Science Experiments Every Primary Student Should Know

Primary school children are by nature curious. They are increasingly registering new phenomena around them which leads them to many questions. It is important to nurture this curiosity. Simple-to-achieve science experiments which can be easily done at home is a great way to nurture this curiosity and creativity among children while also making them learn some important scientific phenomenon.

Below are some DIY science experiments which are easy to do at home.

1. Rainbow in a Jar

A fun and visually appealing science experiment that can be easily done by primary students.
Items Needed:

• Seven glasses, one jar, sugar, food colouring (seven rainbow colours preferred)

Steps:
• Fill up the seven glasses with water (same amount in each glass).
• Add a different colour to each glass
• Add a different amount of sugar to each glass. E.g. Glass 1 – 1 spoon, Glass 2 – 2 spoons, and so on.
• Make sure the sugar dissolves in the water and mixes with the food colour
• Each of the seven glasses will now have the rainbow colours
• Now slowly pour the liquid from each glass into the jar. Pour only so much from each glass that when poured from all seven glasses, it should fill the jar to the brim.
• You’ll see the rainbow inside the jar.

The liquid in Glass 1 will have the least density and will float on top of the jar. The liquid from Glass 7 (the one with the most amount of sugar) will have the highest density and this liquid will settle at the bottom of the jar. This difference in density will keep the coloured liquid at different levels giving it the feel of a beautiful rainbow inside the jar.

2. Rock Candies

This is another fun, visually appealing and easy-to-execute science experiment for primary kids.
Items Needed:

• One jar, one pan, water, sugar, food colouring of your choice, skewer, thread

Steps:
• Keep the pan on the stove
• Fill the pan with water
• Switch on the gas to let the water boil
• Keep adding sugar at regular intervals till it reaches saturation (no more sugar dissolves in water)
• Switch off the stove and let the water cool down
• Pour the water into a jar
• Add your favourite food colouring to the water in the jar
• Wrap the thread around the skewer sticks and dip them in the water in the jar
• Leave them hanging for some time
• The sugar crystallises and sticks to the thread around the skewers giving it the look of rock candy.
• You can use different colours to create multi-coloured rock candies

The crystallisation of sugar particles carrying the food colouring is the scientific phenomenon behind this magical experiment. Children will have great fun working this out and creating their rock candies.

3. Blowing a Balloon

A fun and exciting experiment that can be done quickly and easily at home.
Items Needed:

• Balloons, vinegar, baking soda, a bottle

Steps:
• Take an empty bottle and add baking soda to it
• Pour vinegar into a balloon
• Attach the balloon over the mouth of the bottle such that the vinegar from the balloon pours into the bottle onto the baking soda
• Baking soda and vinegar have a chemical reaction which produces carbon dioxide gas that blows into the balloon.

This magical phenomenon is sure to fill primary students with excitement and joy.

4. Magic Ink

Another fun and exciting science experiment that every primary student should know.
Items Needed:

• A piece of paper, Cotton, skewer, Lemon juice

Steps:
• Wrap one end of the skewer with cotton
• Dip cotton wrapped the skewer in lemon juice
• Write your name on the white paper with the cotton-wrapped skewer dipped in lemon juice
• Let the paper dry. As the paper dries you will notice that your name is not visible.
• Hold the dried paper close to a light bulb or a candle and you will gradually see your name appear like magic.

The science behind this is the reaction that happens when the acid in the lemon juice is exposed to heat.

5. Flying ping-pong ball

Another fun and magical experiment for primary school students that can be easily achieved at home.
Items Needed:

• A ping pong ball (Table Tennis ball), a straw (ideally an L-shaped straw – like the ones you get with juice packs, etc.), a plastic bottle (like a Bisleri bottle or a Coke Pepsi bottle)

Steps:
• If you don’t have an L-shaped straw, take the standard straw and bend it in L shape with one section much bigger than the other section (a 1:3 ratio is suggested).
• Take the plastic bottle and cut it out around the neck portion giving it a shape of a funnel.
• Create a hole in the cap of the bottle. The hole should be the size of the diameter of the straw.
• Pass the L-shaped straw through the hole of the funnel section such that the smaller section of the bent straw faces upwards with the bottle walls around it.
• Now place the ping pong ball on the end of the shorter portion and try to balance it by blowing with your mouth through the longer portion of the straw.
• As you blow, you’d see the ping pong ball begin to levitate and float around in the air.
• It might take some practice to make the ball float in the air. In the meantime, the bottle funnel will hold the ball if it falls.

Curious kids can be made aware of concepts of aerodynamics and simplified versions of weight and air pressure to explain this floating ball. Primary school students will enjoy this scientific experiment as it is like a fun game for them to engage in.

Students at EuroSchool are regularly engaged in many such scientific experiments that fuel the curiosity of primary school kids. EuroSchool boasts of state-of-the-art scientific experimental labs and equipment which keeps our students engaged in the endeavour of exploring scientific phenomena.