October is a fun time of the year for science magic for kids. There are some easy and simple science tricks that kids can do with ordinary household items.
With a wave of a wand or a magic spell, wizards can make things float and sink. Partially fill a large bowl or container that you can see into with water. The kitchen sink works too. Find an apple and a potato about the same size. Ask your child if an apple will float in the water or if it will sink. Once your child has thought about it and decide, s/he can place the apple in the water.
What did it do? Okay, now ask your child about the potato. Will it float like the apple or sink to the bottom? Let your child say what s/he thinks before trying. Was the potato the same as the apple? Could it be magic? Kids can try other fruits and vegetables too.
Wizards can make all kinds of magic potions. Water and soap in a sink with an egg beater will make frothy bubbles that pile higher and higher. Also try blowing with a straw. Grownup hands helped as well to make lots of soap bubbles. It’s fun to play with the soap foam and it’s quite spooky because it will sort of disappear just like a ghost and is hard to hear.
Another magic potion is baking soda and vinegar. Kids can measure one spoonful of baking soda onto the bottom of a flat bowl. With a dropper, they can squeeze out vinegar over the baking soda and watch if fizz. The bubbles pop and hiss making a cool sound.
To make raisins dance, pour some clear soda pop into a tall glass. Kids can drop in 6 to 8 raisins. Mutter some magic words like abracadabra or hocus pocus. Watch the raisins closely because all of a sudden, what do they do? Do any of them float to the top? The carbon dioxide bubbles in the soda make the raisins dance up and down.
As adults, we forget the wonder of science but it is still magic for kids. Will anyone be bobbing for apples at your house? Why do you think we don’t bob for potatoes?