I will fully admit that science is not my best subject. The science classes were some of the few classes I struggled with in school (except Physics because, let’s be honest, it’s more math than science).
But seeing the looks of awe on Little Mister’s face when we do experiments makes it all worth it. It’s a great way to spend rainy days, snowy days, or days you just aren’t in the mood to figure out how to pile the kids into the car and go out.
Bonus – they learn something in the process! Way more productive than sitting them in front of another viewing of Frozen.
Here are 10 of our favorite toddler-friendly science experiments to check out and try!
Rain Clouds in a Jar (Growing a Jeweled Rose)
Little Mister and I did this experiment this past spring on a rainy morning. Crystal over at Growing a Jeweled Rose uses a glass and pipettes for this experiment.
I was slightly less prepared and used an old medicine dropper
and our big glass KitchenAid mixing bowl. A plus to the huge mixing bowl? You could get a REALLY great view of the “rain” and the clouds.
This is a great opportunity to start a basic conversation about where rain comes from, how clouds produce water, and why not all clouds make rain. Little Mister loves looking out the window, so we did a little observation of our rainy world before and after the experiment as well.
Pro tip: Use a couple of different colors when filling the clouds, especially if you’re using a large glass bowl. It makes it an extremely colorful experiment.
Lava Lamp Science (S.L. Smith Photography)
There are a couple of ways to do this experiment, and you can change it based on what you want to explore with your child. As written by S.L. Smith Photography, this is a fun way to see how Alka-Seltzer reacts with water and then how the water moves through oil, just like a lava lamp. The anticipation of the reaction and the bubbling effect is so exciting for kids to see.
If you want a longer lasting experiment, you can alter it slightly, using a tube that will close tightly at the top. When Little Mister and I did this, we also included two buttons, one that was plastic and one that was wooden.
Fill the plastic tube about two-thirds of the way with oil and then the remaining third with colored water. It is important to fill it almost to the top, leaving very little air after you close it. Before you close the tube, drop in the two buttons. The wooden button will float while the plastic button will sink. Close the tube really tightly so that nothing leaks out. Then your child can turn the tube upside down and right side up and the buttons and oil/water will flip sides. It’s incredibly relaxing to watch.
Pro tip: Use baby oil instead of vegetable oil. It won’t spoil, doesn’t smell, and is clear, so the colors really appear vibrant!
Colored Celery Experiment (Teaching Tiny Tots)
So I made the turkey and stuffing for our Thanksgiving dinner this year. The stuffing recipe calls for 3-4 stalks of celery. But the bunch comes with a bazillion. Ok, not a bazillion. Maybe ten. Regardless, you can only snack on so much tasteless celery (especially when you’re allergic to peanuts and can’t add peanut butter to it).
What better way to use the leftover celery than as a science experiment? This is a great opportunity to talk about how plants and flowers grow by absorbing water. For younger kids, you can also use this experiment for some imaginative play. The idea of osmosis might be too advanced for them, so have them use their imagination to think about how the water travels up the stalk. Does it drive up the stalk in tiny water molecule cars? Are the ribs tiny highways?
I love a good multi-purpose experiment! It starts them on the path of questioning, coming up with ideas, and discovering our world.
Pro tip: Don’t tell your toddler that they will see this change anytime soon. It really takes 2-3 days. So if your toddler is like Little Mister and wants to see the reaction right away, maybe down play actually putting the stalks in the colored water. Then, once the reaction has changed, remind them of what you did together a few days ago and talk about the movement of the water. This will save you from a frustrated, heartbroken child.
Dancing Frankenworms (Playdough to Plato)
Speaking of holidays, does anyone else have bags and bags of candy left over from Halloween? We are STILL working on the majority of the Halloween candy, even after using some of it in Little Mister’s Advent calendar. To be honest, we will probably end up throwing away a good portion.
But if you get gummy worms in your Halloween candy, keep them and do this fun experiment from Playdough to Plato! Little Mister loved watching the worms dance and wiggle. I just had to be careful to keep him from trying to reach in and grab a dancing worm!
Pro tip: Have a dance party set and ready to go for the 15-minute wait time. Have your little miss or mister dance like how they think the worms will dance. Little Mister loves Shake It Off by Taylor Swift and Can’t Stop This Feeling! from Trolls. All you need is 5-6 good dance songs and your worms will be ready! With music, the time will pass quickly, and it will be a welcome distraction from the waiting.
Magic Milk Experiment (Little Bins, Little Hands)
My husband and I own a bakery and always seem to have whole milk on hand for the different breads that we bake. Add a pie plate and we were ready for this experiment from Little Bins, Little Hands. We did this several times to get different patterns and colors. Little Mister was thrilled by the colorful patterns we created and had fun telling us where to move the cotton swab.
A big plus with this activity is that it is super easy clean up, especially if your baking dish or pie plate is dishwasher safe. Maybe try it with different types of milk. Would soy milk react differently than whole cow’s milk? Try it and report back!
Pro tip: Toddler hands have a tough time being gentle when touching the surface of the milk. If your toddler is struggling with this, make it a game that they have their hand on yours or they tell you where to move the cotton swab, like Simon Says. It will save you from some frustration.