Bite-Sized Christmas Science Activities to Keep The Kids Entertained
I’m excited to share a post from Dr. Erica Saint Claire who owns Rosie Research. I’ll be letting you know all about one of her amazing projects soon, but in the meantime, she has something to share with you…
Christmas Science Activities for busy moms
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays due to the fact that it really focuses on gratitude and family. Everything else is hijacked. I mean, I can’t really blame my kids for being more excited about presents at Christmas than about having family time. I was young once.
With my kids getting a little bit older, though, the holidays have a new dimension. The one I like to call “pulling out my hair”. Mainly because they are at just the age where I think they should be able to get along and entertain themselves. I’m often reminded that no, tape needs to be drawn across the floor and legos must be split perfectly by the atom if there is to be peace in my house.
If you are looking for larger projects or more formal lessons, check out my 5 days of Christmas Science Experiments.
Keep the kids busy
You can imagine that I am not all that interested in wearing such a hat while cooking a turkey and whipping up a pie. This year I have a plan though.
This year I am going to set them up at the kitchen table –where I can keep an eye on them – with some cool science activities. I already tested these five fun science activities.
Science to the Holiday Rescue
From the physics of buoyancy to the chemistry of acid-base reactions and the math of designing stable structures all of these kids science projects have some serious science elements in them – especially if you decide to read the scientific explanations and use that to talk to your kids.
Trust me, the science isn’t too scary, and this is your big chance to sound like a total genius while also looking like a rockstar head chef.
5 Cool Holiday Science Projects for Kids
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Engineer Cranberry Models
Learn about structural design, engineering, mathematics, building principles as you construct a model out of just cranberries and toothpicks.
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Create a secret spice route map
Learn the history of the spice trade and why it was important in Columbus’ time. Then write a secret message to reveal using acid-base reactions and anthocyanins!
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Make sugar glass
Who knew that calibrating your oven could be so delicious? Learn about phase transitions as you turn regular sugar into a glass!
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Create Dancing Corn
Learn about the physics of buoyancy and Newton’s second law as you make popcorn kernels dance in a jar of soda water.
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Learn to use a magic tablecloth
OK, this is the only one I don’t explain the science behind, but the video will get you started on this nifty skill, just hide the good china (or anything breakable) for a little while.If you had fun gobbling up all those science activities, check our my Mini-Maker activities! These bite-sized projects include free downloadable instructions and plenty of scientific explanations!
Dr. Erica develops kids science curriculum that is not only fun but also teaches real science. Many of her projects, like developing a mass spectrometer to sort pennies and nickles are inspired, and tested, by her two daughters.
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