Summer vacation started, and we’re having a blast! The activities below have been successful in our household. The fun with your kids will outweigh the messes created.
Super Bubbles Blowing Super Bubbles is awesomely fun for both kids & adults. The picture attached is a medium-sized Super Bubble that we created. The size depends on your bubble wand. The idea came from hookedonscience.org, and is super easy to do. Plus, this a fun activity to learn about the science of surface tension! We mixed 3 cups water, ½ cup corn syrup, and 1 cup dishwashing liquid. The mixture was divided into two containers with flat bottoms, so there was no jostling among kids. Pipe cleaners/chenille stems were used for the bubble wands. We made a huge loop with two pipe cleaners, and a third pipe cleaner was attached as a handle.
Balloon Faces We didn’t twist balloon animals to create balloon animals. What we did was blow up regular balloons, and draw faces on them with markers. We created several monsters and dinosaur faces by gluing paper spikes and horns to the balloons. Get creative!
Quicksand Goo You can impress grandma and tell her you learned about quicksand and non-newtonian fluids! The idea is from Steve Spangler Science. All you really need is cornstarch, water, and food coloring. All will be wondering if they’re handling a solid or liquid. It seems to change back and forth between solid & liquid depending on how you handle it.
Building Boxes The kids pulled all the boxes from the recycling, and have been creating skyscrapers, superhero hideouts, and castles for their action figures. We used shoe boxes, mac n cheese boxes, cereal boxes, postal boxes, granola boxes, gift boxes, diaper boxes, and more. I asked if they wanted to paint the boxes, but they were happy with the way they were. If they get bored, painting them may be a fresh idea. I’m Bored Box I may be a bit offended when the kids say they’re bored, since I try to be creative with their time. Usually, I suggest cleaning up their rooms when I hear, “I’m bored.” After hearing it a few times, I created a “I’m Bored Box.” The box is filled with folded up notes. Each notes contains an activity. When the kids are bored, they pull out one note for an activity to do. The activities so far in our house have been hit or miss. They didn’t enjoy writing/drawing a letter to grandma, but they had fun drawing in shaving cream.