I invited my nephew Henry to come over and planned a really cool science experiment for us to do together and it went GREAT! I definitely recommend this activity - I think kids of any age would enjoy seeing this.
For this Project you'll need:
an empty jar
vegetable oil (to fill your jar 3/4 full)
food coloring
1/2 cup water
original Alka-Seltzer tablets (broken up into a few pieces)
foil covered tray to contain mess (optional)
Step 1: Fill jar 3/4 full of vegetable oil
Step 2: Get 1/2 C water and let your helper add food coloring to it, then let them mix it up.
Step 3: To make this a learning experience - at this point, ask your child to form a hypothesis - ask what they think will happen when they pour the colored water into the jar of oil. That helps them understand the scientific method and develop critical thinking skills.
Step 4: Pour the colored water into the jar of oil.
Step 5: Let your helper add pieces of the Alka-Seltzer tablets into the jar.
The result is so cool!
Henry was 3 at the time, and kids that age don't have a very long attention span, but he was very interested and engaged in this experiment and even wanted to do it a second time. I love the time we spent together and the memory we created.
