Elephant Toothpaste
A clean 16 ounce plastic soda bottle
1/2 cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide liquid (20-volume is a 6% solution, you can get this from a beauty supply store/ hair salon. Although the drugstore 3% solution will work).
1 Tablespoon (one packet) of dry yeast
3 Tablespoons of warm water
Liquid dish washing soap mad science party
Food coloring
Small cup
Safety goggles
Hydrogen peroxide can irritate skin and eyes, so safety googles are a good idea. Add a few drops of your favorite food coloring into the bottle.
Add around 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap into the bottle and swish the bottle around to mix.
In a separate small cup, combine the warm water and the yeast together and mix for half a minute or so.
Pour the yeast water mixture into the bottle (a funnel can help) and watch that crazy foam!
There will be a dramatic amount of foam so make sure that your work area is covered and that there is something under the bottle to catch all the foam!
Film Canister Rockets
Using old film canisters you add Alka Seltzer tablets and water… (if you stick a lump of gum to the lid you can embed the seltzer tablet into the gum) and then you can take your time turning the canister over to activate the “rocket” (you can decorate the canister with a fancy paper rocket around it).
The “Will it Float or Sink?” Game
Ask the children whether or not an object will float or sink in a bucket of water (sometimes it can be tough to guess!)
Microwave Madness
Try microwaving a bar of Ivory Soap or a Marshmallow (crazy Stuff)
Making Borax Crystals
Boil water and add Borax
Suspend in this liquid a shape made out of pipe cleaners and the borax will form beautiful crystals on the pipe cleaners.
Pipe cleaner structure can be dangled from a piece of string wrapped around a pencil that’s placed across the jar mouth
Homemade litmus paper/solution
Can be made from water that Red Cabbage has boiled in… teach the kids about bases and acids!
Groovy Coloured Milk
Milk with drops of food colouring can be altered by touching the surface of the milk with a cotton swab that has been previously dipped in liquid soap.
Easy Tie Die
Using Sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol you can make impromptu “tie die” decorations.
Fungus among us
It’s fun to try to grow mould… (although this does usually take some time) you might want to check if you have any mouldy bread in the kitchen…
Baby Diapers
If you have some clean baby diapers lying around it can be fun to experiment with the lining that is full of polymers and see how much liquid they will absorb (a lot!)
Fun With a Black Light
Tonic Water glows under a black light (it has quinine in it) it can be fun to drink something that is glowing! (Added bonus is that any white “lab coats” will glow too).
Dry Ice
Can be used to great effect for fog and special effects (be careful with it around small children as it will burn)
Vinegar and Baking Soda
You can do a lot with just these two ingredients… (the internet is bursting with ideas) Volcanos, Bag Bombs, etc…
Dino Dig
Make your own fossil/dinosaur dig before the party by encasing something in Plaster of Paris mixed with water (sand if you like) and leave it to dry and harden. Then chip away with a little hammer (use goggles).
Sundial
Make a Sundial
Exploding Sandwich Bags
Using the perennial favourites vinegar and baking soda…
In a sandwich Ziploc bag add the water (1/4 cup) and the vinegar (1/2 cup). Then ever so gently… into the small opening that you have not zipped up on the ziploc… add the soda (2 Tbsp ) wrapped up in a small wad of toilet paper (to delay the chemical reaction).