Remember how magical the world seemed when you were a kid? Let’s recreate that magic for your children, right at home, with some easy and entertaining science experiments. No need for a Ph.D.—just a willingness to get a little messy and have a lot of fun.
Volcano Eruption
Mix 6 cups of flour, 2 cups of salt, 4 tablespoons of cooking oil, and 2 cups of water to form the volcano dough. Shape it around a soda bottle on a baking sheet. Fill the bottle almost full with warm water and a few drops of red food coloring. Add 6 drops of dish soap to the water, followed by 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Finally, pour in vinegar and watch your volcano erupt with red lava.
Invisible Ink
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a bowl, adding a few drops of water. Dip a cotton swab or a paintbrush into the mixture and write a message on a piece of paper. Let it dry. To reveal the message, hold the paper close to a light bulb or a heat source. The heat will cause the lemon juice to oxidize and turn brown.
Walking Water
Place 7 cups in a row, filling every other cup with water dyed with food coloring (alternate colors for effect). Fold paper towels in half and place them so each one connects a filled cup with an empty one. Over the next few hours, watch as the colored water “walks” along the paper towels and mixes in the empty cups, creating new colors.