Amazing & Fun Science Experiments For Kids To Do This Summer

Are you looking for ways to get your kids excited about science? Sometimes all you need is a little extra help and a few amazing and fun experiments. 

One of the easiest, low-prep ways to accomplish this is by implementing your science lessons with a monthly science kit. These monthly kits contain ALL of the supplies and instructions so you don't have to do any special shopping or prepping beforehand. 

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for the Generation Genius science subscription kit and recently they sent me a kit to try out in our homeschool. Today I'm going to share with you what my 10-year-old 4th grader learned, what experiments he did, and his overall like/dislike of this kit. I did not receive any compensation, besides a free kit, and all opinions are mine.

MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION BOXES WE HAVE TRIED IN THE PAST:

We have tried many different subscription kits over the years in our homeschool. In many cases, the kits have been a great addition to our school days by adding a little excitement or newness to our daily routine. There have been some monthly kits we really loved and some that were just OK. Here is a list of the kits we have used so far:

• Kiwi Co - Kiwi Crate
• Kiwi Co - Doodle Crate
• Kiwi Co - Tinker Crate
• Kiwi Co - Maker Crate
• Kiwi Co - Eureka Crate
• Let's Make Art - Watercolor Painting
• Let's Make Art - Mixed Media
• Annie's Kit Club - Young Woodworkers Kit
• Raddish Kids Cooking Kit

Whew, that's a lot of kits! 

When the Generation Genius kit arrived I let my 10-year-old 4th grade son take a crack at it! I have to admit that at first, he was not very excited about a science kit because he thought it would be "baby-ish" and boring. Even though these were his initial feelings he still decided to open up the box and try it. 

After opening the box we found three separate and sealed individual experiments inside. Each experiment comes nicely labeled and ready to be used with all the supplies you need (except for tap water). 

Since my son is only 10 years old and still needs some help and adult supervision I fully expected to work on the kit alongside him. We pulled out experiment #1, cut open the bag, and got started. 

GETTING STARTED WITH THE GENERATION GENIUS SCIENCE KIT

I expected to find an instruction sheet inside the first bag like other kits we've done but there wasn't anything like that in the kit. After searching the rest of the box and its contents and not finding any instruction sheets I decided to check out the kit website to look for instructions. After a few minutes of searching, I discovered that instead of printed-out instructions Generation Genius uses video instructions taught by Dr. Jeff. 

After getting the video ready to play for experiment #1 my son was well on his way with the first experiment. 

Here are my thoughts on the Generation Genius Science Kit instruction video:

• The video is a professional production that thoroughly explains the kit contents in detail and at an age-appropriate level. 
• Dr. Jeff has a great teaching personality and does not "talk down" to his audience. He presents the scientific objectives of the experiment using real scientific terms and explains how the experiment student will see this lesson happen when they use the kit.
• The video has automatic pauses built in so that students can stay on track and follow along with the instructions at a reasonable pace. The experiments are meant to be done while the student watches the video 

Get your kit today!

GENERATION GENIUS SCIENCE KIT EXPERIMENTS

As I mentioned before, each box comes with three full experiments! The three experiments in our kit were:

1 - Liquid Worms

2 - Light Painting

3 - The Countdown Reaction

Without explaining all the scientific details each experiment taught - I'll leave that to Dr. Jeff, I think telling you what my son and I thought about each one would be more helpful if you are looking for an educational science kit. I will just highlight a few things for each experiment as well as give you my son's rating of the experiment on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 stars being the best.

LIQUID WORMS EXPERIMENT

This kit comes with this large, amazing, almost indestructible "splat" mat to keep any spills and messes contained and to protect the surface, a.k.a the kitchen table, from any potential harm. As a mom, this little detail within the kit was so very much appreciated! Honestly, none of the other types of kits we have tried had one of these protective mats included (bonus points for Generation Genius!!)

At this point, my son was still very skeptical at this point but willing to do the first experiment. This first experiment includes two different activities to try. In the first activity, the student created liquid art and in the second activity, the student made liquid worms.

The science lessons from this experiment were to see how a chemical reaction between two natural resources can form new synthetic materials as well as learn what viscosity is. One of the chemicals used in this kit was sodium alginate. This is a thick liquid chemical that actually comes from seaweed, a fact my son thought was so cool! The second chemical is calcium lactate gluconate which is found in calcium vitamins.

