When making some jelly last week, I noticed the packet said it wouldn’t set if pineapple, kiwi or papaya were added to it. We decided to find out why pineapple stops jelly setting. If you love science in the kitchen don’t forget we’ve also got 50 fun kitchen science experiments and ideas for a science…
We have a little magnet kit that we play with frequently. It’s great fun, and the children are always so surprised that they can actually feel the force pushing the magnets apart. To explain magnetism further, we made a magnet maze. First, we played to see which type of objects a big magnet stuck to….
Before we had clocks and watches, people used sundials to mark the passing of time. A sundial measures time by the sun’s position and usually has markings for each hour of sunlight. Sundials have something in the centre that casts a shadow over the markings showing the time. There are lots of ways to make…
These Key Stage 2 science experiments are great for school or home and perfect to sit alongside science in the classroom for Key Stage 2 in the UK or for children aged between around 7-11 who love science! If a science challenge is more your thing, we’ve got easy STEM challenges using newspaper, FREE STEM Challenge cards and lots…
Green plants make sugar for growth by a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process where light energy is converted to chemical energy in the form of sugars. Photosynthesis provides the main source of oxygen in the atmosphere and is essential for almost all life on Earth. Photosynthesis made simple Plants use sunlight, water, and…
I was so surprised at how well these easy paper spinners ( or paper helicopters ) worked. They take less than two minutes to put together, spin amazingly well and inspire some great investigations. They are also part of my Tray a Day series, which is a program of science activities using simple materials that…
I can’t take the credit for this one as my 9 year old made it in school last year, but it’s just too good not to have on Science Sparks. I love that it’s more than just a circuit. One of my daughters made a long torch and the other a head torch. Both are…
Light travels in straight lines through empty space. If it hits an object some of it is reflected back and the rest is absorbed by the object. It is this reflection of light that allows us to see objects around us. The walls, tables and chairs in your room don’t emit their own light, you…
I’ve lost count of the number of water science experiments we’ve done over the years. Water is pretty amazing. Did you know it is the only natural substance to exist in three physical states at temperatures naturally occurring on Earth? Facts about Water Water has lots of properties that make it just brilliant for simple…
Visible or white light is made up of a range of colours each with a different wavelength. One way to see the different colours is to use a prism to split the light. When white light enters the prism it slows down and changes direction. The amount the light changes depends on the wavelength. Red…
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