I am so excited to be participating in 100 Days of Play hosted by Sun Scholars and Life at the Zoo! 100 bloggers from all over the world are linking up to share easy, fun ways for parents to connect with their kiddos through play. It’s a chance to take just 30 minutes out of our day and give our kids our undivided attention. I don’t know about you, but if given the choice between doing the laundry and playing with Engineer, the laundry will always get put on hold. Hmmm . . . that accounts for the state of my laundry right now! 🙂
Around here, Engineer and I just love messy science play! While we’re all for creating new and different experiments, our favorites tend to use what we’ve got on-hand at the house. This makes it easier to come up with a mini-experiment on the fly. Engineer, being the 6-year old boy that he is, loves experiments with bubbles and reactions (what he tends to call “explosions”).
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For some messy science fun of your own, check to see what you have in your kitchen cupboards. Then set up in a space that can get messy. A large mixing bowl or a plastic bin works well! Baking soda and vinegar create a reaction that young children are sure to love. If you have Kool-Aid or Jell-O, even better! Add that into the mix to create different colors and scents. You can also try mixing cornstarch and water or shaving cream and water for less explosions (but just as much mess)!
Provide the kiddos with whatever “tools” you have around the house — small spoons, large spoons, funnels, mixing cups, etc. Then let the kids go at it, and don’t forget to join in on the fun! 🙂 After most of the messy science fun has come to an end, don’t be surprised if the children want to get into messy pretend play. Add in some plastic dinosaurs, bugs, superheroes, etc. for an added dimension — just be sure any toys you add can be hosed down in the sink!
If you’re looking for more messy science fun, here are a few other activities we’ve done . . .
~ Skylanders in the Mist {a mix of messy science and small world, pretend play}
~ A Multi-Sensory Process Art Experiment {art and messy science}
~ Messy Play Fun with Shaving Cream {science and sensory free play}
~ Colorful “Explosions” {multi-sensory experiment with Jell-O}
Sharing simple ideas on how to connect with your children through play!
New ideas shared each day from 4/1 – 7/20.
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Baking soda and vinegar is my kids’ favorite science experiment!
I think it might be one of those universal kid loves, Maryanne! My son just cannot get enough. 🙂 In fact, I sometimes have to hide the baking soda so he won’t create these messy experiments on his own if I’m in the shower or something.