Hobbies And Interests
Homemade Volcano
Create a volcanic eruption in your own kitchen using simple ingredients. Empty and clean a plastic soda bottle. Put the bottle in the kitchen sink to avoid making a mess during the eruption. Place a funnel in the top of the bottle. Pour baking soda into the bottle. Mix dish detergent with vinegar. Pour the mixture into the bottle after the baking soda. When the elements mix, the volcano will erupt.
Rainbows
Create a liquid rainbow out of ingredients found in most kitchen cupboards. The rainbow experiment can help teach your child about the density of different liquids. Gather dark corn syrup, liquid dish soap, vegetable oil, rubbing alcohol and water. Pour each liquid into a tall glass, one at a time. Give each liquid time to settle and form different layers based on their density. To differentiate between the liquids, and to make the experiment a little more fun, try coloring each liquid with food coloring.
Saltwater Battery
If your child is having trouble understanding electricity from his textbook, a hands-on experiment with a saltwater battery can bring science to life. From your household materials, assemble a small light bulb, insulated copper wire, alligator clips, magnesium and iron electrodes and a cup of saltwater. Explain how the electrodes in the saltwater send a voltage along the wire to the bulb to make it light.
Hovercraft
You can make a hovercraft from materials lying around the house. Most kids will enjoy this experiment as it results in a toy they can play with at the end. Gather glue, paper, a pencil, a spool, cardboard and a balloon. Carefully cut a square into the cardboard, measuring about 4 by 4 inches. Cut out a small hole in the square. Attach the spool onto the hole with glue. Cut out a circle of paper with a hole in the center of it and glue this piece to the top of the spool. Inflate the balloon. Stretch the balloon over the spool. When the balloon is released, the craft will "hover."