Creative Family Fun

Your one-stop shop for kids activities and family fun

Terri Thompson

10 Science Experiments for Preschoolers

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Science experiments for preschool

Science is a big deal at our house.

My girls love it and my oldest even considers herself a scientist. It’s easily her favorite subject in school and she’s only in Kindergarten.

I’ve compiled a list of 10 fabulous science experiments for preschoolers, which are also appropriate for early elementary-aged kids.

They’re great choices for kids who love science already or for showing them that science can be a whole lot of fun.

We have already tried some of these and others are on my list of experiments I want to try. I know you’ll want to try these out with your kids too!

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1. Baking Soda & Vinegar: This classic and safe chemical reaction is always a hit with preschoolers. We’ve created a volcanic reaction and had a blast. Stop by Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas for instructions on how to make a big bubbly volcano.

2. Tornado in a Bottle: If you’re looking for a fun weather-related experiment, this should fit the bill. We haven’t done this one yet, but I want to! Weather Wiz Kids has all the instructions you need to make a tornado in a bottle.

3. Plant a Seed: Is there anything more fascinating that watching a seed grow? Teach Preschool shows you how to make a simple greenhouse to hang in your window. It’s the perfect way to watch the stages a seed goes through before it pops out of the ground.

4. Will it Sink or Will it Float?: You can do this with a variety of household items and a sink full of water. Which ones will sink and which ones will float? Ask your kids this question and help them think critically through the scientific process. Tinkerlab has a great version of this experiment with an egg using fresh water and salt water. Looks like fun!

5. Learn About the Stages of Matter with Ice: We did this experiment and the girls were completely fascinated by watching ice melt. Have them figure out if they can turn the water back into ice.

6. Make a Cloud: I love this colorful experiment shared on Reading Confetti. It’s a great introduction to clouds and rain and I’m sure every kid would be fascinated by the results.

7. Siphon Water: How does water move? Not Just Cute shares an easy experiment you can do to help your kids start to understand a complicated science term. We’re going to try this one soon!

8. Ivory Soap Explosion: Do you know what happens when you put Ivory Soap in the microwave? The results are amazing! Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas shows you how do this fun experiment. We’ve done it before and loved the results. And the added bonus is that you’ll end up with a fun sensory element to play with!

9. Learn How Sound is Made: Your kids know what sound is and I bet they are good at making loud noises, but do they know how sound is made? Kids Activities Blog shows you how to do a fun experiment to learn all about sound.

10. Diet Coke & Mentos: You may have seen this on Myth Busters and may have wanted to do this experiment yourself. Guess what? We have and it’s fun. For this experiment, you’ll need plenty of adult supervision, but it’s very easy to do. You can find all the details at Steve Spangler Science. You should also watch their video to see just how much fun this is.

Bonus Activity ~ See How Water Travels Through a Plant: All if takes is a couple of stalks of celery, some colored water, and time, and you can see yourself how a plant absorbs water. Rainy Day Mum shows you how to do this fascinating experiment.

Preschool science experiments

Make this a family adventure: 

Science experiments are always a fun choice for family time. For a successful family adventure, make sure you have gathered all the supplies ahead of time. Read and become familiar with the instructions, so you can lead the kids through the process with ease. Also, plan which steps the adults will be in charge of and which the kids can do. All the projects listed above would be perfect for a science family adventure.

Moose Silhouette Paintings

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One thing we spent some time learning about on our journey to Alaska was the moose.

My girls are very fascinated by animals (as are many children) and I plan on including as many as I can while we are learning about different cultures.

We chose the moose for Alaska. It’s a animal that is native to North America and is very prevalent in Alaska. It was also the perfect subject for an art project.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

After reading a few books about moose, both fiction and nonfiction choices, we found a picture to use as inspiration.

After looking at the picture awhile, the girls chose a variety of paint colors they wanted to use and got to work on their interpretation of the picture.

They painted mountains, grass, clouds, and lakes.

While they were working on their painting, I made a couple of moose silhouettes. I found a simple coloring page to use as a template. I reduced the page to about 25% on my computer, printed it out, and used it as a stencil on black paper. Once I cut them out, they were ready.

After the painting were finished we let them dry for awhile before gluing our silhouettes on.

The pictures turned out wonderful and the girls were very proud of their finished projects!

