Welcome, young scientists!
If you’re searching for easy science experiments for kids to do at home, you’re in the right place.
We’ve personally tested these fun and simple STEM activities using common household materials like food coloring, dish soap, baking soda, and more.
Each experiment takes about 30 minutes and helps teach basic science concepts that kids will use in school. Whether you’re exploring chemistry, physics, or biology, these activities are both educational and exciting for kids of all ages.
Chemistry Experiments For Kids
Invisible Ink
Write secret messages using lemon juice as invisible ink—a simple chemistry trick for kids!
Mini Volcano
Create colorful eruptions with baking soda and vinegar. This easy science experiment is a favorite for kids!
Shiny Pennies
What cleans dirty pennies best? Test different liquids like soap, vinegar, and more—a fun chemistry experiment.
Elephant Toothpaste
Learn about exothermic reactions in this bubbly, explosive science activity. Best with adult help.
Orange Fizz
Experience a fizzy reaction of acids and bases in this sensory experiment using oranges and baking soda.
Exploding Soap
This microwave science experiment is a blast for all ages—just soap, heat, and a bit of parent help needed!
Color Explosion
Mix baking soda and vinegar to explore chemical reactions and create vibrant artwork—perfect for hands-on learning!
Mixing Impossible
Explore density and polarity by mixing oil, water, and food coloring in this easy science experiment. Kids love it!
Static Electricity Hair
Teach kids about static electricity with a balloon and cloth—an engaging, no-mess science activity!
Physics Experiments For Kids
Jumping Pepper
Watch pepper jump on water with this simple experiment using soap and black pepper to explore surface tension—a fun science activity!
Lava Lamp
Create a colorful lava lamp and learn about density and polarity. This exciting experiment is perfect for kids ages 4-12!
Dry Erase Marker Magic
Bring your drawings to life! Use a glass plate, dry erase marker, and water to explore this magical science experiment for kids.
Poke-Through Tricks
Test out two cool science tricks: poke a pencil through a water-filled bag (no leaks!) and push a needle through a balloon (no popping!).
Light Refraction Magic
Learn about light refraction with this easy experiment that feels like a magic trick—perfect for teaching optics to kids!
Dancing Raisins
Watch raisins dance in clear soda in this engaging activity, demonstrating chemical reactions and the effects of carbonation.
Sink or Float?
Kids of all ages will love this simple science experiment that introduces density. It’s a favorite STEM activity for little learners!
Sugar Water Rainbows
Create a vibrant sugar water rainbow using household items. This fun and educational science experiment teaches density and layering.
Magnet Magic
Practice sorting, classifying, and making predictions with this activity, while exploring the principles of magnetism using simple household items.
Floating Eggs
Teach kids how salt increases water density by placing an egg in fresh water (sink) and salt water (float). A great hands-on science experiment!
DIY Parachute
Learn about gravity and air resistance by building a DIY parachute with a plastic bag, string, and paper cup—perfect for teaching kids physics concepts!
Disappearing Reflection
Explore light and reflection by crumpling aluminum foil. This simple experiment shows how diffuse reflection scatters light and makes your reflection vanish.
Paper Airplanes
Explore aerodynamics by making paper airplanes! Find dozens of designs and teach kids about lift, drag, and thrust with this classic activity.
Flying Ping Pong
Use a hair dryer to make a ping pong ball float and experiment with air pressure and Bernoulli’s principle. Adjust angles to see the ball’s movement!
Walking on Eggs
Learn about the strength of eggs! Walk on them without breaking, showing how their arched shape distributes weight evenly—an exciting physics experiment.
Defy Gravity
Explore air pressure with this simple trick. Fill a cup, cover with a card, flip, and remove it to see the water stay in place. A great science activity!
Biology Experiments For Kids
Rainbow Celery
Learn about capillary action with this color-changing celery experiment. Just use celery, water, and food coloring for an unforgettable biology project!
Traveling Rainbows
See capillary action and color mixing in action as colors move through paper towels, showing how plants transport nutrients in this fun biology experiment.
Skittle Heart Experiment
Explore water solubility and color mixing with this vibrant Skittle Heart experiment—a captivating way for kids to learn basic chemistry concepts!
Homemade Slime (Polymers & Viscosity)
What kid doesn’t love slime? This is one of our favorite science experiments because it’s a sure kid-pleaser! In this basic recipe for slime, you can make some of your own right in your kitchen, and have fun squeezing it with your bare hands all day long.
Earth Science Experiments For Kids
Water Cycle in a Bag
This easy water cycle experiment lets kids watch the process unfold in a bag using a Ziplock bag, permanent marker, water, & blue food coloring.
Traveling Rainbows
Thread Cheerios onto a pipe cleaner, shape it, and hang it outside. Try different locations, food, or shapes to see what birds like best!
DIY Rain Gauge
Make a rain gauge using a soda bottle. Cut off the top, invert it, and tape it in place. Set it outside, secure it, and measure rainfall daily!
Engineering/Technology Experiments For Kids
LEGO Boats
Explore engineering and design – build a boat with a set number of LEGO bricks, then test it in water. Add pennies one by one to see how much each boat can hold.
Rubber Band Guitar
Wrap different-sized rubber bands around a cup, creating “strings” over the hole. Tap and pluck them to explore various sounds!
