Ask A Sacramento Expert: 5 Fun & Easy Science Projects To Do At Home
Discovery Museum Space and Science Center
3615 Auburn Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95821
(916) 808-3942
www.thediscovery.org
Susan Douglas is Director of Public Programs for the Discovery Museum, helping children learn about space travel, archaeology, nature, dinosaurs, astronomy and much more. While many children want to be a superhero, cowboy or ballerina when they grow up, Douglas "always wanted to be a science teacher." The Nebraska native has spent her life teaching and helping others explore the sciences. Douglas, who has one son and over 50 nieces and nephews, says what she enjoys most is working with children, and "learning through fun." There are many easy experiments that teach important skills for any budding scientist. "Families are so hungry for learning," she says, and these are great ways to have fun together.
Knowing how to measure things is important, and there are easy ways to do this using everyday items around the house. "The kitchen is the perfect place," Douglas says, because measuring things for recipes "also shows the importance of doing it right." One simple way is to have the kids help make cupcakes from a box of cake mix. Adding the correct amounts of water, eggs and oil is the only way the cupcakes will bake correctly and taste good. Slightly older children can measure the width, length and height of a table, for example, and measure a doorway to see if the table would fit through it.
"Shapes and colors are a good basis for learning," says Douglas, and every child has a favorite color. Have them find things that are their favorite color inside and outside, and talk about the range of lighter and darker tones of the same color. Then add shapes to the experiment by having them draw, for example, a red square, green circle, and purple triangle. Then have them search outside, in the house or in books for each color and shape combination. Use the shapes in drawing as well; a square house can have a triangular roof and round doorknob.
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Douglas enjoys letting kids experiment with the three different states of matter, which are solids, liquids and gases. She notes that "the only variant between the three is temperature," and one of the simplest ways to show this only requires water. Children can fill a large measuring cup with water, a liquid, and use it to fill up an ice cube tray. Once the water freezes it becomes ice, which is a solid. Depending on their age, kids can either participate or just watch what happens when the ice cubes are put into a pan on the stove. The heat causes the creation of steam, a gas, which helps the solid cubes return to a liquid state.
Learning how acids and bases react can be worthwhile and fun, says Douglas. While there are more elaborate "volcano" versions, this experiment is exciting for even young children. Squeeze the juice from several fresh lemons, which are acids, into a measuring cup. Help the child mix one tablespoon of baking soda, a base, and one teaspoon of liquid dish soap into a separate glass. Let them pour the lemon juice into the measuring cup; the combination releases carbon dioxide with an eruption of sudsy foam.
Take the kids outside and help them draw and write about what they see, hear, smell and experience. Douglas says that much of science is based on observation, and children can discover a lot once they learn how to focus. "Go outside, even if it's only on concrete," Douglas notes, "there's always something to see." Lift leaves to see what is underneath, listen to the sounds that different birds make, focus on the smells and even on the weather. "Comparing things and writing them down makes them into scientists."
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