Five Easy Science Experiments for Kids

Print some pretty and colorful patterns on paper. The colors transfer onto the paper just like they do when color pictures are printed in the books you read.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Palette ( preferably one that has segregated sections to keep the different colors separated )

Linseed oil

Thick paper

Dish of water

Paintbrush

Poster paints

Directions:

Place some poster paints on the palette by placing each color in it's own section of the plate. Now mix a small amount of linseed oil with each paint color. Put one color from the palette on you're paint brush and gently add the paint to the water in you're dish. Add another color and swirl the colors to make a pattern with you're brush. Gently place the sheet of paper on top of the water in you're dish so that is lies on the surface. Now carefully peal the paper away form the water. Lift the paper out and lay it on a flat surface. Allow the paper to fully dry. Continue to make more patterns with other color choices.

The end result are pieces of paper that have beautiful swirl patterns of colors since the colored oil does not mix with the water so it then transfers to the paper.

Not a whole lot happens when you mix food coloring with milk until you add dish washing liquid and then you have a swirling color wheel.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Whole or 2% milk

Food coloring

Dish washing liquid

Cotton swab

Plate

DIRECTIONS:

Put enough milk on the plate to fully cover the bottom of it. Then place a few drops of food coloring on the milk. Now dip you're cotton swab into the dish washing liquid. Touch the swab to the milk in the middle of the plate. Do not stir the milk as the colors will begin to swirl on their own once the dish soap comes in contact with the milk.

Milk has many different kinds of molecules in it which includes protein, sugars, vitamins, fats and minerals. Not much will happen if you touch a clean cotton tip to milk until dish soap is added to it at which time a number of things happen at once.

The dish soap lowers the tension of the surface so the colors are free to move throughout the milk. The dish soap then reacts to the proteins in the milk to alter the molecules shape and begins to move them. The dish soap and fat in the milk forms micelles. The pigments in the coloring get pushed around as these micelles form. The swirling of the colors continue for a while before stopping once equilibrium has been reached.

You can make some little silver balls dance on a record at the wave of a wand. It's actually static electricity that makes them dance for you. Turn yourself into a magician by using the power of electricity.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Sharp pencil

Glass or plastic bowl

Silver balls for cake decorating

LP record ( Use one that no one wants to play anymore )

A clean and dry handkerchief

DIRECTIONS:

To gain static electricity rub the record briskly with the clean handkerchief. Then immediately place the record on top of the bowl. Be sure to have the silver balls ready and drop a few of them on the record. They will roll around and then will suddenly stop. There are some parts of the record that will have more static and attract the silver balls. Bring you're pencil toward the record by starting at the center. As the point of the pencil gets near each of the silver balls, they leap away and dance around. The electricity becomes weaker where the pencil points.

You will need all you're senses to tell when you have to take action suddenly. You will need to move very fast sometimes. This experiment will tell you just how quick off the mark you are.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Colored Markers

Pencil

White sheet of paper

Scissors

Glue

1 foot ruler

DIRECTIONS:

First trace around the ruler on the piece of paper. Then cut the strip out and mark six equal bands. Now color the bands and glue the strip to the ruler. Ask a helper to hold the ruler so one end is between your thumb and forefinger. Be sure to keep your thumb and forefinger about 0,5 inches apart. Have your helper suddenly release the ruler. You need to try to catch the ruler.

The color you grab tells you what your reaction time is. Your reaction time is the time between sensing something and beginning to move. If you grab the ruler towards to the top your reaction time is a bit slow. If you grab the ruler in the middle you have a medium reaction time and at the bottom of the ruler, your reaction time is fast.

You can send someone a secret message by using invisible ink. They can make the message visible  by changing the color of the paper.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Tincture of Iodine

Small jar

Dropper

Small bowl

Paint brush

Lemon

White paper

DIRECTIONS:

First squeeze some lemon juice into the bowl. then place some water into the jar and ask an adult to add a little iodine. Now use the paint brush to write your message in lemon juice on the paper. Be sure to allow the lemon juice to dry. Brush the paper with the mixture of water and iodine.

The iodine mixture makes the invisible writing appear on the paper. You could write your message in code by using numbers instead of letters if you like.The iodine turns the paper purple. It sit he lemon juice that stops the color change so the writing appears white.