Science
Painting with Straws
Drop a couple of drops of paint onto a piece of paper, and give your child a straw to blow the paint with. Be sure that they just use the straw as a blower -- something to move the paint around with. Some kids like to put their straws directly into the paint. Kids love doing this, but be careful with their clothes. Things can get a bit ...(read more)
Wind Spinners
To get ready for the activity, begin by cutting the top and bottom off an empty and clean two-liter bottle. Then, help your child to paint bright slanted stripes in alternating colors. Allow paint to dry. Once the paint has dried, cut the painted plastic tube into a spiral. Trim the end so that is squared, then use a hole punch to make a hole for ...(read more)
Lava Lamps
Take a jar or bottle of any size and pour a small amount of vegetable oil in it and then pour a small amount of water into the same bottle. Add a few drops of food coloring if you want to color the liquid. Then add sparkles, confetti and glitter if desired and close the lid. You have made a lava lamp. Have the kids shake the jar ...(read more)
Fun with Melting Ice
Kids will love this game of watching a toy slowly melt out of a block of ice. Begin by cutting the top off an empty, clean milk carton. Put a toy inside and fill the milk carton with water -- you don't have to fill it all the way, just enough to comfortably cover the toy. Then put the milk carton in the freezer until frozen solid. ...(read more)
Bubble Painting
In a cup, mix equal parts of water and dishwashing liquid (not dishwasher detergent). Add paint to this mixture until you get the color you want. Use a straw to blow bubbles in the paint mixture until the bubbles froth up a bit over the cup -- older kids can do this part on their own. Your child can then gently lay a piece of paper on ...(read more)
Blowing in the Wind (Creating a Wind Vane)
Teach your kids about wind and the weather with this fun activity. Decorate a large piece of construction paper with markers, paints or other art supplies. Then roll it into a long tube (about the size of a paper towel tube) and staple or tape the paper along the edge, fastening it together like a cylinder. Once the paper is securely fastened, tape pieces of crepe paper or ...(read more)
DIY Chia Head
Take a clear plastic cup and make a face using pipe cleaner for the mouth, a pom-pom for the nose and googly eyes. Then fill the cup 3/4 of the way with potting soil and plant grass seeds in it. The kids can water it each day and watch the grass (or hair) grow. When the grass gets long enough the kids can give their funny-faced friend ...(read more)
Make Your Own Cloud
Kids love looking for shapes and animals in the clouds. Here's a fun way to bring the weather indoors: Cut off the top third of a 2-liter plastic bottle (leave cap on). Turn the top of the bottle upside down, and put 1 cup of ice inside. Then, fill the bottom of the bottle with 1 cup of hot water. Quickly, put the top part of ...(read more)
Paper Cup Telephone
Take 2 sturdy paper cups. Poke small holes in the bottom of each cup. String a long (6 ft or so) piece of yarn or kite string through the holes and secure with a knot. Pull the string tight and you can talk and listen through your 'telephones'. Sound really travels, kids can do this for hours!(read more)
Popsicle Painting
Paint pictures on white paper using different colors of popsicles. You can use this activity to illustrate the concept of melting ice turning into water.(read more)
Window Sill Garlic
Plant an unpeeled garlic clove in potting soil, pointed end up. Cover completely, water every few days, and keep in the sun. The garlic will grow, and your child will get a kitchen window lesson in botany and life cycles.(read more)
Static Science
Blow up four water balloons with air. Ask your kids to rub the balloon quickly on their hair. Now, most of us know that static electricity will lift your hair if you hold the balloon a small distance away from your head, but a water balloon will "stick" to your hair, your hands, your arm, your tummy and even the walls! You must rub the balloon where ...(read more)
Colored Ice
Young children are fascinated by changes in their environment. This activity is a very simple way (especially on a hot day) to cool off while learning a little about science. Make ice cubes with water that has been colored with food dye. Best colors are red, blue, green, as those colors tend to make the brightest ice. Place the frozen ice cubes in bags and set ...(read more)
Kitchen Fork Chimes
Make a wind chime using your old forks and spoons. Begin by drilling a small hole into the end of a few old forks and spoons, then thread fishing line through the hold and tie off the end. Then, give your child a bowl of beads to string onto the fishing wire, decorating the wind chimes. Once your child has finished stringing the beads onto each of ...(read more)
Shoot the Breeze
Show your child how to fold paper into a fan, accordion-style. Make two fans. Roll up tiny tissue balls and see who can fan his ball the fastest across the table.(read more)
Jellybean Surprise
Fill an ice cube tray with 7-Up. Put different colored jellybeans in each section and see what happens! Freeze the tray and add the colored ice cubes to a clear cup of 7-Up. What happens then?(read more)
Peeling a Raw Egg
If your child fancies him or herself as a "scientist," try this simple experiment to see the effects of acid on a common everyday food item. Carefully place a raw egg inside a clear glass. Pour in enough white vinegar to cover the entire egg. Let it sit for a few days in a secure place. Eventually, the egg will become see-through. The acid in the vinegar ...(read more)
Paper Body Parts
Cut out ovals and circles from construction paper to make body parts -- one circle for the head; a large oval for the body; and a series of circles and ovals for the arms and legs. Help your child to assemble the body from the parts by attaching the ovals and circles with brass fasteners where the joints should be. Glue on yarn for hair and draw face ...(read more)
Sink or Swim?
