| You want your kids to have fun, but also want to | | | | makes clothes stick together in the dryer and makes |
| expand their minds. What's a parent to do? How about | | | | your child's hair stand up when you hold a statically |
| a few easy science projects that are simple to | | | | charged item (like a blanked from the dryer) over your |
| recreate? Your kids will love the hands-on experience | | | | child's head. Here's a simple static electricity |
| and you can feel good about getting them involved in | | | | experiment that's lots of fun. You can truly amaze |
| an activity that will have them learning (without the kids | | | | young kids with this "magic". |
| even realizing it). Here are five easy science projects | | | | All you need are a balloon and either a piece of felt, or |
| for you and your kids. Try one of them on a rainy | | | | a wool sweater. Blow up the balloon, then rubb it |
| afternoon or anytime the kids are looking for | | | | against the felt or sweater for a few seconds. Take |
| something fun to do. | | | | the balloon and stick it on the wall. It should be held up |
| Grow Crystals | | | | there by the static electricity. |
| Crystals can be quite fascinating. We are constantly | | | | Build Your Own Volcano |
| surrounded by them from simple table salt and sugar, | | | | This is the most "involved of all the science projects in |
| to the graphite in your pencil. Of course there are also | | | | this article. But who could resist making their own |
| more famous crystals like precious stones and | | | | working Volcano. Since things can get a bit messy, this |
| diamond. You can grow some fascinating salt crystals | | | | experiment is best done outside. |
| yourself. All you need are water, salt and some time. | | | | Start by making a batch of salt dough by mixing 6 |
| Start by making a salt solution. Fill a cup with warm | | | | cups of flour, 2 cups of salt, 2 cups of water and 4 |
| water and continue to add salt to it until the water can | | | | tablespoons of cooking oil in a large bowl. Add more |
| absorb no additional salt. You know you have reached | | | | water as needed. You should end up with a smooth |
| this stage when the salt just drops to the bottom of | | | | but firm dough. |
| the cup. | | | | Next, place and empty soda bottle on an old baking |
| Pour a little of the salt water on a saucer and leave it | | | | sheet and mold the dough around bottle. Cover it all |
| sitting in a warm spot. As the water evaporates, the | | | | the way to the top, but be careful and don't drop any |
| salt crystals will start to form. Continue to pour a little | | | | dough in the bottle. |
| more of the saltwater on the saucer and the existing | | | | Fill the soda bottle with warm water almost to the top. |
| crystals and watch them grow. | | | | It helps to use a funnel to get the water in the bottle, |
| Water Tension | | | | but not on the salt dough volcano. For bright red lava, |
| Have you ever watched small insects walk on water? | | | | add some red food coloring to the water before |
| This is possible because of water tension. Here are | | | | adding it to the bottle. |
| two simple experiments that will demonstrate water | | | | Pour 6 drops of liquid detergent into the bottle, then |
| tension. All you need is a glass, water, a paperclip and | | | | add 2 tbs of baking soda and step away from the |
| several pennies. | | | | volcano. Watch the "red lava" pour out of the volcano |
| Fill the glass with water. Now drop a paper clip in the | | | | during this fantastics eruption. |
| glass. Watch it drop to the bottom. Fish the paperclip | | | | Grow Something |
| out and this time gently lay it flat on the water. If you | | | | You don't need a garden to grow something with your |
| do it right, the paperclip will float on top of the water. | | | | kids. There are quite a few things you can do on the |
| For our second experiment, we need to fill the glass all | | | | kitchen counter or in a small pot. For a very fast |
| the way to the top with water. Grap some pennies | | | | growing experiment plant some beans in a cup of soil. |
| and carefully add them to the glass, one at a time. | | | | Keep them in a warm spot and water them daily. |
| Watch as the water rises in a dome shape over the | | | | Within a few days you should see a little bean sprout |
| glass without spilling. | | | | poking it's head out of the soil. |
| If you'd like to take this experiment one step further, | | | | You can also grow alfalfa sprouts in nothing more than |
| use a drop of dish soap to show how soap will disrupt | | | | a dish with wet paper towels. You may even convince |
| the water tension. Add one drop of the soap to the | | | | your child to eat her salad when you top it with some |
| glass of water. The water tension will be "broken", and | | | | of the sprouts she has grown. For more involved |
| the water will spill over the edges of the glass. | | | | growing experiments, plant some herbs in a couple of |
| Static Electricity | | | | small clay pots in the kitchen window, or plant |
| Static electricity is another fun phenomenon. It's what | | | | strawberry plants in wooden barrel on the porch. |