Find Hundreds of Science Experiment Ideas in Scientific American
A big part of a child’s life is constructing, taking things apart and generally discovering how things work, which is why we buy these science experiment starter kits and toy microscopes to encourage their curiosity. But they easily run out of ideas to keep them interested in science, especially as they get older. Luckily for parents, Scientific American has over the years archived hundreds of scientific experiments for children ages 6 to 12 that they conduct with their parents.
Each post in the archive describes in detail the key concepts that children will learn (for example, biology, chemistry, physics, angles, friction, force, engineering or frequency), some information on the topic, a list of necessary materials, step-by-step instructions. as well as observations and results.
The topics are varied. Together, you and your kids can learn why fruits turn brown , melt ice and salt , make homemade slush , construct paper slides , make a rubber band guitar, or build your own mini golf course . (The latter is an experiment that my 8 year old son really wants to try; but first he wants to make his own golf club ).
Most experiments require materials that you already have at home; things like paper, scissors, toilet paper rolls, food coloring, rubber bands, gloves, and towels.
The magazine launched paid access in April, and now readers can only access three free articles per month before being asked to subscribe to a print or digital publication. However, I was able to access at least a dozen experiments on the same day, so the archive itself can only count as one access.
(Of course, if you do get paid access, you can subscribe and continue to access any number of users; that’s great too.)
Here you will find a complete archive of over 400 experiments .