Fill a small tub with water and ask your child if they think an object will sink or float. Then have them place (or toss depending on how messy you want to be) in the water. What happens next?(read more)
Water Cycle: The Cotton Ball & Water Activity
Read a book about rain...suggested titles are : It's Raining Cats and Dogs: All Kinds of Weather and Why We Have It by Franklyn M. Branley; April Showers by George Shannon; or any book with a story that involves rain. Introduce the topics of Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, and Collection. Evaporation is caused by the heat of the sun, it dries up the rain and it becomes vapor that goes ...(read more)
Dye your Daisies
A fun way to help your child visualize how plants use water is to add a few drops of food coloring to a glass of water, then place a white daisy into the glass. Over the next few days the daisy will change colors as it "drinks" the water. Experiment using different colors. This activity also works with a white carnation or a stalk of celery. (read more)
Inside Out Science
Science isn't just projects, it's everywhere. My kids enjoy learning about things by taking them apart to see what's inside. Collect a few flowers and examine them together. Talk about their texture, take them apart carefully so you can see how they're made. Squish them in your hands to feel how much moisture is inside. Try this with different kinds of flowers. Seeds work ...(read more)
Paper Airplanes
Kids love making paper airplanes. At home, on trips, anywhere. When children are younger, it's usually best if the grown-up makes the planes and the kids color them before launching them into the air. When they get older, they can make their own. Be sure to let them experiment with different designs. It's also fun to track which ones fly farthest or do the most ...(read more)
Tin Can Phones
Take two tin cans (soup cans work well) and poke a small hole in the center of the bottom of each. Cut about 6 to 8 feet of fishing line or string. Poke each end of the string through the hole in each of the cans from the outside and tie several large knots. Pull the string tight, talk into one can and have your friend listen ...(read more)
Egg Drop
Wrap several raw eggs in different materials (toilet paper, newspaper, etc.) Let your child help choose the materials and wrap the eggs. Then place each wrapped egg in a plastic bag. Now you're ready to test them to see which wrapping protects the egg from breaking. You'll definitely want to go outside for this in case some egg leaks out of the bag. If you have a ...(read more)
Go Fish!
Create a fishing pond for your toddler. With your child, cut out several paper fish from construction paper and attach a paper clip to each fish. Then tie a string to one of end of the fishing pole (yardstick or other rod) and a magnet to the other end of the string. Your child can lay out the fish on the floor and go fishing by trying ...(read more)
Bouncing Raisins
Try this experiment to make raisins bounce in a glass of water: Add 4 tablespoons of vinegar and 3 tablespoons of baking soda to glass or jar that is half-full of water. Drop about 8 raisins, one at a time, into the water. They may sink at first, but they will soon rise to the surface. They will sink again and rise, creating a bouncing effect, ...(read more)
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Savvy Welcomes Jacque Grillo's 10 New Year's Resolutions for Parents
TEN PARENT RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR Resolve that one day each week will be a day without television, videos, computers, and electronics of any sort. Shut the things off. Reclaim your homes. Resist the pressure to become your child's
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