Choice chambers are an investigative method used to study animal behaviour and to determine the favoured conditions for a habitat. It is a very simple investigation to set up, and one that kids love as it involves searching for insects and then predicting and watching. The living organisms that we chose to study were woodlice,…
This week we are investigating why balls bounce and how different balls bounce differently on different surfaces. Balls bouncing seems like a simple concept, but the science behind it is quite complicated, so please bear in mind that we have simplified it for our audience. I asked the children to choose three balls of different…
It is always tricky to get children to understand that living things can get eaten by other living things. We have tried very hard to make sure my children know that a chicken in a packet was once a live chicken and that they are food for us. So with that in mind, we decided…
Growing cress is great for a fun, fast, educational gardening project. Cress is inexpensive, easy to grow and a fantastic way to teach children about germination and the conditions needed for healthy plants to grow. We grew our cress caterpillar in an egg box and watered the seeds a little each day. How to grow…
We love a science experiment that seems like a magic trick, and this activity is one of the best. We’re going to find out how to make hot ice. Imagine saying to people, ‘I can make hot ice!’ They wouldn’t believe you would they? As far as science theory goes, they shouldn’t, we know that…
Here at Science Sparks, we love experiments using eggs. Eggs are generally inexpensive and can usually be eaten before or after the activity, so there’s no waste. These are my five favourite Egg Experiments. Five Eggy Experiments Make an eggshell disappear Make an eggshell disappear! This is like magic! Watch the shell of an…
I wanted to get my children thinking about the process of investigation today, so we talked about how we could test whether some structures were stronger than others using DUPLO. They decided to build three different shaped towers and test them by rolling a ball at them. The first is a simple tower, the second…
When I brought out the spaghetti and marshmallows, I think my children thought we were having some kind of weird and wonderful dinner, not building structures. This is a great STEM activity for children of most ages, as you can tailor it to their understanding. I let my 2-year-old build whatever she wanted, and she…
Today we are looking at the difference between things being wet and dry. This investigation is so simple I did it with my 18 month old,  who loved dipping her fingers in the different pots and saying ‘wet’, so it is a great preschool science activity but can also be extended for older children. What you…
Why does food rot? Have you ever noticed that if you leave an apple (or any fruit ) for too long, it starts to rot or decay? This can lead to significant food waste, so it’s important to understand how to store food items to keep them as fresh as possible. Why does food rot?…
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