My skeptical student tried both activities and to our surprise, this experiment blew our minds! As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words", and I think from this picture you can see how amazed and excited my little guy was with the liquid worms. 

Pros of this experiment:

• unique - introduced something new!
• comes with all supplies you need
• has plenty of supplies to repeat this experiment over and over
• allows the child to use their imagination 
• splat mat keeps everything clean
• rubber gloves & safety goggles that are kid size
• included 2 activities
• the video explains real-world uses for the chemicals used

Cons:

• fairly messy (again, the splat mat is awesome)
• the liquid worms get discarded when you are all done (this is my son's only disappointment)

LIGHT PAINTING EXPERIMENT

On to the second experiment which was light painting. This experiment allowed my son to learn about light and how ultraviolet light differs from other light like red and green light. Inside the experiment bag, there were three different colored lights, two sheets of special paper, and a spinning wheel covered in a special paper. 

This experiment requires your student to be in a dark room which for us is our pantry. After watching the video and then testing which of the three lights, red, green, or ultraviolet worked best on the special paper my son was ready to create his own designs with the UV light in our dark pantry. 

We taped both pieces of special paper to a wall in our pantry where he spent the next hour (yes, a full hour!) experimenting! He even cut out different shapes from a piece of paper, taped it to the special paper, and then used the UV light around the shape to create different prints. This experiment really encouraged him to use his imagination!

The second activity included a spinning disk covered in the special paper that when spun created amazing spiral patterns when the ultraviolet light tip was touched to the paper. 

Pros of this experiment:

• student can do this experiment over and over!
• good quality equipment is provided in the kit
• an engaging video that explained the differences in light in an easy-to-understand way
• allowed for imaginative discovery
• no mess at all

Cons:

• the special paper provided in the kit was small (8.5" x 11") - it would have been nice to have a larger size piece of paper to use
• once the student "drew" on the paper it took quite a while for the light image to fade

CHEMICAL CLOCK REACTIONS

The last experiment from this kit was the iodine chemical reaction countdown. 

The chemicals used:

• puffed starch 
• sodium iodide
• hydrogen peroxide
• vitamin c pellet
• destain

By the time my son got to this third experiment, he was a total fan of the Generation Genius science kit! Because this kit included chemicals (like the worm kit) he knew it was going to be cool before he even started it. There is just something cool about using chemicals so he opened up the bag, cued up the video, and got started. 

The main science lesson from this kit was about chemical clock reactions which is a process where a periodic change in color will be observed with the progress of a reaction. 

This kit really required the student to follow the directions exactly as Dr. Jeff explained to them so that it would work properly. As a parent, I appreciated the "following directions carefully" portion of this experiment since this seems to be a constant struggle with my ten-year-old. Because he was so into this science kit and he knew beforehand that he struggles with listening and following directions he suggested that we replay the video a few times so he could get everything right and not mess up the last experiment. (proud mom moment!!) 

There is plenty of chemicals supplied in this kit for the student to try this experiment over and over as well as allowing the student to try mixing the chemicals in different proportions and observe what happens. 

Oh, and did you see from the supply list that it included DESTAIN! Yep, Dr. Jeff thought of everything so dear ole mom doesn't need to scour the internet or even call Generation Genius to ask how to get the blue chemical stain out of your dear little one's favorite shirt! Thank you so much Generation Genius for covering all of the bases for us moms. And if you are wondering, yes, I did have to use a little destain on some of my son's clothing and yes, it did work!

Pros of this experiment:

• plenty of chemicals were supplied to allow for lots of experimentation 
• destain - need I say more!
• an interesting and engaging experiment that is age appropriate

Cons:

• a little messy but, again there is destain!

To say we are thrilled with Generation Genius is an understatement! My son absolutely loved this kit and is now begging for more. 

If you find teaching science in your homeschool a little lackluster consider adding the monthly Generation Genius science kit to help add some interest to your lessons! 

Generation Genius science kits can be used by individual students, in co-ops, public and private schools as well as a summer school option. Shipping is free with a 3-month subscription and the monthly price is very affordable too. To start your subscription or to just try out one month click here now! 

7 Fun Summer Activities Your Kids Will Love

Summer is here which means your kids have more time to play, craft, and enjoy some new activities. Keeping kids active is important but sometimes it can be hard to come up with new and exciting activities for them to do during summer break. 

