Kids science experiments at home: how to help your child with science activities - and easy experiments they can try

With schools closed, many parents are keen to entertain their children, while also keeping up their education. Luckily, there are plenty of easy science experiments you can try at home to keep your little ones busy, from physics challenges to mini explosions. Create a glitter volcano For this fun and colourful experiment, you’ll need a vase, baking soda, vinegar, food colouring, glitter and a pan to contain the mess. When all the ingredients are combined, you’ll create a sparkly explosion which is sure to delight little ones. Full instructions on how to conduct this experiment can be found here. Create your own silly putty By combining just two ingredients - washing up liquid and cornflour - you can make your own silly putty to keep kids entertained. You can find full instructions on how to do this here. Write with invisible ink Role-play as spies with this easy invisible ink experiment. All you’ll need is a cotton swab, a piece of paper, a heat source (like a lamp or electric stove) and milk or lemon. After writing with the ‘ink’, kids will be able to see their secret messages appear when placed next to a heat source. Make your own indoor rainbow Teach your kids how rainbows are created with this ultra-simple experiment, using only a glass of water and paper, plus a sunny day. Full details on how to do the experiment and explanation of the science behind it can be found by following this link. Bend water with static This easy experiment helps kids learn about static electricity by using a plastic comb or inflated balloon to bend water using static. Make your own lava lamp You can teach kids about the density of oil and water with this DIY lava lamp, which only requires a few simple ingredients - water, a plastic bottle, oil, food colouring and aspirin, or any tablets that fizz up. You can find detailed instructions on how to build it at the following link. Learn which side is your most dominant Teach your kids something they didn’t know about themselves with this easy experiment which tests which is their ‘dominant side’ for an array of activities such as kicking or throwing a ball. Make your own instruments using water If you fancy a musical experiment, teach your kids about sound vibrations by filling glasses or bottles with water and striking them - or running your finger around the rim - to create music. You can find detailed info on how to set this up - and the science behind it - here. Create a storm in a glass Using shaving cream, food colouring and water, you and your kids can create an amazing storm in a glass to learn about weather. You can find a video and instructions on how to do this by following this link. Make your own solar eclipse With a few simple materials, you and your kids can create an indoor solar eclipse experiment.