We had such a fun time learning about moose and creating beautiful pictures. If you’re curious as to the books we read, I’ve included a selection in the carousel below.

Are you going to join us on our trip around the world? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Try one of these books for inspiration:

It’s a Baby Moose! (Baby Mammals) by Kelly Doudna
Amazing Animals: Moose by Kate Riggs 
Elusive Moose by Joan Gannij
This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss
Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff

10 Ways to Play This Weekend: Week 21

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  1. Go on a mini-adventure at the library with Mama Scout
  2. Make beautiful ice lanterns with Naturally Educational
  3. Paint with icicles with Mama Smiles
  4. Make giant snowflakes to decorate your windows with The Chocolate Muffin Tree
  5. Go Sight Word Bowling with Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
  6. Make floating art with Learn with Play at Home
  7. Go ice skating in your living room with Inner Child Fun
  8. Bring some snow inside for some Arctic sensory fun
  9. Go digging in the dirt with Go Explore Nature
  10. Paint with marshmallows with Rainbows Within Reach

How are you going to play this weekend?

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Project Around the World: Exploring Alaska

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I mentioned in my Best of 2012 post that the girls and are would be embarking on a “virtual” trip about the world. Well, we started our journey in the USA in the northernmost state, Alaska.

My previous plan of a weekly schedule just wasn’t working out for us. So, while thinking of other options, I kept coming back to the idea of exploring the world. We’ve liked the previous projects we’ve done about world culture. I wanted to do more and I knew the girls would be interested as well.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

To prepare, I made both of the girls a passport. I used the tutorial I had previously published here. I kept things simple with blue card stock for the cover and white copy paper for the inside. For our stamps, I’m just going to draw a little design in a circle for each of our destinations.

We started with a selection of books. I used Alaska (Welcome to the U.S.A.) by Ann Heinrichs as our overview book. It hit all the high points and we used it as a travel guide. I decided on a few highlights from Alaska that we were going to visit, Denali National Park, the Iditarod Dog Sled Race, and an introduction to the Eskimo culture.

The activities I had planned were not complicated. I know that if this project ever gets stressful, we’d quit. I want this to be fun, enjoyable, as well as being educational.

So, how did I make it fun? We set up one of the girls’ little tents in our play room and turned it into a campsite. We’ve got sleeping bags and flashlights to add to the fun as we pretend to camp at Denali National Park.

We’ve been reading books at our campsite and playing games, such as this fun ice fishing game I found at Joyfully Weary.

We’ve been using the opportunity to practice writing, by making lists, and also practicing story telling. We’re still deep in the middle of our journey to Alaska and I hope to share more as we go along. We’ve created some beautiful artwork and also have a Creative Family Fun Night planned.

You can find all the resources we use at Exploring Alaska: Resource Post.

Favorite Posts of 2012 & Setting the Tone for 2013

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I recently shared my 10 most popular posts and now I’d like to share a few more. These posts were among my favorites and they’re also doing double-duty by setting the tone for 2013. So without further ado, here are my favorites of 2012.

I’ve always believed in the importance of teaching children about the world around them. They need to know that there is more to life than what they can see from their own front door. So in May, I shared 10 Ways to Explore the World Without Leaving Home. I practice what I preach and implemented all of these ideas into our home.

In 2013, join me in Raising Global Citizens. I’ve been toying with an idea I’ve dubbed “Project Around the World.” We’ll be travelling the world in 2013, right in our own living room. Come along! Maybe you’ll celebrate a new holiday, try a new dish inspired by a country you’ve always wanted to visit, or just read books set in different cultures. I plan on giving you lots of ideas for exploring the world in the new year.

Several times in the past year, I gave you ideas for Creative Family Fun Nights. One of my favorites were the Family Olympics. It was chock full of activities for the whole family to do together, to get out and play, to  laugh, and have fun.

Join me in making 2013 the Year of the Family. The title of my blog is Creative Family Fun and this year, I’d like to focus on the word family. I’ll be publishing even more ideas for Creative Family Fun Nights.

In November I share a new daily practice we started, our gratitude bowl. This simple exercise has proven to be very valuable to our family. It’s become habit and has set the stage for a peaceful dinner time.

Join me in a quest to Add Value to Family Dinner Time in 2013. Use the time to get to know each other better. Have conversations, tell stories, share your dreams & wishes, laugh, and enjoy each other.

Let’s rock 2013!