This is a great, fun way to introduce chemical reactions to children. Even if they’re too young to understand the chemistry behind the reactions themselves, just the idea that a substance can change when another is added is a really useful concept to start to grasp. We tested alka seltzer and popping candy to see which…
Every now and then we like to try a more ‘traditional’ science experiment and walking water is one I’ve been trying to catch on video for ages. This super simple experiment works quickly and is very impressive. The science behind it, can be a bit tricky for little ones, but you could start by spilling…
This is a fun activity I’ve done with a group of Year 1 children this week as part of their Materials topic to investigate whether wood is waterproof. We talked about the materials we tested being waterproof or not and if they were absorbent or not. Is wood waterproof? Materials LEGO house with no roof Materials…
This simple activity is a great way to demonstrate static electricity and very easy to adapt to different themes. We’ve put a little Valentine twist on it today, but have previously made jumping frogs and jumping ghosts in the same way. Equipment Balloon Paper, cut into shapes. Tissue paper works well, but you could try any…
Did you know play dough conducts electricity and can be used to make circuits? Using play dough is a fun and very low cost way to learn about circuits and electricity. Â In our circuit we use a component called a Light Emitting Diode (LED). Â These are very easy and inexpensive to purchase from online stores…
I think our garden zip line using teddies is one of my favourite activities we’ve ever done, just because it’s so adaptable to children of all ages and abilities. My 4-year-old uses it as a big imaginative game, talking to her teddies, telling them not to be scared and lining them up so everyone gets…
I’ve gone a bit ice crazy this week, and my freezer is full of all kinds of weird and wonderful creations, which I’ll be showing you soon. First up is this block that I froze with straws inside. After letting it melt for a while, we removed the straws and poured coloured water through, so we…
A shoebox catapult is a fun way to learn about elasticity, elastic energy, potential energy and kinetic energy. Children can experiment with different size and shape objects to catapult and with how far they push down the catapult arm. Shoebox catapults are a great activity for practising correct scientific procedures or as a fun engineering project. How…
First up in our coding for kids series is practice at writing instructions. This is a really simple activity with potentially very funny results. I asked my 7 year old to write me two sets of instructions, one for packing his bag for swimming and one for making his favourite sandwich. He did really well, but…
I’m super pleased to be joining the A-Z STEM series again today with a post on science experiment safety. Although the experiments and activities on Science Sparks are very unlikely to cause any harm, proper care should be taken at all times, especially when working with very young children or when using a heat source….
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