Having a few ideas tucked into your back pocket that you can whip out at a moment's notice - rain or shine could save the day! To help you out I've put together a helpful list of 7 fun summer activities your kids will love.

This post was written in partnership with Zulily. Check out The Find by Zulily for more awesome crafts, recipes, and parenting tips to help out all busy moms! 

7 Fun Summer Activities For Kids

Best Bubbles Ever

Blowing bubbles is the classic activity kids have been doing for years. Playing with bubbles doesn't have to be the old-school bottle of bubbles with a short wand we all had as a kid. Up your kids bubble-blowing experience with a few tweaks. 

• Snake bubbles are easy and fun!  Cut a small 16 oz plastic water or pop bottle in half then cover the large cut opening with an old sock securing it with duct tape. Dip the sock end into a mixture of 1 part dish soap + 1 part water + a few drops of food coloring then blow through the top of the bottle. Watch your snake bubble grow as you keep blowing! 

• Make your own unpoppable bubbles with this recipe: mix together 3 cups distilled water + 1 cup dish soap + 1/2 cup corn syrup. Use a bubble wand to blow your unpoppable bubbles!

Paper Mache Pinata

Summer is the perfect time to make a pinata since it can be a pretty messy craft - perfect for doing outside! A balloon covered in paste-coated strips of newspaper or wrapping paper makes the perfect pinata. Find several great homemade paper mache paste recipes here. 

For complete pinata-making instructions check out this post: How To Make A Paper Mache Pinata

Make-Your-Own Puzzles

My kids love putting together puzzles so when we made our own they were even more excited! I've got two kinds of puzzles to share with you that your kids can make:

• Cereal box puzzles only require three things - a pencil, scissors, and an empty cereal box. Cut open an empty cardboard cereal box, trimming around the side edges and flaps. Next, draw puzzle piece shapes on the blank cardboard side then cut out the shapes. Mix up the cutout pieces and try to solve your puzzle. Share your puzzle with friends and family then store the puzzles in large ziplock bags. Follow the tutorial here to make your own cereal box puzzle.

• Popsicle stick puzzles are easy to make for kids of any age. Grab some plain popsicle craft sticks, masking tape, and washable markers. Line up 6 to 8 popsicle sticks flat side down on a sturdy flat surface, then put a strip of tape along the back making sure the sticks are secured together. Flip the taped popsicle sticks over then color the untaped side with markers. Take the tape off of the craft sticks, mix them up and then try to solve the puzzle by putting them in order to re-create the picture you drew. It is harder than you think! (For younger kids I recommend numbering the back side of the craft sticks to help them solve the puzzle more easily)

Tie-Dye (Anything!)

Tie-dying is a popular summer camp activity that your kids can do at home too! Almost anything made from cotton material can be tie-dyed so let them use their imagination and go crazy finding something unique to tie-dye like socks, robes, pillowcases, and of course a t-shirt. 

Tie-dying socks is super simple and I know your kids will love doing it as much as mine do! Grab a pack of white cotton socks so your child can make their own tie-dye socks - a different tie-dyed colored pair for each day of the week! Learn how to tie-dye socks here.   

Wildflower Vase Display Board

Spring and summer yield a bounty of beautiful wildflowers. Kids love picking flowers so help them create a lovely wildflower vase display board to show off their pickings. With a little adult help and a few supplies, your kids will be ready to make their own wildflower vase in no time.  

To get started you need a piece of cardboard (roughly 10" x 12"), markers, and a sharpened pencil. On the cardboard freehand draw the outline of a vase then have your child color it any way they like. Take the sharp pencil then poke several holes along the top edge of the vase (adult supervision suggested). 

Now let your kids go crazy picking dandelions or whatever wildflowers they can find and insert the flower stems into the holes. 

Chalk Painting

Are you kids bored of plain old sidewalk chalk? Breathe new life into sidewalk chalk with this fun new twist - chalk painting! Chalk painting actually doesn't require chalk but the results look very similar to chalk. 

mommysuburbia.blogspot.com

• Using an empty metal muffin tin add 1 heaping tablespoon of cornstarch to each well 
• then add a few drops of food coloring into each (dissolved watercolor paint will work too!) 
• Add water almost to the top of each well then stir to mix everything together. 

