3Style Kitchens Blog

Summer Kitchen Activity Guide Part 2: Kitchen Science

POSTED ON 28th July 2014

Science and Appliances!

If your children are more budding scientists than bakers, or you just want something fun but educational, why not try some funky science experiments that you can do with a few simple kitchen items. Younger children will enjoy the process itself and older ones can learn something from some simply explanations of the science behind them.

Here are some simple experiments that will wow your kids:

Make Coloured Celery

Set out jars of water with different food colourings in them and stand a stick of celery in each (see main picture). Monitor them over a few days and the celery will take on the colour of the liquid (through the scientific process of transpiration). Quite frankly it seems a much better use for celery than eating in in my opinion! It also works with cabbage leaves (choose a white cabbage such as Chinese leaf for impressive results). See more details here

Lava Lamps

You can make your own lava lamps using a pop bottle, water, vegetable oil, Alka Seltzer and some food colouring.

See full instructions and scientific explanation here

Secret Citrus Art

Squeeze the juice of a lemon or lime into a cup and use it to ‘paint’ onto paper (you can use a brush, cotton bud or even just a finger). Paper can be any colour. When finished dry it with a hair dryer or iron and your design will appear by magic. See the science here 

Cola Explosions!

This is one for the garden rather than the kitchen. Simply drop a couple of Mento sweets into a bottle of cola and watch it explode! You can explain the science or why not challenge older children to research it and tell you why it happens?

Dancing Raisins

Drop raisins into a glass of carbonated water and they will rise up (risin’ raisins!), then fall back down and rise again, giving an impression of ‘dancing’ in the water. See more detail about the science and how to do it here

There are details on all of these, plus other ideas on our Pinterest board Summer Kitchen Activities for Kids. If you try any of these or have ideas for other scientific activity you can do at home then comment on here or join in the conversation on our Facebook page - don't forget you can win a £25 Toys R Us voucher just for joining in!

Next week we’ll be looking at creative and imaginative play so come back on Monday 4th August for more summer holiday ideas.

Click here to see all the Summer Kitchen Activity blogs so far.