For ages 1 and up
Weekend Experiments
Activities we ran at home with a toddler and a preschooler — the ones they loved that also show something real about how the world works.
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Polarized stress play
Daylight through a window and curtains, two polarizing filters one behind the other, and a clear plastic spoon in the gap. Rotate the back filter until the field goes dark, then slide the spoon in. The bowl lights up with rainbow stress bands, strongest near the neck.
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Water-bottle rocket
Pressurized air pushes water out the nozzle; the bottle goes the other way (reaction force).
physics · Oct 10, 2026
Cornstarch thickening fluid (Maïzena)
Some mixes feel liquid when you pour slowly and solid when you poke or squeeze hard.
physics, sensory · Sep 26, 2026
Baking-soda volcano
Vinegar and baking soda make a gas (bubbles) that can push liquid up and out of a glass.
chemistry · Sep 19, 2026
Salt ice fishing
Salt can melt a little ice into water; that water can freeze again around a string. A thin wire squeezed onto ice melts a path, and the copper carries the refreezing heat down to keep it going; the ice closes up behind.
physics, chemistry · Sep 12, 2026
Density Layers
Different liquids stack because some are denser — more mass in the same amount of space. Salt water can hold up an egg. A balsamic drop falls through oil — then the oil it dragged down floats back up.
physics · Sep 5, 2026
Cinnamon soap rush
Soap can weaken the “skin” on water so floating powder suddenly rushes away.
physics, sensory
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Occasional notes when we add experiments.