Chemical science experiments sound like lab coats, but the classics start in your kitchen. These chemical science experiments use oil, milk, candy, eggs and cornstarch, and each shows one big idea your child can say back in a sentence. DK's picture dictionary for early graders puts it simply2:
you might end up making something new.2
What makes a kitchen experiment "chemistry"?
Chemistry teachers sort changes into two kinds. A physical change alters the form of a substance but does not turn it into another substance. A chemical change makes a new substance3. Melting ice is physical. A fizzing tablet that makes gas bubbles is chemical4.
When a solid in water breaks into pieces too small to see1.
Say it: “Where did the sugar go? Is it gone, or hiding?”How tightly packed a liquid is. Oil is less dense than water, so it floats on top45.
Say it: “Which liquid is the floater?”8 easy chemistry experiments compared
| Experiment | What is happening, in kid words | Change3 | Ages | Adult job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lava lamp | Oil floats, it is less dense. The tablet reacts with water and makes gas45. | Both | 5-10 | Break the tablet |
| Magic milk | Soap breaks the milk's "skin" and grabs the fat6. | Mixing | 5-10 | Setup |
| Rainbow candy | Color moves from crowded to less crowded water7. | Physical | 5-10 | Pour warm water |
| Egg in vinegar | The acid dissolves the calcium shell1. | Chemical | 6-10 | Handle the raw egg |
| Oobleck | Punch it: solid. Go slow: it flows8. | Physical | 5-10 | Measure |
| Slime | Borax links glue chains into a net11. | Chemical | 8-10 | Add the activator |
| Salt on ice | Salt makes ice melt colder1. | Physical | 6-10 | Thermometer |
| Crystals | Water leaves, salt comes out as crystals1. | Physical | 7-10 | Boil water |
Science experiment lava lamp: oil, water and fizz
This diy lava lamp experiment is the best first one, because it shows two ideas in one bottle. Ohio State's Schoenbaum Family Center lists it as great for all ages with adult supervision4.
Magic milk science experiment: soap chases the fat
Magic milk (color changing milk)
- Whole or 2% milk
- A dinner plate
- Food coloring in 4 colors
- Dish soap
- Cotton swabs
- Pour enough milk to cover the bottom of the plate. Let it settle6.
- Add one drop of each color near the middle.
- Touch a clean swab to the middle. Anything?
- Dip the swab in dish soap, touch the middle again, hold it there.
Kid version: milk is mostly water, so it has a surface "skin" that holds the drops still. Soap breaks the skin and the colors zing outward. Soap also tugs on milk's fat and proteins, shoving the color around until it has reached all the fat6. Next round: does skim milk swirl less?
The colors are just passengers. The real action is soap meeting fat.
Skittles science experiments: why the colors stay in lanes
The rainbow skittles science experiment is the prettiest one on this list. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry has kids place the candies in a circle on a plate, then an adult pours warm water into the middle until the candies are half covered7.
What is happening: the coating dissolves, and chemicals move from crowded places to less crowded ones. Each candy has a similar coating, so the colors move at similar speeds and stay in their lanes7. Warm water is faster because its molecules move more quickly; very hot water makes a murkier rainbow7.
- "It's magic!"
- "Watch what I do."
- "Where do you think the color is going?"
- "You pour, I'll hold the plate steady."
Egg science experiments, oobleck, ice and crystals
The naked egg: acid meets shell
In STEPS to STEM, Aaron Isabelle and Gilbert Zinn start with chalk and bones before the egg. Their one-line explanation is perfect for kids1:
Vinegar is an acid. It makes the bones bend and the chalk fall apart.1
Eggshell is calcium carbonate too, and vinegar dissolves it in 12 to 24 hours; rinse and add fresh vinegar if shell remains1. Then soak the bare egg in water overnight: it swells, as water passes through the membrane1. Wash hands after touching raw egg.
Oobleck: is it a solid or a liquid?
Mix 1/2 cup of cornstarch with 1/8 cup of water until it flows like honey; hands mix best, and the mix is nontoxic9. UNH Extension, which lists oobleck for ages 5-7, calls it a non-Newtonian fluid: slow hands sink in like liquid, a squeeze or punch feels solid8. Roll a ball, open your hand, watch it melt.
Salt on ice
Put cracked ice in a glass with a kitchen thermometer, then add 2 tablespoons of salt. With salt, ice melts at a lower temperature, and the mix drops a few degrees below normal freezing, to 26 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit1. A good ice melting science fair project: plain ice versus salted ice, timed.
Science experiment: growing crystals
An adult boils 1/4 cup of water and stirs in 1/4 cup of Epsom salts1. A drop on a glass plate dries fast into flat crystals; the covered glass grows needle-like, 4-sided crystals in a day1. Table salt makes 6-sided cubes1. Why: as water leaves a full solution, the extra salt must come out, layer by layer, in its own shape1.
Slime science project: what borax does, and why we skip it for little kids
Slime is a real polymer lesson. Glue is made of long chains. The classic activator, borax, links those chains together into a net11. In the University of Illinois version, the finished material is about 95% water, and the water is what makes it flexible12.
For ages 5-7, oobleck gives the same squish with cornstarch and water89. For ages 8-10, the adult adds the activator, your child stirs with a spoon, and you stop at any red or itchy skin1011.
Turn one into a science fair project
Any of these chemical experiments for science fair season works if your child changes one thing and keeps the rest the same. DK's experiment page gives the kid words: question, prediction, method, results, conclusion2.
A lava lamp science fair project, step by step
- One thing changes (water temperature), everything else stays the same
- Same tablet size, same amount of oil and water
- Three tries for each temperature, written down
- Photos of the setup for the board
- Safety glasses in every photo5
Torn between this and a popcorn science fair project? Pick the one your child can repeat three times at home. The same rule fits a lemon battery science fair project or a plant growth science project: one change, three tries.
What to expect by age
Can: Predict before testing, sort floats and sinks, use words like dissolve and mix2.
Try: Lava lamp, magic milk, rainbow candy, oobleck. Skip borax and boiling water.
Can: Run a fair test with three tries and explain physical versus chemical change3.
Try: Egg in vinegar with a day-by-day log, crystals, salted ice with a thermometer, adult-handled slime.
Frequently asked questions
What are easy chemical science experiments for kids?
Lava lamp, magic milk, rainbow candy and oobleck use kitchen supplies and take minutes4679. Egg in vinegar and crystals take a day or more1.
How does the magic milk science experiment work?
Soap breaks the milk's surface tension and works on its fat and proteins, pushing the color around until it reaches all the fat6.
Why don't the colors mix in Skittles science experiments?
Each candy has a similar coating, so the colors dissolve at similar speeds and stay in their lanes as they move from crowded to less crowded water7.
Is a slime science project safe for kids?
Slime ingredients have caused skin rashes, and borax powder can irritate eyes, throat and lungs10. Skip borax for ages 5-7; for older kids, the activator stays in adult hands, with safety glasses and handwashing11.
Is the lava lamp a chemical reaction?
Partly. Oil floating on water is physical; the tablet reacting with water to make gas bubbles is chemical34.
Keep exploring
- The baking soda volcano experiment, done right The fizz behind the classic, with three fair tests.
- Science fair board and the scientific method Lay out the board once it works.
- "How do you know?" Turn watching into evidence.
If you want a new experiment every month
Everything above runs on what is already in your kitchen. If you would like a fresh building project to arrive each month, to test and talk about together, that is what our Club is for.
ClubA sealed box for every monthMonthly at $39, or $29 a box on the 12-month plan. Siblings pay less.from $29GoP Toys sells the Club mentioned above. None of the sources cited tested our products.