Paper Cup Tower
Set 8 paper cups evenly on the ground, then place a piece of cardboard on top. Have kids stand on it to see the cups support their weight without crushing!
More Quick Chemistry Experiments:
- Rock Candy Experiment – Grow colorful rock candy in a glass!
- Naked Egg Experiment – Dissolve an eggshell with vinegar and see the membrane below!
- Balloon Magic – Blow up a balloon without blowing, using vinegar and baking soda.
- Egg Teeth – Explore how sugar affects teeth in this easy experiment.
- Tie Dye: Create vibrant tie-dye patterns while learning about absorption and chemical bonding as dyes react with fabric molecules, becoming a permanent part of the material!
- Make Butter – Shake cream and turn it into butter!
- Ice Cream in a Bag – Turn simple ingredients into delicious ice cream.
- Moldy Bread Experiment – See how important it is to wash your hands in the viral science experiment.
- Exploding baggie – Use a simple chemical reaction to explode a plastic zip close baggie.
- Flame-Proof Balloon – Use cold water to make a balloon resistant to a fire’s flame!
- Rotten Banana Balloon – Use that rotten banana in your kitchen to blow up a balloon. You can also try it with a lemon. (Here’s the Lemon Balloon Trick.)
- Mouth-Foaming Fun – Experience a chemical reaction first hand while brushing your teeth.
- Smashing Seashells – Discover how to easily smash seashells with vinegar.
- Super Bubble Solution – Find out how you can make giant bubbles with an easy homemade solution.
- Water Fireworks – Create fireworks in a glass of water using this simple experiment with household ingredient.
- Dancing Corn Experiment – Explore and investigate carbon dioxide by making corn dance.
- Homemade Bouncy Balls – Make your own bouncy ball toys with household ingredients.
- Steel Wool & Vinegar Experiment – Get a better understand of how things rust!
- Magic Milk Experiment: Create colorful swirls in milk by adding dish soap, which breaks down the fat molecules and causes the colors to move and mix in a mesmerizing display!
- Melting Snowballs: Create “melting snowballs” by freezing baking soda and water, then adding vinegar to watch them fizz and dissolve in a fun acid-base reaction experiment!
More Quick Physics Experiments:
- Giant Dish Soap Bubbles – Make a giant bubble with household ingredients.
- Layering Liquids – See how liquids can stack on top of each other according to density.
- Liquid Sandwich – Learn about density with water, oil, and honey.
- Step Through an Index Card – Amaze your kids by stepping through an index card that’s been strategically cut.
- Frozen Bubbles – Find out what happens when you blow bubbles in freezing temperatures.
- Big Stick Balance – This surprising experiment will teach kids about balance.
- Upside Down Reflection – All you need is a kitchen spoon to learn about the principles of reflection.
- Soap Boats – Explore density with this easy DIY boat-making activity.
- Water Bending Trick – Learn how to bend water with one simple thing you have lying around your house.
- Dry Paper Experiment – See how you can magically dunk paper in water and not make it wet.
- Bending Straw Illusion – Learn about light refraction in this quick and simple experiment.
- Magic Napkin – Learn about inertia with a napkin and a plastic cup filled with water.
- Talking String – Learn about sound waves and make a string “sing” by using one simple button.
- Noisy Paper – Create a loud vibration noise with just two pieces of computer paper.
- Make a Rainbow – See how you can easily create your own rainbow.
More Quick Biology Experiments For Kids
- Map Your Taste Buds – Learn about your taste buds in this easy mapping activity.
- Growing Gummy Bears – Watch gummy bears grow before your eyes.
- Foot Fat Experiment – Compare the levels of fat in different foods with this simple experiment.
- Fingerprinting – Dive into the infinite world of fingerprints with a no. 2 pencil and paper.
- Sunscreen and Skin – Learn about the human body and how sunscreen works with this simple experiment using sunscreen and construction paper.
- Taste Bud 101 – Learn about the taste buds with this fun and interactive experiment.
More Quick Earth Science Experiments:
- Solar Oven S’mores – Cook up a tasty snack in a solar oven.
- Human Sundial – Become a human sundial to learn about solar patterns.
- Windowsill Trash – Demonstrate how the heat of the sun helps trash decompose
- Tornado in a Bottle – Create a cyclone in a bottle in this classic, simple experiment.
- Make a Sundial – Learn how to tell time with the sun by making a simple sundial.
- Shaving Cream Rain Clouds – learn about the water cycle with shaving cream. The shaving cream represents the rain cloud and the water is the atmosphere.
More Engineering Experiments for Kids:
- Egg Drop Project – See if you can build a contraction to protect an egg from breaking.
You Might Also Enjoy:
- 50 Awesome Science Experiments for Fourth Graders
- 10 Cool Cold Weather Science Experiments for Kids
- 100+ Fun and Educational Science Trivia Questions for Kids
- 25 Must-Read Science Books for First Graders
If your child is interested in science check out the videos at How Stuff Works. It will keep them informed and entertained for hours! They also may be interested in reading about the latest news in science at Science News Explores.
Do you have other ideas for easy science experiments for kids? We’d love to hear about them! Email us at hello@mkewithkids.com to add your idea.
Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.