Kids are natural scientists. They like experimenting with things, asking many questions, and seeing exactly how things work.
That’s why you should indulge their curiosity. You are probably thinking of the expensive science kits and all that stuff – no, most of the things you need are right in your home.
Why should kids perform science experiments?
Science is one of the most important subjects and building interest in your child towards the subject is very important. The good thing with science is that it is a highly practical subject and kids often engage in it unawares.
There are several 5th grade science project ideas that both teachers and parents can use to build interest in science in children.
Below are 6 science experiments every kid should do:
Rainbow in a jar
The rainbow in a jar experiment is a perfect way of making science interesting for your kids or learners. You can use this experiment to help your children understand the concept of density.
Different liquids have different weights – meaning the heavier will remain in the bottom and the lightest will float on the top of the container. This will result in the formation of colorful layers. You will require several materials such as honey, corn syrup, olive oil, food coloring among others to create different solutions.
Lava lamp
This is another perfect experiment that can interest kinds of all ages. There are a number of things you will need to do to make the experiment successful. They include water, a clean plastic bottle, food coloring, fizzing tablets, and vegetable oil.
The next step is to fill up the bottle with a quarter full of water and pour vegetable oil inside until the bottle is almost full. Give it some time and watch how water and oil separate from each other. Add drops of food coloring and see how the color makes its way through the oil.
Finally, break the fuzzy tablet into two and drop one piece inside the bottle. You will see bubbles forming. Turn off the lights and drop in the other half-tablet and shine a flashlight over the lava lamp.
Walking water
You will need a rack, food coloring, a set of glass jars, paper towels, and scissors. Put the set of glasses close to each other and fill the jars with different colors. After that, connect the tubes or jars with strips of paper towels.
Naked egg
Use a spoon and slowly put a raw egg inside a cup or jar full of vinegar. The acid will slowly break down the shell. It will take at least 15 minutes for the egg to start bubbling and after about eight hours the egg will start to spin.
Light refraction magic
You will need a piece of paper, a marker, and a glass full. Draw two big arrows on the sheet of paper and insert the piece of paper behind the glass of water. Watch through the glass and see what’s happening.
Leak-proof bag
This is another simple but interesting experiment for preschool kids. Fill a Ziploc bag with water and carefully pierce through a sharp pencil.
In general, kids love doing things practically and science experiments can be very interesting to most of them.