop them into a jar for storage.
You can have fun decorating the jar lids using glue and shells or buttons to make them look pretty. Tie some ribbon around the neck of the jars and voila! Molecular Orbitals Study Guide will help you in teaching chemistry to little kids.
How to use:
Throw some of your home-made bath salts into the water at bath time and watch them melt!
This experiment is very gratifying and works particularly well with little girls.
There you have it, three fun and safe experiments. They are inexpensive and educational at the same time. A great way to spend time with the little ones and teach them at the same time.
Happy experimenting!
This article was written by StudyFAQ Community.