Fun Science Experiments

Investigating and experimenting is how we learn about the world around us. Children are engaging in science all the time through their play, trying things out, making observations and asking questions. Tapping into this curiosity and sense of fun is key to getting children to love science experiments. After all, professional scientists have the same inquisitiveness about the world. It’s just that their investigations have stricter rules, involve more complex ideas and take a lot longer.

And don’t be frightened about giving children chance to explore before they start experimenting. A great introduction to magnets is simply to give every child a magnet and see what they can discover for themselves in five minutes!

How to make science experiments fun

A fun context is important in getting children excited about science experiments. It also gives a purpose to their learning. A context could be a ‘real’ situation involving the school, their locality or even a situation from the wider world. For example, this insulating experiment encourages children to test the insulating properties of different mugs. It wouldn’t be difficult to introduce the problem of a teacher whose tea always gets cold before they have a chance to drink it.

On the other hand, a context could be a highly original situation involving all manner of things: alien spaceships, dinosaurs, pirates, or cuddly toys. Children love using their imaginations, and if this can help them contextualise some really cool science experiments, so much the better!

What can help you provide the context? Well, it could be…

• A class story where a character has a problem
• A short video that introduces a question  
• An issue faced by a historical character 
• A question or misconception raised by a child in class
• A statement or enquiry from someone else both the question and the person can be real or created by you!) 

Children may be more motivated if they have proposed an investigation themselves, but by providing them with contexts you can steer them in the right direction. For example, in this waterproofing experiment, children test waterproof materials linked to a Chinese New Year story. Or this separating mixtures resource could be based on younger children having mixed up all sorts of materials and their teacher wants them separated again.
 

What can children learn from experiments? 

Science is a great way of developing children’s collaborative skills, encouraging them to discuss their ideas and share responsibilities as they investigate. And what about those children who want to do everything in their group, or those other children who are content to sit back and watch? Well, give the children in each group roles, or get them to swap duties each time so that all children are engaged equally, and so they work as a team.

Science is also fantastic for getting children to learn from their mistakes. They may have forgotten to time an experiment, or added too much salt, or not conducted a fair test… it does not matter. Every mistake is a great learning opportunity, and children should be getting things wrong occasionally. Be prepared to give them adequate time when they realise what they planned to do doesn’t work or when they need to repeat an experiment because someone made a mistake.

Easy school science experiments for kids

The advantage of experimenting at school is that children have access to more equipment and also have other children to ‘bounce’ ideas off (just ideas, not equipment). You don’t need to provide loads of information about what an investigation entails — children should be trying to work out the details of ‘how’ they are going to investigate for themselves. Sometimes, simply discussing a question and providing them with a range of equipment is enough. In this water resistance experiment, children look at how shape can affect water resistance, and the details could easily be worked out by the children. There are also several contexts that they could link to this e.g. German U-boats in World War II or adaptation in fish.

Investigations are also a fantastic way of getting children to remember important concepts. For example, this ‘make a string telephone’ resource is a great way of forging a real link between sound and vibration, helping children to remember what they’ve learnt. 
 

Easy science experiments to do at home 

Getting children to think and work scientifically can be extended to home experiments too. The range of equipment may be more limited but some children may prefer working without time limits and enjoy the chance to ask their own questions and pursue their own lines of enquiry, perhaps with the support of an adult. This can be especially important for younger children where ‘science’ and ‘play’ can easily overlap!  

Use this materials experiment to get children really engaged in testing out different materials for paper planes. Or get children looking at the soil in their garden with this soil shaker experiment. Finally, this materials experiment gets children investigating the best material for a playground slide. All of these could be carried out fairly easily at home with a little adult help. 

Teacher demonstrations 

Children conducting their own investigations is incredibly powerful and they undoubtedly learn best through practical experience. However, sometimes this isn’t practical because of the nature of the experiment or the materials used. When things begin to get explosive, there is nothing wrong with demonstrating the results of an experiment. The powerful, visual effects of chemistry science experiments will often be very memorable for children.  

The classic volcano science experiment – involving vinegar and baking powder – is an exciting activity that will engage all children. With this resource, children get the chance to predict and reason about the effects of different tests. Of course, it’s important that children also realise that it’s not baking powder and vinegar that makes volcanoes erupt: as always, it’s crucial to address any misconceptions around science as they ‘arise’ (see what I did there?). 
 

I have worked in primary schools for twenty-five years, mostly in Key Stage 2 but I also had a very enjoyable stint in Year 2. Since leaving teaching, I have worked as an educational resource creator and have really loved being part of the CGP+ family. 

Take a look at CGP+ resources by Scott.