Looking for more ways to keep your kids occupied while your entire family is learning and working from home? We’ve pulled together our 5 favorite science activities with kitchen ingredients and we’ve mapped each one to a science subject matter that’s covered in Legends of Learning.
5 Science Activities With Kitchen Ingredients
These activities will keep your kids busy for hours, and most of the materials are already in your kitchen pantry.
1 – Make a Potato Powered Light Bulb
Legends of Learning subject: Electricity
All you’ll need for this experiment is a potato, a small light bulb, a few copper pennies, some copper wire, and a couple of zinc-plated nails. What will it teach your kids? How chemical reactions take place between two dissimilar metals and how to create electricity. Learn more here.
2 – Make Your Own Ocean Zones In a Jar
Legends of Learning subject: Density of Liquid, Ocean Zones
This activity teaches your kids not one, but two science lessons: liquid density and the ocean zones. Here’s what you’ll need: a clear jar, food coloring, corn syrup, oil, dish soap, water, rubbing alcohol and funnels. Following these instructions, you’ll create the five ocean zones (sunlight, twilight, midnight, abyss, trench) and add them to the jar. Then, talk to your kids about why they think the liquids separated and why certain ones rose to the top.
3 – Make Your Own Invisible Ink
Legends of Learning subject: Chemical Reactions
Can you think of anything more fun than creating your own invisible ink to write and reveal secret messages? Even adults love this activity! All you need is a well-thought chemical combination. You can select yours here.
4 – Growing Crystals
Legends of Learning subject: The Scientific Method
Did you know you can actually grow your own crystals with simple kitchen ingredients like salt and sugar? This super fun experiment not only teaches your kids how crystals form, but is also a great way to introduce your kids to the scientific method. Together you can make a hypothesis, set up your experiment, test, and observe.
5 – Edible Marshmallow Play Dough
Legends of Learning subject: Solids
Less a science experiment, more just a fun activity. Make edible marshmallow play dough with your kids. All you’ll need is large marshmallows, corn starch, coconut oil, and neon food coloring.
