Science Experiments for Engaging Classrooms

Engaging Science Experiments

Science is exciting! Science experiments have always been my number one secret to classroom behavior management. Start each lesson with a really cool demonstration, and you have them hooked. Finish each lesson with a great experiment that tests an interesting problem, and you have made it memorable.

I am building a collection of experiments to share with all of my science teacher friends out there! Keep checking my EXPERIMENTS AND LABS FOR ELEMENTARY KIDS page for a growing science resource! Here are a couple experiments to get you started.

Glowing Foam Explosion

Materials:

4Tbs (barely) warm water

2tsp yeast

1 cup hydrogen peroxide (The higher the percent

Hydrogen Peroxide, the thicker the foam. 3% was

used in this picture.)

5-10 drops food coloring

Glow Sticks ( at least 3)

3 drops of dish soap

Soda bottle

Tray

Instructions:

1.Place the empty soda bottle on a large tray.

2.Mix yeast and warm water together in a small bowl or beaker.

3.Pour the hydrogen peroxide into the soda bottle.

4.Add food coloring, dish soap, and glow stick liquid to the soda bottle. (Cut both ends of the glow stick to pour it into the bottle.)

5.Turn most/all of the lights off. It even looks neat in the light.

6.Add the yeast mixture to the soda bottle.

7.Watch the excitement!

**Don’t worry this does not explode all that big. A cookie tray is sufficient for catching the foam.

This experiment is the attention grabber for my back to school Nature of Science Complete Lesson Set! If you want a ready to go lesson that starts with this exciting demonstration, check it out and make a week of planning easy peasy!

Earth Blobs Recipe:

Water Blob

6oz bottle glitter glue

3-5 pea sized drops liquid watercolor (blue)

2-3 drops liquid watercolor (green)

Blue glitter (as much as your heart desires)

1/3 cup liquid starch from the laundry aisle

Mix the glue, watercolors, and glitter in a bowl.

Add the starch in slowly, kneading with your hands. (It is sticky at first, but I promise it gets better.)

Land Blob

4oz bottle white glue

3-4 drops liquid watercolor (green)

1 drop liquid watercolor (yellow)

Blue glitter (as much as your heart desires)

1/3 cup liquid starch from the laundry aisle

Mix the glue, watercolors, and glitter in a bowl.

Add the starch in slowly, kneading with your hands. (It is sticky at first, but I promise it gets better.)

Once the two are done you can break them up into small sections so each student gets one. If you have a little blue and a little green for each student, they can roll them together to make a ball that looks like Earth!

***Do not put the blobs on paper! They absorb the paper, and you will never get it back…

***Save an extra blob for a lesson on gravity! They spread out and roll off a table ledge showing off the force of gravity.