10 mind-blowing science experiments to try with your kids

Science can be a tough subject for parents to teach or reinforce at home. Science often involves abstract concepts and tough vocabulary. Maybe your kids have a hard time wrapping their heads around the laws of physics or the periodic table.

As a parent, you might struggle to understand some concepts or explain them clearly. But it's easy to get kids excited about science with some fun hands-on experiments.

Why science experiments for kids matter

Kids need more science and STEAM in their lives. Science experiments are an easy way to bring science to life because they're fun and hands-on. Experiments are engaging, participatory, and exciting — and they help kids see and grasp abstract concepts.

Experiments are also low-pressure. You can't fail at them. Even when things don't turn out as expected, you've gotten your hands dirty and learned something new. Science experiments are also a great way to encourage your kid's critical thinking and inquiry skills.

10 amazing experiments to try at home

Finding the right science experiments can be a challenge for busy parents and homeschoolers. Here are 10 of our favorite low-prep experiments to try at home — great as a complement to your kid's curriculum or science classes.

Build a paper bridge

Eager to try a physics experiment? All you need is:

• Two disposable cups
• A piece of construction paper
• A load of pennies

Challenge your kids to build a bridge that can hold as many pennies as possible. Hint: try folding the paper in different ways.

Battle with a marshmallow catapult

Little kids and teens alike love this catapult engineering challenge. It's a great way to incorporate STEAM learning with history classes — plan to make this catapult when you're studying the Middle Ages and re-enact a historic battle.

All you need is:

• Disposable spoons
• Craft sticks
• Rubber bands
• Marshmallows

Make a stack of craft sticks and bind them on both sides with rubber bands. Then, lay one craft stick under the stack and one disposable spoon on top of it. Bind the spoon and stick together at their bottom ends. Attach the spoon to the stack of sticks with another band. Your kids are ready to load up the marshmallows and fire away.

Learn about inertia with coins

Inertia is an important concept for kids interested in space science. This quick activity helps younger kids understand how the law of inertia works. All you need is:

• A clear drinking glass
• Five quarters
• A small strip of cardboard
• Water

Fill the glass about 3/4 full with water. Place the cardboard strip over the top, and have your kids stack five quarters on the cardboard. Now, flick the cardboard as hard as you can. If you flick hard enough, the coins will maintain their current position and fall straight into the glass. It's an amazing illustration of a tough physics concept.

If the physics questions are coming faster than the experiments, Outschool's online science classes for kids cover forces, motion, and space science with teachers who turn abstract concepts into things kids can actually grasp.

Make a glass bottle xylophone

This classic experiment helps kids understand the concept of pitch. You'll need:

• Five glass bottles of the same size
• Food dye
• Water
• Wooden and metal spoons

Using a measure, have your kids fill the first bottle with 10 ml of water, the second with 20 ml, and so forth until all five bottles are filled. You can add a drop of food coloring to each bottle to make the water volume easy to see. Put the bottles in a row, and hit the top of each with a wooden spoon. Point out how the amount of water alters the pitch of the sound. You can even play a song on your xylophone.

Make flowers with chromatography

Chromatography is the process of separating the different pigments of ink. It's a great way to show kids that inks and dyes are made up of a mix of different colors — not just a single shade. For this coffee filter flower experiment, you'll need:

• A mug
• A coffee filter
• A bit of water

Ask your kids to draw a thick circle on the bottom of a coffee filter with a felt tip pen. Fold the coffee filter in half, then fold it in half again so it looks like a cone. Put a small amount of water in the bottom of a shallow mug. Set the cone in the water pointy side down and watch as the ink pigments slowly travel up the filter to make beautiful flowers.

Run a sunscreen test

This is the perfect experiment for kids who hate wearing sunscreen — it shows just how well it works. All you need is:

• Liquid sunscreen
• Construction paper
• Paintbrushes

Have your kids paint designs on construction paper with sunscreen. Hang them outside in the sun for a full day, then bring them inside. The areas painted with sunscreen will still be bright, while the unprotected areas will have faded.

Kids who love experiments like this tend to do really well in a structured STEM class — especially ones focused on chemistry or earth science, where hands-on thinking is the whole point.

Make a layered density column

This layering experiment is a great way to demonstrate what density means. All you need is:

• A turkey baster
• A tall glass tube or drinking glass
• Three to seven liquids of different densities — juice, water, oil, honey, corn syrup, or anything else in your pantry

Slowly put the first liquid into the tube using a turkey baster. Rinse out the baster and add your next liquid. Keep going until you have a beautifully layered density column.

Build an egg-eating monster

If your kids like weird science, they'll love this wacky experiment. You need:

• A hard-boiled egg
• A glass bottle with a neck slightly smaller than your egg
• Birthday candles
• Matches

First, decorate a bottle to look like a monster, with the bottle's opening as the monster's mouth. Then, peel a hard-boiled egg and hold it in your hand. Stick a birthday candle in the wide end of the egg and light it. Gently place the mouth of the bottle over the lit candle and lower it until it touches the egg. When the candle goes out, the egg should get sucked into the bottle thanks to the change in air pressure.

Create carbonated lemonade

In this simple experiment, you'll mix a base and an acid to make carbonation. You'll need:

• 1-2 lemons
• A teaspoon of baking soda
• Cold water
• A few teaspoons of sugar
• A glass
• A juicer

Start by having your kids juice the lemons — this is your acid. Slowly add one teaspoon of baking soda — this is your base. The reaction should start on its own, but you can make it even more exciting by stirring. You can stop the experiment there, or add a few teaspoons of sugar and some water to make a fizzing lemonade drink.

If your kid is asking why the reaction happened — not just that it did — that's a great sign. Outschool's online science classes include chemistry options for kids as young as 5, taught by teachers who lean into that kind of curiosity.

Experiment with invisible ink

Have kids who want to be spies? Try this invisible ink experiment. You need:

• A plain piece of white paper
• Real lemon juice
• A cup of water
• A cotton swab
• A light source like a flashlight or lamp

Combine about 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a few drops of water in a cup. Using a cotton swab dipped in the lemon mixture, draw or write a secret message on the plain piece of paper. Allow the paper to dry completely. Have your kids hold their dried papers up to a bright lamp or flashlight — the secret message should be visible.

More ways to get your kids interested in science

Hands-on experiments aren't the only way to build a love of science. Here are some others worth exploring:

• Visit your local science museum or discovery center
• Enroll your kids in online STEM classes covering coding, robotics, and engineering
• Browse online science classes by topic — from forensics to earth science to space
• Invest in STEAM kits and science toys that extend the experiments above
• Explore the outdoors on nature expeditions and bring the questions back home
• Watch science TV shows and documentaries together

Kids tend to be more interested in what they're learning when they choose the topic themselves. Outschool's STEM classes let kids filter by subject and age so they can find something they're genuinely into.