These six science experiments/crafts all have something in common. They all use a dropper/pipette! You can use an eye dropper, medicine dropper, turkey baster, or even a straw (holding your finger over the end to keep the liquid in the straw).
Using a dropper helps strengthen the hand muscles in your child's hand which is important when they start to write. Your kids can have fun and develop their fine motor skills at the same time!
Dropper Painting
Try dropper painting to learn about colors! Put down a piece of paper towel or a coffee filter on a cookie sheet. Put 10 drops of food coloring in a cup and add some water. Draw up some of the diluted food coloring in a dropper. Drip a couple of drops on the paper towel. Use another color and add more drops to the paper towels. See what happens when the colors mix! After drying, cut the paper towel into some shape such as a flower!
Dinosaur Egg Excavation
Put an object such as a small toy dinosaur or LEGO person in a balloon or small plastic container. Add water to cover object, knot the balloon and put in the freezer for a couple of hours. Put the frozen eggs in a bowl. Melt the frozen egg by dropping water with a dropper. Put some salt on the frozen egg and let sit for 5 minutes. Does the salt help melt the ice? Compare using warm water and cold water. What temperature of water melts the egg quicker?
Mini Volcanoes
Put some baking soda in a small cup. Place the cup in a baking pan. Pour some white vinegar in a cup and add some food coloring. Use the dropper to put some drops of colored vinegar in the baking soda! For added fun, add a couple of action figures or dinosaurs in the tray first. Your child will certainly have some story to tell about the lava flowing over the dinosaurs!
Surface Tension and a Penny
Add one drop of water on top of a penny. Guess how many drops it will take before the water spills over the edge of the penny. Carefully add one drop at a time. Count as you go! Do the experiment again and see if you can put more drops on the penny!
Oil and Water Droplet Painting
Put a small amount of food coloring deleted with water in a pan. Draw some vegetable oil in a dropper. Drop a couple of drops of oil in the food coloring. Spread the drops around with plenty of room between the drops. Lay piece of heavy paper or watercolor paper on top of the oil and food coloring. Lift the paper off and let dry!
Disappearing Shapes
Draw some shapes, numbers, letters, and curly qs on a coffee filter or paper towel. Place on a cookie sheet. Draw some water in the dropper. Drop a few drops on the shapes and see them disappear!
Children's Science E-Books
Now that you have had so much fun with science, read some science e-books!
Explore the world of science with these e-books. Click on the title to see if it is available. Lots of books may be able to read in your browser. For other books using CloudLibrary, you may have to download an app.
