Fun Science Activities for School Age Children

For most young children, learning science comes as a natural part of their curiosity of the world and how things work.  Interactions with science occur all the time in our everyday lives and routines.  You can use simple observations about the sky, the clouds, and the wind to predict the weather and as an opportunity to discuss the water cycle.

Besides everyday science lessons, you can help your child learn science through planned hands-on science activities.  You and your child can explore static electricity by using static to light a bulb.  Rub a balloon or a rubber comb on your hair or a sweater until it is statically charged.  Touch the comb to a fluorescent light bulb and watch the static electricity spark through the bulb.

Learn how light separates color by experimenting with a prism.  Play with the prism together and discuss how the colors are affected by sunlight.  Another fun way to experiment with light and colors is to fill a jar about 2/3 full of water and then stir in one teaspoon of milk.  In a dark room, shine a flashlight at different angles through the water and watch the colored tint of the water change as the light is refracted in different ways.

Color wheels are also fun ways to explore light and color.  You can make your own color wheel by tracing the bottom of a small paper cup onto white cardstock.  Cut out the circle and use a ruler to divide it into six sections, like a pizza.  Color each section one shade of a spectrum, beginning with blue, then violet, red, orange, yellow, and green.  Poke a pencil through the center of the color wheel and the middle of the paper cup bottom and secure the wheel to the cup.  If you spin the color wheel quickly, it will appear as white. 

Exploring magnetism and magnetic fields can be especially fun and educational to young children and early school age kids.  Provide your child with assorted shaped and sized magnets and a variety of objects to test for magnetism.  Help your child predict which items the magnet will attract and which ones they won’t as she tests each object.  Also encourage your child to experiment with placing two magnets together to introduce magnetic fields and how they react.  A magnet building set provides children with everything needed to build a variety of structures while learning about magnetic properties.

Chemistry and chemical reactions are another fun part of science in elementary school.  Instead of the traditional volcanic eruption, make a power boat with your child to discover how baking soda mixed with vinegar creates a powerful reaction.  Cut a small hole in the bottom of a 2 liter soda bottle and stick a plastic straw about halfway through.  Seal any gaps around the straw with tape or clay and pour about ¼ cup of vinegar into the bottle.  Place ½ a tablespoon of baking soda inside a paper towel, folding and securely twisting the ends.  Take the bottle to a pool or fill the bathtub with water and make sure the straw points into the water.  Drop in the paper towel with the backing soda and place the bottle in the water.  As the vinegar reacts with the baking soda, the boat will take off through the water!   

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