9 Fun Science Activities

Hello Lylla,

Fun Science Activities! It should come as no surprise that I love this question! Once I got started, I sort of went overboard. LOL! Links to the science activities are in this post to make it manageable. Otherwise, this response would be the size of a booklet.

5 Fun Science Activities with Paper

There are all sorts of fun science activities you can do with paper. Here are five. The first looks at how paper is recycled. This is best done outside where it doesn’t matter if it gets kind of messy. There are two design and engineering projects. One focuses on aerodynamics with paper airplanes. I have done this activity from kids to adults, and everyone loves it. It is really fun! Make sure and compare paper airplanes made from the different weights of paper. The second design and engineer activity is done with paper boat. Kids learn about buoyancy, and then test what they learn with paper boats that they make. There is also an activity making a scientific model of a barnacle. This is adapted from a marine science course I am working on. Finally, I adapted a microscope lab from R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Biology 2 where kids use their microscope to look at printed material comparing colored print, black type, with crayon or a marker.

1. Make Recycled Paper: This activity provides an opportunity to understand the scientific process of recycling paper and observe firsthand how waste materials can be transformed into new usable products.
2. Flight and Aerodynamics with Paper Airplanes: In this activity, kids will explore the principles of aerodynamics by designing and testing paper airplanes.
3. Make a Model of a Barnacle: Barnacles are ubiquitous and fascinating to learn about. This hands-on scientific model of a barnacle is fun and educational!
4. Exploring Buoyancy with Paper Boats: In this activity, kids apply Archimedes principles and design thinking to paper boats, as they investigate the factors that affect a boat’s buoyancy and stability. Learners will also explore how different design modifications impact the boats floating ability promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
5. Resolving Colors with a Microscope: Printed type is fascinating to look at with a microscope. What appears to be seamless type and color is a collection of dots of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) in different ratios depending on the color you see with your naked eye.

4 Fun Science Activities with Flowers

I took some time thinking about a couple of new labs for this. There are the obvious activities like putting white flowers into water with food coloring to investigate circulation in flowers, which I encourage you to do. I wanted something I had never written before. I thought of four. The first looks at the effects of different solutions on the longevity of cut flowers. Is water the best thing to use for flowers? Does the flower food packet included with some bouquets make a difference for longevity? These questions and more are answered with this science activity. Then there are two related activities. The first compares water absorption rates for different types of cut flowers. Using two of the same type of flower in each vase, you will put a baggie over one of them to look at the different rates of transpiration by type. Finally, there is comparative anatomy lab looking at the structural difference between the anatomy of different species (types) of flowers.

1. Investigating the Effects of Different Solutions on the Lifespan of Cut Flowers: In this experiment kids will investigate the impact of various solutions on the lifespan of cut flowers. They will also learn about dependent and independent variables.
2. Water Uptake Rates for Different Species of Flowers: In this lab, learners will investigate to find out if, after they are cut, different species of flowers take water up at the same rate as each other. This lab can be coupled with the lab investigating the transpiration rate for different species of flowers.
3. Are Transpiration Rates Different for Different Species of Flowers?: In this lab, students measure and compare the transpiration rates of different species of cut flowers. This lab can be coupled with the lab investigating the rate of the uptake of water for different species of flowers.
4. Flowers Have Differences: There are over 300,000 different kinds of flowers! They have some similarities. They also have differences. This comparative anatomy lab will provide insights into the structural similarities, differences, and adaptations of various cut flowers.

Much Love, Blair

Check out more articles through the Ask Blair Page on this website. This article was submitted in April 2023 and was not published in the July issue of the SEA Homeschoolers Magazine.

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