Using a wide paintbrush or foam brush let your child paint their designs and pictures all over the sidewalk or driveway. Don't be discouraged if at first, the "painting" doesn't look very bold - just wait until it dries completely to see the painting come to life. 

Leaf Rubbings

Introduce a little botany (science) and learning into those long summer days while your kids are out of school with this fun activity. Plan some short nature hikes or even walks through your neighborhood or favorite park to collect leaves from different trees. Once home, give your child a notebook with blank pages and a box of crayons. Place a leaf under one page in the notebook then rub over the paper with the long side of a crayon to create a leaf rubbing. 

Remember to PIN this leaf journal printable for later!

Leaf Journal Printable Page

With your guidance help your child identify the type of tree the leaf came from so they can write it down in their leaf journal.  Your local library is a great place to find books that will help your child with their leaf identification project. 

Make this a summer-long project that they can even do while on vacation! They will be so proud of their leaf journal and all they learned throughout the summer.

Have an amazing summer! Check back here often for more activity ideas, crafts, and tasty recipes. 

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Make This An Epic Summer and Get Organized With A Summer Activity Planner

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• The following may contain affiliate links which means if you click on it and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. For more information see my Disclaimer page.
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• The kids are out of school for summer break and your job is to help them have a summer that is full of fun, educational, active and relaxing for the next few months.
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• Impossible job? No!! You got this mama!! 
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• No more "I'm bored, there is nothing to do" from little Susie because this summer you have a plan - an AWESOME boredom buster plan! Make the most of those precious summer days by planning out your activities, creating a to-do list and even checking off a bunch of your bucket list ideas. 

All you need to do is use this Summer Activity Printable by Sunny Day Family, brain-storm some ideas with your kids and print it off! Kids thrive when given a routine and predictable schedule and this printable will help you and them stay sane this summer. Act now and get 25% off with the code FRIENDS. (affiliate link)

The Summer Activity Printable has the following pages for you to use:

• Summer Bucket List

• Summer Reading List

• Weekly Family Fun Planner

• Daily To Do List

• Monthly Calendars for June, July, August

• Summer Fun Coupon Book with 18 Coupons!

Click HERE to purchase

Looking to reward your kids this summer as they help with chores around the house? The 18 Summer Fun Coupons are completely customizable for you to use with your kids. Who wouldn't want a ice cream date with dad after mowing the lawn? My kids would probably fight over that chore if the coupon was for a trip to the local ice cream parlor!

Below is a great chart with age appropriate chores for kids. Summer is a great time to teach your kids house hold management (e.g. laundry, dishes, vacuuming!)

You can read my previous post about kids and age appropriate chores HERE  which also includes a FREE printable Chore Chart.

Click HERE

24 Summer Cocktail Recipes To Rock Your Home Bar

Summertime is the season for friends & family gatherings at the pool, beach or cottage with a cool drink in hand. Why not impress your friends with some tasty & easy cocktails?

Maybe you are a novice home bartender just learning how to make the perfect mixed drink and you want to expand your adult beverage recipe repertoire? You can do all that with this fabulous ebook Cold, Smooth & Tasty: 24 Cocktail Recipes! This great ebook contains 24 Amazing cocktail recipes in simple drawing format with the ingredients incorporated into the artwork making them easy to follow. 

Take your cocktail parties to the next level just by following these easy to follow simple cocktail recipes. Dust off the daiquiri glasses and get busy mixing!

But WAIT!!! Here is the best part!! I am currently offering this ebook FREE on Amazon Kindle from May 30, 2018 to June 3, 2018! You won't want to miss this opportunity especially since summer is the season of cocktails my friends! Amp up your BBQ and Beach Party and get mixin'!

Get Your Ebook HERE

Tips to Keep Your Kid's Brain In Top Shape During The Summer

School has been out for a few weeks (or even a month) now and kids have slipped into their new summer routine - sleeping in, playing outside, staying up late and just relaxing. School is a past memory they would rather not think about but how do you as a parent keep them from becoming victim to the SUMMER SLIDE?

What is the summer slide you ask? It is the loss of learning/remembering what they had learned during their previous year of school. For example, let's say your 3rd grader worked super hard all school year memorizing their multiplication facts and by the last day of school was able to rattle them off without any prompting or help from you or their teacher. Fast forward 6 to 8 weeks into the summer and you happen to ask little Sally what 4 x 6 is and all you get in return is a blank stare - that is the summer slide.

