colour
Blue Sky – Red Sunset
Tweet Whenever it’s not completely filled with clouds, we can see that the sky is blue. As our world turns the sun rises and sets, and as it sets it looks red. These two observations are related. You will need: A torch a transparent container with flat parallel sides (a 10-litre [2½- gallon] aquarium is [...]
Honeycomb Candy
Tweet This is an easy-to-make kitchen science confection that has an interesting texture caused by carbon dioxide bubbles getting trapped within the honeycomb. Ingredients 150 gms sugar 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons water 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda Greaseproof paper Oil, butter or non-stick cooking spray Instructions Coat a sheet of greaseproof paper using oil, butter, [...]
Sudsy Lemon Science
Tweet Here’s a fun activity with a dash of ‘science magic’ that children can perform with your help, using basic materials found in the kitchen. You will need: Empty plastic cups Fresh lemons, sliced into quarters 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons washing up liquid Measuring spoon Plastic spoon or straw for stirring Wet and [...]
Rainbow in a Jar
Tweet Another one that could hardly be simpler, but is also very good science and in this particular version makes a display of wonderful colours. You will need: Blue washing up liquid Corn Syrup Blue and Red food colouring Olive Oil Rubbing Alcohol (Isopropyl Alcohol – available from the chemist) Plus… a spoon measuring cup [...]
Bird in the Cage
Tweet Following on nicely from the Thaumotrope Illusion… You will need: 4 white posterboards or pieces of paper bright red, green and blue coloured paper black marker pen scissors Adult help. Instructions: Cut the same simple shape, such a bird or a fish, from each of the three coloured papers. Glue each shape on [...]
Sharpie Tie Dye
Tweet Let’s do some tie dye…except you don’t have to tie anything! Normal tie dye can be messy and time-consuming. You can get a really cool effect using coloured Sharpie pens on a t-shirt. This is a fun project that even young children can try. You’ll get wearable art and may learn something about diffusion [...]
Spooky Lava Lamps
Tweet Lava lamps are easy to make, but really impressive for children to watch. You will need: A clear plastic bottle or jar A bottle of vegetable oil Water Alka Seltzer Food colouring (a spooky colour!) Instructions Fill the bottle or jar a quarter full with water. Top up to the (near) top with the [...]
Antibubbles!
Tweet Antibubbles are globules of liquid that are surrounded by a thin film of gas. They are a common occurrence, but you may not have noticed them. You will need: Soap Water Sugar Drinking glass Drinking straw. There are a couple of ways you can make and observe antibubbles yourself. One method is to [...]
A Very Simple Rainbow for a Sunny Day
Tweet There are lots of ways to make the spectrum colours appear. Here is a really simple one. You will need Water A sunny day! A white wall A small mirror A shallow dish Instructions Put some water in a shallow dish. Prop up a small mirror in the water at an angle. Place [...]
Spooky Lava Lamps
Tweet Lava lamps are easy to make, but really impressive for children to watch. You will need: A clear plastic bottle or jar A bottle of vegetable oil Water Alka Seltzer or a fizzy vitamin tablet (raspberry is best!) Food colouring (a spooky colour if you’re using Alka Seltzer or you can just use plain [...]