Month: November 2022

Who loves Christmas candy? We do! These easy Christmas candy experiments are a great way to learn while enjoying Christmas treats!

First up is a Christmas twist on the traditional skittles experiment. All you need to do is arrange your skittles on a plate or tray ( we chose Christmas colours ) and slowly pour warm or cold water over the top. The colour from the skittles dissolves into the water.

Be careful not to nudge the container as the colours will merge, and you won’t get the separated colours effect.

Christmas Skittles Experiment

Little Bins for Little Hands tried a peppermint in water, which also worked well.

Marshmallow Snowman – Christmas Candy Experiment

This marshmallow snowman activity is great fun. Children can test different types of sticky substances to see which is the strongest. You could also try this with meringue pieces.

Human teeth allow us to tear, grind and crush food into smaller pieces so we can swallow and digest the food for energy.

Did you know the way your teeth are aligned in your mouth is unique to you? A bit like a fingerprint.

Parts of a Tooth

Enamel

Enamel is the outer layer of the tooth and the hardest tissue in the human body. Enamel protects the inside of the tooth. It may be tough, but enamel cannot fix itself if it becomes damaged, which is why it’s so important to keep teeth clean.

Dentin

Dentin supports the enamel and protects the pulp underneath. It’s softer than enamel.

Pulp

This is the middle part of the tooth and contains nerves, connective tissue and blood vessels.

Cementum

Cementum helps the root of the tooth attach to the gums.

Blood Vessels

Blood vessels supply blood to the teeth.

Nerve

Nerves send

If you eat or drink too quickly you might find you burp! Burping is how extra gas is expelled from the body. The gas is forced out of the stomach up the oesophagus and out of the mouth!

These burping balloons are very easy to set up and great fun to watch. The balloons will only inflate a little, so don’t expect anything too impressive!

If you like this activity you’ll LOVE my other activity ideas for learning about the body!

You’ll need

2 plastic or glass bottles

2 balloons

1 teaspoon of dried yeast

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ( baking soda )

1 teaspoon sugar

20 ml vinegar

20ml warm water

Instructions

Carefully add 1 teaspoon of yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into one bottle.

Pour about 20ml of warm water into the same bottle and quickly pop a balloon over the top of the bottle.

Last year I made some very simple homemade science kits for my children to give to friends who love science. Each kit contained the materials and instructions for 5 different investigations.

I also have lots more FREE printable science experiment instruction sheets you can download, which would be a great addition to any homemade science kit.

This little kit makes an excellent, inexpensive science gift for Christmas or a birthday.

My super scientist certificate is a lovely extra resource as well.

How to make your own science kit

What you’ll need to make a homemade science kit

Balloon

Tissue paper

Pipette

Skittles

Pom poms

Elastic bands

Lolly sticks

Filter paper

Film canisters

Effervescent vitamin tablets – give these to an adult

Ping-pong balls or pom poms

Instructions

Place all the items in a shoebox-sized box. I made the catapult, but another idea is to include the lolly sticks and

Lava lamps are a simple but fun science experiment for kids using materials you probably already have in your kitchen cupboards. We’ve given these a Christmas twist by decorating them like a reindeer and a snowman. Crafts are not my strong point, so I’m sure you can do a much better job with your Christmas lava lamp.

If you’re on the hunt for awesome science gifts, I’ve got some great DIY science kit ideas and ready-made science kit suggestions too.

I also have FREE a Christmas Lava Lamp printable instruction sheet you might find handy.

Christmas Lava Lamps

Don’t forget to check out my Christmas Science Ebook, which contains 12 printable Christmas themed experiments and activities, perfect for this time of year.

How to make a Christmas Lava Lamp

What you need

A clear plastic bottle or jar
Vegetable oil
Food colouring and decorations
Alka Seltzer or effervescent