Summertime doesn’t have to mean an end to education. While the school year may be over, you can still incorporate learning into some summer fun.
From pop rocks and coke to colorful bubbles, here's a list of fun science experiments you can do with your kids this summer.
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Make ice cream in a bag
It wouldn't be the summer if you didn't scream for ice cream. Rather than heading to the grocery store, try making your own in a bag with a recipe from Little Bins for Little Hands. It's an edible way for kids to learn how matter can go from liquid to solid.
Add some colors to your bubbles
Blowing bubbles in the yard is a fun summertime activity, but what if you explored how colors and bubble solutions work by making vibrant versions yourself? Learn.Play.Imagine has instructions on how to do it and all you need are jars, food coloring, dish soap, bubble wands (or wire) and water.
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Learn about beach density at home
Whether you're able to visit the beach this year or not, you can help your child learn about just how deep the ocean can go as well as the sky above it. Lemon Lime Adventures has the details on how to put the experiment together — and the supplies are likely things you already have on hand, like shaving cream and vegetable oil.
Excavate dinosaurs
If your child is a budding paleontologist, this experiment is a given. While you likely won't find any dinosaur fossils in your backyard, you can mimic doing so with an experiment from Fun Learning for Kids. For added enjoyment, make some extra Oobleck — a slimy substance — for your kids to play with while they wait for the excavation to set.
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Create a chemical reaction
You only need a few items to pull off this classic experiment meant to explore chemical reactions. Grab a liter of Coca-Cola (or a soda of your choice) and dump Pop Rocks or Mentos into the solution. Take it outside and watch what happens, or keep it less messy by covering the top with a balloon. Instructions can be found on the Pop Rocks version at Steve Spangler Science and the Mentos experiment can be found here.
Test what the sun can melt
Hot summer days make the season an ideal time for this experiment from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls. Take a muffin tin and fill it with a variety of objects your kids think may or may not melt. Place it in the sun and see which ones melt after 10 minutes. You could also test how things go depending on the high and low temperatures of the day.
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See how quicksand works
Despite what you may see in movies, it's been proven that people can't drown in quicksand, but moving in it can sink you deeper. Test it out for yourself by making it using a recipe from Growing A Jeweled Rose, which makes enough to fill a small kiddie pool.
