at home!50 science experiments

for everyone

Try this

Francesca Romano

First, you must start with a question and think about a possible answer. The experiment will serve as a confirmation of your idea. A proper experiment should be prepared and observed very carefully, to note the result.

The Scientific MethodExperiments are the basis of science, but for them to be used as valuable data, they must be done following a proper method!

Maybe your

answer was

wrong

10

Question

Start from here!

Possible Answer

Experiment!

Prepare your experiment

Observe carefully

Note the result

If the experiment proved your answer was correct, you can continue your discovery, or else you can rethink your experiment or your answer to the initial question and try again.

Maybe you made some

errors …

Maybe your experiment was wrong

11

Start with a new question

Yes

No

Was your answer correct?

While crystals like diamonds or other jewels are extremely precious, you can grow your own crystals at home

What you need sugar glass water food colouring scissors thread pencil

Cut the thread. It must be longer than the depth of the glass, you can adjust it later.

Boil some water in a pan. Have an adult helping you in this step.

Tie the thread to a pencil.

Drop some food colouring in the water and stir it.

Add sugar until it doesn’t dissolve anymore and some of it remains on the bottom of the glass

Immerse the thread in the water and leave it for at least a day.

1 day

Homemade crystals

1

4 5 6

2 3

46

Mat

eria

l wo

rld

VariationsThe form of the crystals vary depending on the substances they are made from. At home you can also try to grow them from salt or baking soda, following the same process. Can you spot the differences?

Cotton works best for this

experiment as it

absorbes water very efficiently

If you want your crystals to grow further, prepare another solution (steps 1 to 3) and reimmerse the thread again.

7

How does it work?Crystals are solids formed by a regular pattern of molecules connecting together. When sugar is dissolved, the molecules are separated in water and, as it evaporates, they fall naturally into their place in the geometric structure.

the crystals have

a cubic shape!

47

Material w

orld

Energies in action!

Energy is all around us, in many forms, but we can’t see it. Find

out where it’s hiding with the following experiments!

Cabbages may not be the most delicious food in the world, but

some of them have magical properties …

Cabbage Magic

Ask an adult to chop the red cabbage into small pieces.

1

Pour vinegar in one of the glasses …

5

What you need 1/4 small red cabbage 1l water knife saucepan sieve measuring cup 3 clear glasses vinegar baking soda 30 mins

How does it work?The same chemical that gives the cabbage its purple colour is able to detect whether substances are acids or bases. When it comes in contact with acids it turns purple and green with bases. You can create a whole palette of colours experimenting with different susbtances!

with baking soda

112

Livi

ng

Th

ing

s

v

Filter the water with a sieve to separate it from the cabbage.

3 Then put some of the filtered water in each of the glasses.

4

… Until the water changes colour completely

6 In a second glass add some baking soda

7 The colour is different this time!

8

Try also with

soap and lemon.

Which one is

acid and which

is basic?

Boil it until the water becomes blue. Then let it cool.

2

just cabbage

Livng

Thin

gs

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with vinegar

This book proves that science is not something for boring people in

unaccessible laboratories.

Instead, you will have fun with these 50 easy experiments and you’ll just

need a few tools you can easily find at home!