Many teachers and parents are scrambling to find engaging activities for children to do at home as they quickly prepare distance learning activities. In this post, I’ve gathered 10 of my favorite science activities that can be used as at-home science lessons for kids. Whether you are planning for a school closure, illness, or a scheduled summer break this collection of high engagement science activities will keep students learning even while they are out of school.
Most, if not all, of these activities use simple materials that you probably already have in your classroom or at home. Click on each picture to read the posts.
Properties of Matter Cracker Lab
This edible Cracker Lab focused students on observing and describing the attributes and properties of matter using crackers!
Easy Seed Science Experiments
Germinating seeds gets even more educational as students dissect and label the parts of a seed and observe their seeds as they grow. These Easy Seed Science Experiments lend themselves well to incorporating math by measuring the seedlings as they grow.
Milk & Cookies and the Scientific Method
Milk & Cookies and the Scientific Method is a fun way to investigate buoyancy and practice conducting a scientific experiment. Students investigate properties of cookies and test to see if they sink or float.
Cheese Powder Pollination
An all-time favorite in my classroom, learn how to use mac and cheese powder to do a Pollination Simulation!
Changing Matter Lab: Ice Cream in a Bag
Who doesn’t love ice cream? This fun and frozen Ice Cream in a Bag Experiment is a great way to observe how matter changes when its temperature is changed.
Seed Dispersal: Make An Exploding Seed Pod
Another huge hit with my students is making exploding seed pods. Students plan, build, investigate and measure lengths in this STEM activity that explores seed dispersal.
Pop Rocks Science Experiment
Remember the old Mentos and Diet Coke exploding experiment? This Pop Rocks Experiment doesn’t explode, and it isn’t quite as dramatic, but it’s a great way to have students combine a solid and liquid to form a gas.
Exploring Properties of Matter: Flexibility
A unique properties of matter experiment for students to explore flexibility.
Chlorophyll Paintings: Science Based Art Project
A science based art activity, Chlorophyll Paintings are a creative way to explore chlorophyll as students learn about parts, of a plant, the job of the leaves, and how plants make their own food through photosynthesis.
Arctic Animal Adaptations Blubber Experiment
Students make a blubber glove to simulate and test how blubber keeps an arctic animal warm.
Exploring Photosynthesis
In this outdoor plant needs investigation students explore how the shape of a leaf helps a plant get the right amount of sunlight it needs.
Making Models STEM Activity
Designing, building, and testing models is a key component of NGSS as students learn engineering practices in science. In this easy to do activity students design and build models of plant adaptations.
Get Free Science Activities Kids Can Do At Home
Try these engaging science lessons at home or in the classroom! This FREE science mini-unit includes both printable + digital activities on Google Slides that make it easy to learn science no matter where you are!
These science experiments will keep your student engaged and learning in fun and creative ways. I hope you’ll try some of these at-home science lessons and please help another teacher make it easier to plan by sharing this post on your social media platforms.
For more At-Home Learning Activities visit these posts:
FREE Learn At Home Menus That Don’t Need Devices
Butterfly Life Cycle Activities & Free Printables
Happy teaching at home or at school!
planning for the school year
Thank you for sharing these great activities. As an educator, it greatly appreciated.
You’re welcome, Yvonne!
I really like your idea to do the ice cream in a bag activity because my kids can learn about temperatures, and have a nice treat afterward. They are really interested in science so we want to teach them as much as we can. It would be great if we could get them into more science activities at school so they can continue learning about things that interest them.