So how do you keep your kid's mind just as active during the summer break as their little bodies seem to be? Reading! Reading and more Reading. Exercising those brain cells all year round is so important to their continued educational development. Like a muscle that has atrophied due to lack of use their little brains need the year round stimulation to keep it strong and sharp.

But how do you keep them interested or motivated to read during the summer? Most kids love a challenge so how about joining a summer reading book club! A lot of summer book clubs encourage kids to track their reading each day and if they attain the set goal the child gets a prize or an award. Kids love this kind of motivation!

This summer my kids are participating in 4 separate reading club challenges. Even my 4 year old is able to participate! During the summer I allow them to choose their own books rather than follow the school year curriculum book choices. They love to explore new genres - some of which they find they like and others they find aren't their "thing".

So where do you look to find these summer reading club challenges you ask? The first place we go is to our local library. Most libraries host a summer reading challenge for kids and some even have a fun kick-off event like a carnival or craft to get the summer reading program started.

Local book stores or even the big box bookstores host summer reading programs. The most challenging summer reading club my kids are participating in this summer is with a local bookstore that challenges kids to read a certain number of hours in order to earn their reward. The top reward after a child reads 150 hours during the summer is a $40 gift card to use in the bookstore. It is a tiered challenge so if you reach the minimum 20 hours of reading the child still gets a $5 gift card.

Barnes & Noble offers a summer reading program encouraging kids to read this summer too! The reward is a choice of books to choose from (by age/grade) when they complete the challenge.

Our last book club is through our local homeschool building bookstore. Kids can earn a $5 gift card to spend in the bookstore and PARENTS get a 5% discount card to use too.

Now you might be asking about those lost math facts and how does reading help your child retain those memorized facts. Reading will help your child keep their brain in tip top shape making it easier for them to remember their math facts or reduce the time they need for a refresher at the beginning of the new school year.

Can't find a reading club challenge for your child in your area? Don't worry! How about creating your own family reading club summer challenge. Here is a bunch of ideas (and links) you can use to help keep your kids reading this summer

#1 - Summer Reading Challenge Bookmarks

via: thirty handmade days

#2 - Color Your Own Reading Logs

via: 123 Homeschool 4 me

#3 - Reading & Reward Chart

via: pretty providence

#4 Summer Reading Chart Bingo Game

via: simply kierste

#5 - Summer Reading Challenge Chart

via: a teachable teacher

Looking for a great list of age appropriate books for your child to read? Check out my post -   Top Ten Books for Children Ages 8 - 13

Here are some other great summer reads for your kids:

 

 

Just remember - make it FUN for your children to read this summer! Exercise those brain cells and enjoy a good book. 

The Ultimate Summer Bucket List for Kids

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure here.

Summer vacation is finally here! Schedules are more relaxed, days seem longer and the fun seems endless. Well, that is until you hear the first exasperated "I'm BORED" spew forth from one of the kids.

AAHHH! Bored, really? Isn't this the same child who was just complaining and asking how much longer before school is done? Wasn't that only 3 days ago?

OK, mom let go of the clump of hair you are about to pull out from your head and take a deep breath! Boredom is a good thing, an inspiring moment for little Sally to start really digging deep to find out what she wants to get out of her summer break, right? Let her just stew a little in this boredom - it will bear good fruit!

Remember mom you are not an entertainment director (or maid, or waitress, or gofer), you are not responsible for providing the entertainment 24/7 for these school free kiddos. Your job is to help inspire these kids so that they can create their own inventions, adventures and summer fun.


Sometimes the best way to inspire your kids is to sit down with them and create a summer "Bucket List" - a list of ideas that they help come up with of things they want to do or accomplish during their summer break. Allowing the kids to come up with the ideas is empowering for them and allows the child to have a say in what they want to do. This list can also be a source of boredom busting for you mom - just whip out this list when you see the first signs of the "I'm BORED" beginning to surface on your child's face.

If you have never created a list like this before here is the Ultimate Summer Bucket List you can use as inspiration for creating your own list with your kids.

I'd love to hear what is on your summer bucket list - leave a comment with your great bucket list ideas! 

Erin