Pavement painting.
If you can go outside do it!
Get the kids a paintbrush, a bucket of water and plop them on the sidewalk! Let them paint everything and anything. Then watch as the “paint” magically disappears.
Rapid Racing
Grab some wax paper and a straw.
Drop the water on the wax paper and have the kiddos pick their water droplet. The kids race by blowing the water drops. The droplet to get to the finish line wins.
In a fog
Need an old sauce jar or glass jar. Sandwich bag of ice.
Fill the jar with hot water. Keep it full for about a minute. After that minute, pour out about ¾ of the water. Immediately put the ice on the opening of the jar. Fog will start to form inside the glass jar.
Explaining Fog to a child….
Fog happens because water floats in the air. Much like a cloud. The cool air that is moving in the bottle floats over the hot water creates the fog.
Let it…flow
Glass jars, marbles or pennies.
Fill up different levels of water in each jar. See how many pennies are needed to get the water to overflow. How many do you think are needed for each jar?
You’re so dense
Pour water into a glass about halfway full. Add an egg. Since the egg is denser than the water, it will sink.
Now add about 10 tablespoons of salt to a glass of water. Stir and dissolve the salt. Drop the egg in and see what happens. If it sinks, add more salt.
Once the egg is floating, add non-salt water to the glass. The egg’s density is now between saltwater and freshwater. It should float in between the two types of waters.
Explaining why:
Salt dissolved by sticking to the water molecule. This means that the mass of the water molecule increases but the amount of water (volume) stays the same.
Just soak that up.
Collect some materials from plastic wrap to cotton balls and make predictions on which one will absorb the water and which won’t. Even more fun…use food coloring to see it absorb.
Sir Mix A Color
Food Coloring and Containers.
Fill some clear containers about halfway full with different colored water. Let them pour the different colors together to see what new colors they can create.
Where did you go?
Rummage through the pantry and grab what is available. Flour, Sugar, Noodles, Candy, Oatmeal.
Fill up a pitcher of water. Grab the first item. Guess to see if it will dissolve. Drop it in the water. Continue until bored.
The Rise of the Water
You will need a bowl, a candle, glass cup, matches or a lighter, a way to prop up the candle, we suggest playdough, food coloring (if you want).
Get the candle upright on the bowl. Fill the bowl with about a cup of water. Light the candle. Place the glass cup on top of the flame.
Air bubbles will be released outside of the glass. The flame will run out of oxygen. The air pressure will change and the water will run up the side of the cup.
Try different temperatures of water.
Freeze them out.
This may be more for the older kids but get an old bin. Throw some toys in. Fill it with water. Freeze them. Grab a hammer and let them go to town to get their toys out of the ice.
SHAKE Your Balloon
Grab that baking soda from the back of the fridge, the vinegar from under the sink, an empty plastic bottle and some balloons.
Fill the balloon with baking soda. A funnel might be helpful but not necessary. In the bottle, pour some vinegar about ¼ to halfway full then add some water to bring the liquid up. Wrap the balloon around the opening of the bottle, dump the baking soda in. SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE. Watch as the balloon gets full of air.
EW GERMS
Bowl. Pepper. Hand Soap
In the bowl of water add the pepper. The pepper is the germs. Touch the water with dry hands. Pepper gets on your hands. Dip a finger in hand soap. Put your finger back in the pepper and see how the soap keeps the germs off our hands.
Annoy your sister
A bunch of glass jars. Wooden spoon. Food coloring (if you want)
Fill up the glass jars with different levels of water. Take the wooden spoon and see what notes you have made with the jars.
Makin’ Rainbows
M&M’s or Skittles. Warm Water
Line up the candy on a plate or a bowl. Pour some water over the candy and watch the water change colors and make a rainbow.