The following article is sponsored by IM Flash.
Having a hard time getting your kids unglued from phones or other electronic devices on those lazy afternoons? With a little planning and gathering items that are already in your house, you can teach your kids how fun it is to get hands-on in science.
Here are three easy experiments you can do with the kids that will grab their attention:
Make “elephant toothpaste”
Called “elephant toothpaste” because of its size and consistency (just don’t try to brush with it!), you can create a chemical reaction that shoots out of a two-liter bottle. All you need is some hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, food coloring, yeast, and a two-liter bottle.
IM Flash, a Lehi technology company, recently demonstrated this experiment on “The Place.” Watch below:
Create a lava lamp
Take a 2-liter bottle and pour ¾ cup of water in the bottom. Then fill the bottle almost all the way full with vegetable oil (canola oil will also work). Wait for the layers to settle. Drop 10 drops of food coloring into the bottle and let them settle to the bottom. Now for the fun part! Take an Alka-Seltzer tablet and break it into pieces. Have your kids drop the pieces of the tablet into the oil and water to create the lava lamp effect! The more tablets you use, the faster it goes. Want to re-use the “lamp?” Just cap it and set it aside until you’re ready to use again.
Make lemon volcanoes
Slice off the bottom of a lemon to make it sit flat. Then turn the lemon over and slide out the core (like you would a strawberry). Use a spoon to mash the center of the lemon and bring out the juices.
Take a second lemon and juice it. Set aside the juice.
Put some food coloring in your open lemon and add some dish soap and a spoonful of baking soda. It will start to fizz immediately. To keep it fizzing, keep mashing the lemon with your spoon or add more baking soda, coloring, dish soap, and your reserved lemon juice. You can also squeeze the lemon!
Science is a fun and easy way to get your kids off their phones and into real life. IM Flash is a strong advocate of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education. Come take a tour of IM Flash to see how you can use your science in a career. Visit www.imflash.com/tour for more info.
