10 Fun Experiments You Can Do at Home With Kids

I don't know about you but I always find that the more hands on something is (and the more messy!) the more my kids take it all in and have fun doing it too. Whilst writing and reading tasks definitely have their place when it comes to learning, I have quickly found that my kids love learning through fun experiments and trying things for themselves.

Over the last few weeks we have mixed things up work wise and completed tasks set by school but also mixing that with some super fun S.T.E.M activities, fun science experiments and some messy fun too. Its been great watching the kids being so intrigued by different experiments and they have been making predictions in their home learning books too making it both fun and educational.

So I thought I would share 10 of our favourite hands on activities and experiments from other parent bloggers on the blog today for you to try yourselves that everyone can get involved at trying including mum and dad! Here they are ...

Make A Bouncy Egg 

The idea of making an egg bounce sounds impossible right? I mean eggs are delicate and crack under any pressure so how could you possibly make an egg bounce? Well this fun experiments answers those questions and teaches you how to make your own bouncy egg! 

To complete this experiment you will need 1 raw egg (or more if you want to try a few), white vinegar, a bowl, golden syrup, food dye, kitchen roll and scales. This experiment does take place over a couple of days as the egg needs to be left to soak so it isnt one that can be done in one day. However the results are definitely worth it! Why not get the kids to predict what they think might happen and to make notes on the changes they see each day too. 

You can find the full instructions on how to do this experiment over on the Twinderelmo blog. 

Paper Towel Art

Who doesn't love a bit of magic that will have the kids ooing and ahhing as their pictures magically appear before their eyes. Well that's exactly what this paper towel art does, you place a seemingly blank paper towel into the paper and watch the picture appear.

The get started you will need some squares of paper towel, marker pens (permanent & washable), a shallow tray/plate or water and some scissors. You can get as creative as you like with as much detail as you please. Just remember to use the permanent markers for the details you don't want to smudge/spread and the washable pens for the bits you do want to blend.

You can get full details on how to do this experiment over on the Messy Little Monster blog.

Jelly Bean Architecture

Most kids love the build, whether its LEGO, Duplo, towers from the sofa cushions or play doh creations but this fun activity combines the love of building with yummy jelly beans too! The only real limit with this is your imagination.

All you need for this activity is lots of jelly beans and cocktail sticks (you would also use dry spaghetti but this is quite brittle and tends to break when pushed into the jelly beans). Then just let them go wild and get creative. It might be best to start of creating some simple 3D shapes to get the "knack" on building. However once they have the "knack" they can build towers, buildings and let their imagination come to life. Whats more when all is done they can even eat the jelly beans too if they want too.

You can get lots of inspiration and full instructions over on the Hodge Podge Days blog.

Make A Water Compass

A compass is an interesting bit of kit isn't it? And if you have ever been to a scout or rainbows group (or similar) then you will have probably used one before. But this water compass uses a magnified paper clip and a leaf to help you work out where north is!

All you will need to make your water compass is a shallow dish of water, a paper clip, a leaf and a magnet.

You can find full instructions on creating your water compass and how to use it on The Gingerbread House blog.

Melting Ice Tuff Tray

Tuff trays are always a winner in our house. They are super versatile, can be used indoors and outdoors and whilst they are large they are fairly flat too so can be stored away behind a cupboard or shed when not in use.

Since tuff trays are a bit of a blank canvas you are free to get as creative as you please when it comes to experiments and fun you can have in them. However we are loving this ice melting themed tuff tray, full of different tools and various sized blocks of ice its a fun one for kids to explore. Plus the tuff train contains all the mess!

You can find more tuff tray inspiration as well as more details on how to set this tuff tray up over at Arthurwears blog.

Homemade Sherbet Powder

Who loves sherbet? It's my dads favourite and I always buy him a find sherbet fountains or dib dabs for his birthday. So when I came across this great post showing us how to make our own I knew the kids would love getting involved too.

I remember making this at youth club when I was younger and the kids loved making it too. All you need to make this is food grade citric acid and icing sugar. You could change it up by adding some different colours of flavours with things such as jelly granules, fruit powders or flavour extracts. Don't forget some lolly pops to dip into your sherbet too.

You can find the full instructions on making this delicious sherbet over at The Mum Diaries blog.

Shaving Foam Rain Clouds

Weather is pretty fascinating isn't it? When it rains, or thunders my kids are always drawn to the window and don't even get them started in hail, they are out there trying to catch in even in their pjs!

So I knew this super fun weather experiment would get a bug thumbs up and it doesn't disappoint. This shaving foam rain clouds activity helps children to see what happens when water is mixed with foam and colouring. The experiment is a great way to help explain how rain clouds are formed and how water vapour rises into the air.

For this experiment you will need a clear glass jar, shaving foam, food colouring, cold water and a plastic spoon. 

You can find the full instructions and more about this experiment over on the Kiddy Charts blog.

Is It Warm or Cold Experiment

Splish spash, if your kids love splashing around in water as much as mine do then this is an experiment you are going to want to try. Its super simple yet really effective too and will really have to kids baffled. They will need to place their hands in the cold and warm bowl before placing them into the middle bowl and waiting for the brain to be confused.

For the experiment all you need is three bowls, one containing cold water, one containing luke warm water and the third containing warm water (nice and toasty but not hot!). When you place then down ensure they remain in that order (cold, luke warm then hot) on the table for the experiment to work.

You can find out more about how this experiment works and how to set it up properly over on The Brick Castle blog.

Jelly Baby Wave Machine

Now for this experiment your going to need a bit of room but it is definitely worth it, I mean lets face it what kid isn't going to be impressed by a jelly baby wave machine, heck even I am impressed!!

For this you will need Jelly babies, 20+ wooden skewers, duct tape (or similar wide, strong take) and 2 tables or chairs to attach your machine too. This is also a two person experiment so its wise to have someone to give you a hand when needed. Once complete and set up you are ready to create your own wave, as you life one end and watch the energy travel through the "wave". Kids will be fascinated by this for ages and even better when its all over they can eat the jelly babies too!

You can find the full instructions on how to create your very own jelly baby wave machine over on the Kiddy Charts blog.

Walking Water Rainbow

Everyone loves looking at a beautiful rainbow but with this fun experiment you can create a rainbow in your very own kitchen or living room. This fun and easy to do experiment is perfect for everyone from pre-schoolers to teens who will all be fascinated watching the water "walk" across the jars to create a rainbow.

To do this you will need 6 small jars or cups, kitchen/paper towel preferably white, liquid food colouring and of course water. Let the kids help you set up the jars with colour/ water in each, if you want to make the experiment a learning experience you could ask them to predict what might happen or predict what colours might appear as different colours blend together.

You can find the full instructions (and see some beautiful walking water creations!) over on the Messy Little Monster blog.


Do you have any activities, tasks or experiments that your kids love doing? Or perhaps something you remember doing and loving from your childhood? Please do share them in the comments below as I would love to hear about them.

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