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Staying home to slow the spread of COVID-19? We’ve got some ideas to help you pass the time, even if you’re stuck indoors. Time to gather up materials from around the house and do some science!

Chemistry

T-shirt dye designs
Make a fashion statement with marker pens and solvents
Floating images
A little bit of water can bring your drawings to life!
Vinegar eggs and salty osmosis
Make some eggs soft and rubbery, and then make them grow and shrink
Anzac science
Discover the chemistry behind this classic Aussie recipe
Blow bubbles!
Want to blow some giant bubbles? Here’s our recipe for bubble mix!

 


Biology

A bowl filled with dried rose petals, orange peel and cinnamon sticks

Potpourri preservation
Make some potpourri and learn why plants can smell so nice
Jelly lens for your smartphone
Turn your phone camera into a microscope with a blob of gelatine!
Bubble nets at home
Use bubbles to discover how humpback whales work together to catch fish
Fibonacci fruit
Discover mathematical patterns inside all kinds of plants
How tall are you, really?
You might not know it, but your height doesn’t always stay the same

 


Physics

Glass of water with a ock floating in it.Invisible glass
This amazing illusion can make rocks float!
Friction frog
With the power of straws and string, this frog can climb high
Levitating card
To keep this card up, you’ll have to blow down hard
Drop the needle!
What happens when you heat up a magnet?
Light stripes
Find out what makes laser light unique, and create a dazzling light show

 


Cover of two Double Helix 'Hands-On Science' books

Looking for more activities?

Don’t want to stop there? Pick up our Hands-On Science set. These books are packed with 100 fun DIY experiments and activities from the Double Helix team!

One response

  1. Elise Bekele Avatar
    Elise Bekele

    Thanks for the wonderful suggestions for science to do with the kids at home.
    Our family came across this challenge – to build a “Rube Goldberg” inspired machine or wacky contraption with 10 to 20 steps with the goal to drop a bar of soap into someone’s hand at the end. The contest is open to all and runs until May 31st. We’ve started working on our wacky contraption. It’s been a lot harder than we anticipated and became all-consuming over the Easter long weekend, but fun to build. It teaches a lot about energy transfer, lever action, and what you can build with a supply of rubber bands, twine, recyclable materials, golf balls, bamboo skewers, chop sticks, etc…you name it! Details are here: https://www.anbmedia.com/news/2020/03/rube-goldberg-bar-of-soap-video-challenge-opens-globally/

    And here (Rube Goldberg’s granddaughter explaining the rules): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDVl5zSyZsc&t=2s

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