Whether you’re one of those who go on vacation during these Easter days or one of those who stay home to recharge, you’ll surely be interested in discovering possible leisure activities to do with the family. That’s why we suggest some fun and simple homemade experiments to entertain you all together. Adults will surely enjoy a pleasant time sharing the experience with the little ones, and they will discover many scientific curiosities to share later with their friends.
Grab paper and pencil and take notes. All these experiments are very simple and require items that most of us probably have at home; but you might need to buy a few things. In any case, they are very easy and won’t take much effort or investment, just a little patience. If you end up needing the help of the kids at home, our suggestion is that they always do it under adult supervision. Let’s get started!
A lemon turned into a battery
To carry out this first experiment, you will need a lemon, a screw, and a copper coin. First, make two cuts in the fruit so that you can insert the screw in one and the copper coin in the other. Next, if you connect stripped wires linked to an electronic device, you will see it turn on. Why does this happen? It’s science: the screw gives electrons to the copper coin, generating a small electric current.
Glow-in-the-dark dough
Gather fine corn flour and tonic water, that’s all. Put the flour in a container and add the tonic water. Stir until you get a dough-like consistency, and keep in mind that to make a ball with the dough, you’ll need to apply constant pressure so it doesn’t fall apart. Now it’s time to check the mixture’s fluorescence—turn off the lights! To enhance the effect even more, you can also use a black light bulb.
Jumping can
Have you ever seen a soda can jump on its own? Now’s your chance to see it. You just need a can, a lighter, and water. Empty the can and remove the pull tab. Then place the can upside down on a table and wet the part of the can touching the table so the air doesn’t escape and it sticks firmly. Finally, bring a lighter close to one side of the can and watch how it tries to jump away from the flame with small hops.
Unbreakable eggs
This experiment promises lots of laughs, especially among the little ones. You need an egg and vinegar. You’ll have to start preparations two days in advance and make sure to leave the egg completely submerged in vinegar for 48 hours. After this time, the egg will have changed its composition and will bounce like a real rubber ball without breaking.
Soap-powered boat
You probably didn’t know this, but soap has the property of propelling other objects, so it can make a small homemade boat sail. Take something that can be propelled and serve as a boat: half a plastic bottle or a piece of aluminum or wood that you can shape. Place it on a water surface—the bigger, the better—and make a cut at the back. In that cut, add a piece of soap or hard detergent and watch how the little boat shoots forward.
