Fun science experiments, to do with a 6 year old..

Question

My daughter is 6 and loves science, what are some experiments we can do with regular household stuff that she can help with, I had found a few and they were ahh so so.. Thanks everyone..

Answer 1

Add vinegar to baking soda. If done in a small-necked bottle, the foam should spill out quickly. For added effect, add some washing-up liquid and food colouring.

Take some red cabbage, chop it finely and boil it until the water goes red. If an acid is added to this water, such as vinegar, the red will become more pronounced. Adding a base, such as soda, will turn it green. This is an example of an indicator.

The usual: Mentos and diet Coke.

Buy some sodium acetate trihydrate, dissolve it in hot water until it is saturated, then pour off the liquid and let it cool in a fridge, without disturbing it. When cool, if disturbed the acetate will crystallize out immediately.

Make a crystal garden. Mix waterglass with water (ratio 1:3), add a thin layer of sand at the bottom, and drop in some coloured crystals. The water will dissolve the crystal, but it will react with the waterglass and form a solid. The water will diffuse into the solid, causing it to stretch and then split, making the crystal grow upwards. Do not use sodium or potassium crystals, as they will dissolve.

Answer 2

These aren't really "experiments", but they help you learn about science:

Make a rocket by using alka seltzer and film canisters (the clear fugi-film kind, not the Kodak kind).  If you put a piece of an alka seltzer tablet with water in the canister and put it on the ground lid down, once the gas pressure builds up it will pop off the top and fly into the air.

See the effects of water movement up a plant stem by adding food coloring to water and putting cut white flowers (like daisies or queen anne's lace) in it.

One that really is an experiment is to collect some pill bugs (you know, those gray roly-poly bugs under logs) and make a choice chamber (it's just two shallow plastic containers taped together with a passageway through them so the bugs can choose which one to be in).  You can subject the two sides of the choice chamber to different conditions to see what they like better based on which side they move to.  Like, put one in light and keep the other in dark (cover it with foil), or put a damp papertowel in one and a dry towel in the other, or make one cooler than the other (by sitting one side in some ice and the other in hot water).

A great place to find some cool science activities for kids is from the ZOOM webpage (it's a pbs show): http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/

Answer 3

make electricity with a lemon

Answer 4

First of all, kudos to you for wanting to foster your daughter's natural curiosity in science!  We need more women scientists!  I am a middle school science teacher, but have also been a science specialist for grades K thru 5.  

I would say that instead of looking at ready-made experiments (and I will give you a list of ones that have been especially popular with some of my students at the end of this answer), the most important thing you can teach your daughter is how to THINK like a scientist.  It's really important for kids to understand that science is a way of looking at the world around them, asking questions, and developing 'tests' to find the answers.  This is frequently called the 'inquiry' approach to science education...check out http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept... for more information, video demonstrations, etc.  When I'm teaching my kids, I describe it as the 'Mythbusters' approach to science (a VERY good show to check out!)...you start with "I wonder why/I wonder if..." and come up with your own way to find the answer.  Don't worry about using 'scientific' vocabulary like variables, hypothesis, etc...but DO incorporate these ideas naturally into the discussion you have with your daughter...I'll give you an example...

Let's say that your daughter is swimming or taking a bath.  Assuming there are floating toys around, casually pick one up and ask her, Why do you think this floats on top of the water?  (Chances are she'll say because it's light...which is a major misconception many kids--and adults--have).  Throw out a couple of questions like, "Well boats are REALLY heavy and they float too..." or throw a penny in and say, "Well this penny is light and it sinks...why do you think that is?"  

Then suggest that maybe you could try some other stuff to see if they float or sink...tell her go around the house and find some stuff that she would like to test out.  Once she's collecting some things, ask her which things she THINKS will float and which things she THINKS will sink (you are helping her to create a hypothesis without using the term!).  Ask her how she is could test the things to see if her guesses are right...(you are creating a procedure without using the word!).  

Once that is done, actually do the experiment and talk about the results...look at the pile of floating objects...what do they have in common?  Same with sinking objects...

You can use carefully chosen questions to 'lead' her to a basic conclusion...don't worry about a formal scientific explanation (density)...but your daughter will probably notice that most things that float have air in them or 'nothing' in the middle.  

This is just one example...Toys also make GREAT starters for science experiments...like:

Which wind-up toy goes the fastest? (GREAT practice for using measurement tools like timers, rulers to measure distance!)

What (height of) ramp makes the Hotwheel car go the furthest?  

What ball will fall the fastest? (kids LOVE this one)

Does a basketball bounce better on wood or cement?  

What shape of parachute would make the action figure stay in the air the longest?

Do metal or plastic slinkies go down stairs faster?

There are lots of experiments in the kitchen too....

Kids love 'freezing' experiments...which freezes faster--soda or water?

Molding experiments...which foods grow mold faster?  (NOTE:  be sure to keep them in SEALED plastic bags or containers..)

Mixing experiments...take a bunch of white powders (flour, salt, sugar, starch, baking soda, etc). and see which ones mix the fastest...this is where you can introduce concepts like 'controlled variables' without using the word...be sure to casually mention..."Well to make our test fair, we should probably use the same amount of water and powder for each test."  If you frequently do this, eventually your daughter will be able to identify variables to control (of course, without calling them variables).

Plants--what makes plants grow faster? You could vary this experiment by focusing on watering (sugar, regular, or salt water), soil (sand, potting soil, or dirt from outside).  

The possibilities are virtually endless.  What your child learns from inquiry-based science is that science isn't something that you just read about or that OTHER people do...your daughter IS a scientist when she asks a question, comes up with a test, and answers her question.  Might I also suggest springing a couple of bucks for a pair of goggles and a 'lab coat' (an adult button up white shirt works great!)...to use any time you do any experiment (even the ones that aren't dangerous!)..These are 'scientist' clothes...and will make your daughter  feel very 'official'.  lol  

The key here is helping your daughter to learn to think like a scientist and learn that science is everywhere around us in every day life.  By you thinking aloud and asking questions, you are modeling this way of looking at the world.  Just keep using the W word..."I wonder why/how/if" and soon your daughter will too.

Every so often you can also use a ready-made experiment to teach important scientific ideas...here are some of my favorite...

Making fossils: (I personally use toy dinosaurs and sea shells) see http://www.geology.siu.edu/outreach/maki...

Density tubes:  you can use a soda pre-form, baby food jar, or 20 oz. bottle...http://www.local12.com/content/weather/d...

Rock Cycle:  http://www.exo.net/~emuller/activities/C...

States of matter:  make gak/goo (tons of different names and recipes)

Light and optics:  Making Thaumatropes

Some general 'stuff'' that will help create questions:  prisms, flashlights,  mirrors, timers, balloons, general school supplies, thermometers, magnifying glasses, etc.  

Hope this gives you a start...if you need any more ideas or have any questions, feel free to email me at [e-mail].