Hey Mom and Dad! You know the fun doesn’t end just because summer is over. If your kids are curious, like to get dirty, and enjoy the magic of science, here are nine great seasonal science experiments for you to try:
Where does the Water Go?
Before the leaves change colors and start to fall, grab a few green leaves directly off the tree. Place the stems of the leaves in a mixture of water and red food coloring. You can see how the leaf absorbs the water as the color moves through it. Photograph and document the progress over the next 24 hours.
Candy Corn Lava Lamp
Pour 1 cup of water into a large mason jar. Add orange food coloring and mix. Slowly pour in 3 cups of vegetable oil and let the mixture settle for 20 minutes. Then add an effervescent tablet and watch the colored bubbles move around like a lava lamp.
Apple Volcanos
If you are looking for ways to use up the bad apples this fall, why not make a volcano? Cut out the center of a whole apple and fill it with 1½ tablespoons of baking soda and a few drops of red food coloring. Place the apple in a bowl to catch the “lava.” Slowly pour vinegar into the center of the apple and watch it erupt.
Seed Bombs
Gather newsprint, tear it into small pieces, and cover it with water. After it has soaked for 30 minutes, add the mixture to a blender to create a pulp. Mix with seeds you harvested from your summer flower garden and squeeze out the excess water. Form into small balls and let dry completely. In the spring, drop the seed bombs in areas that need a little color, and they will plant themselves. They also make great gifts!
Pumpkin Science
Compare two or more similar-sized pumpkins by weighing them, measuring their circumference, and comparing their color, the thickness of their shell, and the number and size of the seeds. Before cutting them open, you can also see if they will sink or float by placing them in a bucket of water. Let the kids make predictions before each comparison.
Candy Corn Buildings
Use leftover candy corn (they usually go on sale right after Halloween) and toothpicks to create buildings, towers, bridges, or whatever your engineer desires. You can even “bling up” your creations by adding beads to the toothpicks before adding the candy corn.
Make Pumpkin Gut Slime
Create a simple sensory toy with pumpkin guts and seeds, 2 bottles of clear Elmer’s glue, 1½ teaspoons of baking soda, and 2 tablespoons of contact solution. Knead until it is no longer sticky. Refrigerate the slime when not using, and don’t keep it for more than a few days.
Oozing Jack-o’-Lantern
Carve a face into a pumpkin, removing the pieces from its eyes, nose, and mouth. Next, cut a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin, large enough to fit the pumpkin over a disposable cup. Fill the cup with 1 cup of water, a squirt of dish soap, and 3 tablespoons of baking soda. Place the pumpkin over the cup. When you are ready, quickly pour ¼ cup of vinegar into the cup, replace the top of the pumpkin, and stand back. The solution will ooze from the pumpkin face. This is definitely an outdoor project!
Fire Pit Color
Soak two pine cones in a mixture of water and 1 pound of salt. At the same time, soak two pine cones in water and 1 pound of borax. Take them out after 30 minutes and let them dry completely. When they are dry, place the pine cones into a fire pit and watch the color differences. (Salt burns yellow and borax burns green.)
