COVID-19 has forced many teachers to become creative in the ways they teach their students. Teachers often feel overwhelmed because they need to create inexpensive projects for their elementary school students. Read about 5 fun and engaging science projects you can use in your classroom!
1. Homemade Playdough
The materials you will need for this project are;
3 cups of flour,
1 and a half cups of salt,
6 teaspoons cream of tartar,
3 tablespoons of oil, and
3 cups of water.
The first step is to dissolve the salt in the water and pour all of the ingredients into a large pot. Then, stir constantly over medium heat until a ball forms and pull it from the sides. Knead the dough mixture until it feels similar to the texture of playdough which should take around 1 to 2 minutes. That’s it!
2. Invisible Ink
All you will need is;
½ lemon,
a bowl,
a spoon,
some water,
a paintbrush,
white paper,
a small lamp.
Start by squeezing juice from the lemon into the bowl and add a few drops of water to the lemon juice. Mix the water and lemon juice with a spoon and use the paintbrush and dip the bristles into the mixture. Then, write a message or draw an image onto the paper and let it dry completely, making sure that it’s completely invisible. Hold the paper close to the lamp and it should heat up, be very careful during this step. Whatever you wrote or drew should now be visible!
3. Lava Lamp
The materials you will need are;
a clean plastic bottle with smooth sides,
some water,
vegetable oil,
fizzing tablets (such as Alka Seltzer),
food coloring.
Fill the bottle up about ¼ with water and then pour the vegetable oil in the bottle until it is almost full. Wait a couple minutes for the oil and water to separate and then add a few drops of your food coloring. Break a fizzy tablet in half and drop part of it in and watch carefully to see what happens next! You’re all done with your very own lava lamp!
4. Eggshell Chalk
You will need;
10 eggshells,
2 teaspoons of plain flour,
4 teaspoons of hot water,
some food dye,
a paper towel,
a plastic bag,
a rolling pin.
Start by cleaning the eggshells thoroughly making sure that you remove the membrane. Once they are completely dry, put the eggshells in a bag and use the rolling pin to crush them into a very fine powder. Then place the eggshell powder into a bowl and add the flour and add as much hot water as it takes to make a stiff paste. Then, add a few drops of food dye, mix it really well, and then place the paste onto a paper towel. Roll the towel into a tube with the paste inside to mold the chalk into a tube shape. Then, leave the chalk to dry for a few days and you’re finished, you can now draw your very own masterpiece using chalk you made!
5. Fizz-Inflator
You will need;
one small empty plastic soda or water bottle,
½ cup vinegar,
a small balloon,
some baking soda,
a funnel (you can make one using a piece of paper).
Carefully pour the vinegar into the bottle. Then, loosen up the balloon by stretching it a few times and use the funnel to fill it a bit more than halfway with baking soda. If you don’t have a funnel, then twist a sheet of paper into a cone and tape it into place. After the baking soda has been transferred to the balloon, carefully put the neck of the balloon all the way over the neck of the bottle without spilling any baking soda. Finally, lift the balloon up so that the baking soda from the balloon falls into the vinegar and see what happens!
Written by Anumita Basani
