Last week, I wrote about teaching science to young kids. The response made me realize that there’s a real need for communicating simple, short experiments that can be done with household items and that communicate a basic idea.
Here’s a video of me showing my daughter how siphons work. It’s an easy experiment, made all the better by her being the one who starts the siphon going.
I could have used this to teach about air pressure. In fact, stretching a balloon over the top and showing how it got indented as the water flowed out—until the pressures equalized—would have been good to show a slightly older kid.
I think I’m going to record each of the little demonstrations in short videos over the next few months.
[Update: some other resources]
My wife suggested these links as other places at which to find science resources for kids.
- http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/walking-on-eggshells
- http://scribbit.blogspot.ca/2010/08/summer-kid-crafts-make-hovercraft.html
- http://www.marthastewart.com/343344/crystal-egg-geodes
- http://preschoolpowolpackets.blogspot.ca/2012/01/science-experiment-elephant-toothpaste.html
- http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/seven-layer-density-column
- http://www.thepickyapple.com/blog/2011/03/30/does-it-dissolve/
Cool.