Mixing substances together, separating substances out, causing reactions (and explosions!) are all some of the fun that can be had with chemistry. Chemistry seeks to understand the properties of substances – what happens when you freeze it, heat it, or mix it with something else?
We’ve got a lot of experiments and activities on the Experimentary website that explore chemistry, so choosing the top five was tough! But we’re all about the challenge here so read on to find out more about our selection.
- Colourful Chemistry
This one sneakily highlights the virtues of vegetables – not necessarily to eat though. In Colourful Chemistry we use red cabbage to explore the world of acids and bases and how we use changes in colour to measure pH values. Don’t eat the cabbage you use in the experiment but if you can get the kids to eat a coleslaw afterwards then we’d call that a double-win.
2. Fantastic filters
Water is arguably the most precious resource on our planet so learning how to look after it, treat it and clean it is so important. In the Fantastic Filters experiment we look at the effectiveness of different filters to find out more about cleaning “dirty” water.
3. Solid + Liquid = Gas
Chemistry matters! Oh dear, it’s not the best pun, but it is true! In this experiment we look at the three phases of matter – solid, liquid and gas, all in one bubbling experiment. What happens when you mix a certain solid with a certain liquid? You’ll have to try this experiment to find out.
4. Plastic from milk
In this Science@Home activity we take a plastic milk bottle and use the milk in it to…make plastic. A simple chemical reaction by combining two liquids kicks off the process, and there are variations you can try to get different shapes and colours. As with all our Science@Home activities, our “Plastic from Milk” activity is easy to do at home – great for a rainy afternoon.
5. Cold reaction
Brrrrr…did it just get colder in here? In this Science@Home activity we mix two common kitchen ingredients, add a bit of water and wait for the [cold] reaction. It won’t cool you down on a hot summers’ day but it will teach you a little bit about acids and bases.
So next time the kids are saying they’re bored, jump on to Experimentary and start working your way through this list of our top five chemistry experiments and activities. We’re sure you’ll get a good reaction!
