Keeping the kids entertained is a never-ending struggle for so many parents. Some parents choose to solve this problem with technology and screen-time. That is a sad reality for so many kids who grow up with busy parents; an iPad is an easy fix when it comes to curing boredom.
Don’t you remember playing outside when you were growing up? The best part of childhood for so many people was spending time exploring and discovering new things about the world around us. Our young minds were positively teeming with excitement, and our pockets teemed with bugs and other crawlies we had found.
Get the best of both worlds by finding exciting and fun projects that you can do at home with your kids. That will keep them entertained and get their imaginative minds moving.
Projects You Can Do At Home with Your Kids
These six projects below will be guaranteed to get their creative juices flowing and their minds working:
- Build a Rollercoaster
Drinking straws don’t have to go to waste with this neat little project. All you need is a cardboard box for your rollercoaster, some craft glue, and all the straws you can find around the house.
Let your kids draw up their design first so you know how many straws you’ll need. Then simply let them glue each straw together, and once it’s dry they can roll a small ball around their brand new rollercoaster.
- Make a Lava Lamp
Science doesn’t have to be complicated. If your kids are too young to remember lava lamps then this project is sure to blow their minds.
All you need is an empty bottle, some food coloring, vegetable oil, and Alka -Seltzer. Make sure your bottle is rinsed well and then pour in the oil – about a half will be plenty enough. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and watch as the oil floats to the top.
Add a few drops of their favorite color of food coloring, it will sink to the bottom of the bottle. Break the Alka-Seltzer tablet into a few small pieces and add them to create an awesomely fun chemical reaction.
- Air Pressure Can Crusher
Crushing a can by using air pressure alone is a super fun way to teach your children about the wonders of science and make them happy. All you’ll need for this project is well-rinsed soda cans, a bowl of iced water, and a stove burner.
Add one or two tablespoons of water to the empty soda can, until it covers the bottom. Place the soda can directly onto the burner and switch it on. Soon the water will start to bubble and you’ll notice the water vapor rising from the can.
By using tongs, remove the can from the burner, flip it upside down and plunge it into the bowl of ice water. This needs to be done in one fluid motion so you can practice it first before turning the burner on. That way you’ll be sure to impress your kids when it comes time for the real deal.
- Grow Bacteria
Growing bacteria in a petri dish should be a rite of passage for every young child. That is such a fun experiment and a growing bacteria science fair project is always a hit with both the kids and the teachers!
This project is both gross and cool, which is precisely why it is such a hit with older children. The best part about this one is that you can order the kits online, which will save you from having to scrounge around the house for the materials needed.
- Steel Wool Sparks
Teach your kids how to make fire by using only a battery and some steel wool (the finer type works the best). Rub the battery on the wool until it starts to spark, which should be quite instantaneous.
Projects involving fire and flames can be dangerous so keep your kids at a safe distance and some water nearby for extinguishing it.
- Levitate a Ping-Pong Ball
All you’ll need for this project is a few plastic bottles, bendy straws, and a few Ping-Pong balls.
Cut the tops off of the bottles, but keep the lids on. Drill a hole in the center of each cap, and feed a drinking straw through -making sure to bend it at a right angle. Then hand them over to your kids, pop a ball inside each one and let them blow until it levitates.
Photo by Julietta Watson on Unsplash
