20 At-Home Science Experiments for Kids

Entertaining and educational, these kid-friendly projects have it all. Astound your little scientists with these fun and easy experiments they can conduct at home.

By: Shannon Phillips

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Kid-Friendly Science Experiments

The classroom isn’t the only place that kids can learn a lesson in chemistry, biology or physics. These fun, educational science experiments are easy to do at home, many with simple items you may already have around the house. Learn about chemical reactions with our baking soda and vinegar art project (pictured above), get an introduction to robotics with a DIY drawing robot or harness the energy of the sun with a solar s’mores oven. Encourage your little scientists to make predictions, record their findings and tweak the experiments for different results. The grownups in the family may even learn something new! If you’re looking for even more mind-boosting activities for kids, shop our favorite STEM toys designed to pique their interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

Eggshell Geodes

Crystal-filled geodes take thousands of years to form in nature, but you and your kids can grow them in a day using supplies from the grocery store. When eggshells are soaked in a supersaturated solution of alum powder and water, the powder crystallizes on the shells.

Get the How-To: How to Grow Glittering Crystal Geodes in Eggshells

Sun Prints

Dating back to the 1800s, sun printing is one of the oldest forms of photography. Have your children collect flowers or other flat objects, then place them on sun-sensitive paper in direct sunlight. They'll be amazed to watch the prints develop before their eyes.

Get the How-To: 3 Gorgeous Ways to Craft With Sun Prints

Lava Lamp in a Bottle

Make your own lava lamp using water, baby oil, food coloring and effervescent tablets (such as Alka-Seltzer). The water and oil will separate at first, as expected. But when you drop in the effervescent tablet, small carbon dioxide bubbles form and carry the colored water to the top. When the gas escapes from the bottle, the water droplets fall to the bottom, creating a funky lava-like effect.

Drawing Robot

Use a disposable plastic cup, three different colored markers, a tiny motor and a battery pack to make this self-propelled drawing robot. It’ll be a sure winner at the science fair.

Get the How-To: STEM Craft: DIY Drawing Robot

Homemade Slime

When white glue and borax are combined, a chemical reaction occurs that creates slime — the oozy substance that kids can't get enough of. Whip up a batch of DIY slime with the kids, and feel free to customize it with fun add-ins. We made spooky Halloween slime with fake spiders, eyeballs and cockroaches.

Snow Slime

If you don't want to include borax in your slime, there are other ingredients you can substitute. This slime recipe uses liquid starch instead of borax, plus foam balls and glitter for a snowy texture.

Get the How-To: DIY Snow Slime

Solar S'mores Oven

Turn a shoebox into a solar oven that's perfect for making a batch of ooey-gooey s'mores. The aluminum foil that lines the box reflects light, while plastic insulates it, creating a mini convection oven.

Get the How-To: Make Delicious S'mores With a DIY Solar Oven

Upcycled Greenhouse

Teach your kids about starting seeds and keep plastic containers out of the trash with this project. Turn berry cartons, milk jugs and other items into mini greenhouses; the increased humidity will help the seeds germinate.

Get the How-To: 5 Small-Space Greenhouses

Moldable Sand

If your kids love building sandcastles at the beach, this homemade alternative to store-bought Kinetic Sand will keep them entertained for hours. You can mold it or slice it, and it'll hold its shape like a pro.

Get the How-To: Have a Beach Day at Home With This DIY Moldable Sand

Chemistry Artwork

Use baking soda, vinegar and food dye to teach kids about chemical reactions all while creating a simple, inexpensive and fun art project.

Get the How-To: Craft and STEM Project: Kids' Chemistry Artwork

Bottle Rocket

Upcycle plastic bottles into rockets that your kids can build, decorate and launch in less than half an hour from start to finish. Once the rocket is assembled, help your child use a bike pump to fill it with air, and it'll shoot into the sky once it can no longer withstand the pressure.

Marshmallow Catapult

Help your little engineers build a basic catapult using craft sticks and rubber bands. Then, watch gravity, energy and Newton's laws of motion at work as they launch small items like marshmallows or pompoms. Try variations on this DIY — such as a shorter launching arm or a larger stack of sticks for the base — to see how those tweaks affect the catapult's performance.

Self-Watering Planter

Learn the basics of hydroponics with this handy self-watering planter. An old lunchbox strap creates a wicking system, delivering water and nutrients to the plant.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Hydroponic Garden in a Jar

Nutty Putty

Similar to slime, nutty putty is made with glue and liquid starch, but it has a firmer, more rubbery texture. It'll even bounce! Try making a batch of each to compare the consistencies.

Color-Changing Flowers

When a flower is placed in a glass of water with a few drops of food coloring, the stem drinks up the color and dyes the petals. This fun project demonstrates how water moves through a plant — plus, the end result makes a great birthday or Mother's Day gift.

Get the How-To: How to Create a Hand-Dyed Bouquet

Straw-and-Paper Airplanes

They may not look like your typical paper airplanes, but these straw-and-paper contraptions fly exceptionally well, thanks to the two paper rings. (The larger ring keeps the plane level, while the smaller ring keeps it on course.) Try this experiment with longer or shorter straws and with larger or smaller rings to see how those changes affect the flight paths.

Bug Hotel

Help your little ones make this adorable bug abode that will attract ladybugs, lacewings, bees and other beneficial insects to your garden. They'll love learning about the diverse habitats these critters enjoy.

Get the How-To: How to Build a Bug Hotel

Salt Painting

Here's a fun project that combines both science and art. Let your child create a design on paper using glue, then sprinkle generously with salt and let dry. Next, apply watercolor paints and watch as the colors flow through the salt as the water is absorbed.

Get the How-To: Kid-Friendly Art Project: Raised Salt Painting

Fruity Play Dough

The kids will be thrilled to see three basic kitchen items — flour, salt and hot water — transformed into DIY play dough. You can even add unsweetened fruit juice mix for color and scent.

Cloud in a Jar, 2 Ways

This easy experiment will show your little ones how water vapor condenses onto particles in the air to form clouds. We've got two different methods you can try, one using aerosol spray and one using matches.

20 At-Home Science Experiments for Kids

Related To:

Shop This Look

Kid-Friendly Science Experiments

Eggshell Geodes

Sun Prints

Lava Lamp in a Bottle

Drawing Robot

Homemade Slime

Snow Slime

Solar S'mores Oven

Upcycled Greenhouse

Moldable Sand

Chemistry Artwork

Bottle Rocket

Marshmallow Catapult

Self-Watering Planter

Nutty Putty

Color-Changing Flowers

Straw-and-Paper Airplanes

Bug Hotel

Salt Painting

Fruity Play Dough

Cloud in a Jar, 2 Ways

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