Our fizzing science experiment and what my kids call “gak” have set my kids crazy for preschool science experiments.
Preschool Science Experiments
When it comes to kitchen science, what could be easier than oil and water experiments?
To make it easier to see the two different liquids, and to add to the excitement, I added some red food coloring to the water before we got started.
A pair of plastic bottles with screw-on lids allowed my preschoolers to each conduct their own experiment, without making a mess.
Once they had carefully examined their colored water, I gave each of them a small container of vegetable oil to add to it.
Before they poured it in, I asked them to make a few guesses what would happen.
Then we poured it in, and they discovered the oil stayed on top of the water without mixing.
They had fun tilting the containers side to side, watching the oil and water waves. With the lid screwed on securely, they were able to shake it to their hearts content.
For our second experiment I got out another container. This time I started the experiment with several inches of oil in it.
They used an eye dropper to add drops of colored water into the oil. There were plenty of ooh’s and ahh’s as the colored water formed bubbles of color in the oil.
Finally, we tried one more activity with our containers of water and oil.
While doing some spring cleaning, I stumbled upon some old Efferdent tablets I used to use to clean my retainers. (Yup, pretty old!) Efferdent causes bubbles in water. I was pretty sure we’d get some fun results if we put it in our containers of colored water and oil.
And I was not disappointed!
We added 1/2 an Efferdent tablet at a time. The kids had fun watching the bubbles rise up, into the oil layer.
One thing I forgot about Efferdent is that it causes the water to turn blue; so our red food coloring turned purple by the end of it. My daughter got a kick out of that!
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Mariann says
Oh SWEET! We don’t get to do any science experiments because we’re so boggled down with the core subjects. I am going to start science experiments over the summer. I’ll be sure to add this one to the list!
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OneMommy says
It is easy to get caught up in reading, writing, and math… Hope you get to do a few fun experiments this summer! 🙂
Rach says
Fun!
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Chris Carter says
Those look so fun! 🙂
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OneMommy says
They really were! 🙂
Mayor says
We have not done science experiments. After this post, I think we will start tomorrow. Never thought science could start this early. Thanks!!
Mayor recently posted..Being Cold Can Be A Good Thing.
OneMommy says
Science at this age is fun — they are amazed at the littlest things! Really have to suggest doing vinegar ad baking soda with them….Mine love it every time!
Diane says
So much fun to see a mom taking time to do experiments! Children really enjoy that so much! Thanks for linking up at Family Fun Friday at http://happyandblessedhome.com! Blessings! Diane
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OneMommy says
They beg me to do experiments now! 🙂 I love watching them get so excited!
Angelina says
Looks like fun! My kids look forward to doing science experiments every summer! I have 8, so I need activities for all ages! Whew! Thanks for sharing!
Ang
OneMommy says
My preschoolers loved it! I bet older kids could help the younger ones for this and really learn more about how the colors break down in the markers.