From mentos in a bottle to playing with rainbows: science experiments kids can do at home | science

Children and adults alike may be stuck at home during this year’s Science Week, but that doesn’t mean the pursuit of knowledge has to be put on hold too.

Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki told Guardian Australia that children today may have access to a wealth of information on the Internet, but touching it is the next step.

“Science is not a set of facts, it is an encyclopedia,” said Dr. Karl. “The nice thing about doing physical experiments right at home is that you can see it right in front of your eyes and know that you are dealing with reality.”

“Science is a way of understanding the world around you, and when you do cute little experiments you begin to understand that there is actually a little more going on around you than you think.”

Dr. Remember Fagan-Jeffries, a wasp expert from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum, produced a show called Science and Magic that ran during Science Week 2019 and the Adelaide Fringe 2020.

She said there are many easy ways to stimulate a child’s natural curiosity.

“When you work with children, they’re born scientists because they like to ask questions and aren’t afraid to ask questions,” she said. “What is really all that science is.”

For those looking for suggestions, Questacon has a variety of fun science experiments on their website, but for simplicity we’ve picked out a few of our favorites, ranked by difficulty – with some recommendations from Dr. Karl and Dr. Fagan-Jeffries.

Beginner

1. The classic: Geyser from the bottle

Add a mentos to a bottle of carbonated carbonated drink and you have a classic. When the resulting carbon dioxide builds up, it is finally made to break out by the liquid. Brushing up on the trick to keep it new and interesting is simple: just add the scaling.

2. Keep it simple: egg in a bottle

Another oldie, but a goldie: use a glass bottle with an opening slightly smaller than a hard-boiled egg, light a piece of paper, put it in and place a peeled hard-boiled egg on top. Watch the egg slide into the bottle through the opening.

Then, when you’re really good at it, use the same process to get the egg back out.

While simple, the experiment is a working demonstration of the relationship between the volume, pressure, and temperature of the gases both in and around the cylinder. The egg forms a seal as the heat inside the bottle builds air pressure until the oxygen inside can escape, reducing the amount of air inside the bottle. Since the air pressure outside the bottle does not change, it begins to gently push the egg through the opening.

In between

3. Fluid dynamics: playing with rainbows

To take it a step further – but not to the point where you’re playing with fire – you’ll need a shallow bowl, whole milk, some paint, and dish soap. Pour the milk into the bowl, drip the paint in, then add a drop of dish soap to the center to watch a colorful tie-die effect unfold. It does this because of the molecular mechanics of soap – figuring out why this is a good research project later.

Others from Dr. Variants suggested by Karl include soaking pepper in water and adding dish soap to watch the body move. Another is to wrap four M & M’s around the rim of a plate and then fill it with 90 ° C water. While the dyes in the sugary peels dissolve in the water, the dyes mix but do not mix.

“They start getting closer and then something happens! Then you wonder why in the world did this happen? ”He said. “Then you have to do some research to find out.”

Progressive

4. Wow factor: hot ice cream

This experiment requires some equipment, but it’s worth it – although it should only be done under parental supervision. We’ll leave the video to explain the process and science, but it teaches how to make a supersaturated solution that instantly crystallizes. The “ice” produced is hot rather than cold, demonstrating an exothermic reaction and the heat of crystallization.

Once you master the basics, you can also try having fun by making ice towers and flowers right away.

5. The dangerous: hybrid rocket engine

The first thing budding engineers and rocket scientists learn is that there are three types of rocket engines: liquid propellant, solid propellant, and hybrid engines, which are based on both types of propellant. As it turns out, you can make your own simple hybrid engine out of yeast, hydrogen peroxide, and uncooked pasta. When yeast and hydrogen peroxide are mixed together, pure oxygen is created. Light the noodles and you have a simple rocket motor.

This is another attempt that should only be done under parental supervision, and the how-to video below has some important safety tips.

6. Bonus option: go to the back yard

The other option is to go to the back yard to explore the great outdoors. Bush Blitz – Australia’s largest nature discovery program – has prepared a treasure hunt for Science Week where participants can look for new species in their backyards or on their walls.

“I’m a taxonomist and work on insects, so my science is less about mixing bicarb and vinegar together to see an explosion – which is fun. My science is about going outside to see the ecosystem and understand our biodiversity. So the living beings in the environment, ”says Dr. Fagan-Jeffries.

“We believe that 70% of the animals, plants and fungi in Australia have not yet been described. They were not discovered by western science and were not given a name that means that anyone can find a new species – if they look closely enough. “

For instructions on how to participate, see the Bush Blitz website.