Experiments

For parents with curious kids who are looking for a way to make their kitchen extra messy on weekends.

Showing 6 of 7

Polarized stress play

Crossed polarizers go dark. Clear plastic between them brings the light back as color, strongest where the spoon was molded and squeezed at the neck.

physics · Oct 17, 2026

Medium25 minMedium mess1 and up

Water-bottle rocket

Pressurized air pushes water out the nozzle; the bottle goes the other way (reaction force).

physics · Oct 10, 2026

Winner

Easy15 minHigh mess1 and up

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

Hard30 minHigh mess1 and up

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

Winner

Easy60 minHigh mess3 and up

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

Easy10 minMedium mess1 and up

Cinnamon soap rush

Soap can weaken the “skin” on water so floating powder suddenly rushes away.

physics, sensory