Little Kid Science Projects
A great number of science projects are suitable for little kids. With your assistance, kids can explore some of the most important introductory elements of science through simple and fun experiments. Ensure that your kids wear appropriate safety clothing, such as goggles, rubber gloves and smocks or old clothes.
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Biology
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For this simple introductory science project, search the Internet for a variety of optical illusions. Print out the illusions and give them to your kids to look at and write down what they can see -- optical illusions are perceived in different ways by different people so get them to compare what they see with other people. Challenge your kids to think about how humans see and perceive illusions, and how the brain plays tricks on us. Further your kids' knowledge by getting them to look at interactive illusions on the Internet.
Chemistry
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One idea for a chemistry experiment that your little kids will really enjoy gets them to explore immiscible liquids and emulsifiers to make a glitter globe. This experiment is ideal to complete right before Christmas so your kids can make a gift of their glitter globe. Assist your kids as they take a small glass jar with a lid and 1/4 fill it with rubbing alcohol then fill it almost to the top with cooking oil. Allow your kids to get creative and add food coloring with a pipette and glitter. Fill the jar to the brim with oil and firmly attach the lid.
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Physics
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To complete this physics project, you will need a basketball, a pump with an air pressure gauge, measuring tape and duct tape. Get the kids to first find a clear space next to a wall then secure a measuring tape against it at the 6-foot mark with duct tape. Set up a chair next to the measuring tape and supervise children carefully as they drop the basketball from the 6-foot height each time. Have kids start with a fully inflated ball, record the air pressure with the pump, drop it and check the height at which it bounces. Repeat this process at least three times for each air pressure and have them work out the average bounce height. Kids should keep decreasing air pressure until the ball no longer bounces. Ask kids to think about how air pressure works and why the harder a ball is, the higher it will bounce.
Earth Science
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An "okta" is the measurement that meteorologists use to signify how much of the sky is covered by cloud. Oktas are measured from zero to eight, with zero being no cloud in the sky and eight being a sky full of clouds. Get kids to measure the cloud level over their backyards by taking a large square or rectangular mirror (at least a foot tall and 8 inches wide) and divide it up into eight equal-sized squares or rectangles with a marker pen. The kids should lay their mirrors flat on the ground and record how many squares have cloud in them -- this is their okta reading. Get kids to take a reading once every 20 minutes for two hours to see how okta levels change over time.
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References
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