Science is everywhere, and it’s even more evident during the summertime. It’s in the grass that grows in our yards, the stars in the sky, even our own bodies. Just because the kids are on a break from school doesn’t mean they cannot continue to learn at home.
Get Gardening
My kids love to help me plant and care for my vegetable garden. This includes weeding, watering, fertilizing and harvesting. Don’t have a garden of your own? Take the kids picking!
Observe Your Surroundings
My kids love exploring things in nature. They are constantly taking in the beauty of the outdoors, whether it’s the deer feeding in our yard, collecting seashells on the beach or checking out funny looking insects. Have a magnifying glass handy to give them a closer look.
Roast Marshmallows
This idea is both fun and tasty. Have you met a kid who doesn’t love making s’mores? While you’re holding those marshmallows over the fire, explain to your children how the element of fire creates a chemical change. Then experience the science of gastronomy!
Witness Metamorphosis
When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was capture caterpillars and watch the process in which they transform into butterflies. You don’t need a fancy net to do this either. Find a caterpillar in your own yard and place it into a bucket with the plant it was feeding on and a small branch placed upright. Cover the bucket with netting and store it outside. Kids will love nurturing the insect and watching it form a cocoon. Once transformed to a butterfly, release it!
Make pizza dough
Kids can learn about chemistry while helping with dinner! Or simply make a batch of dough to play with. Watch the yeast foam and demonstrate how it helps the dough rise.
I’m sure after reading these few ideas, you can name ten other examples. I hope you’re inspired to take some time to focus on science this summer, because it’s easy to be a scientist! Simply look around and ask, “Why?”
Kids get so tired learning at school, all these endless homeworks. And this is a great idea to keep on studying but through play! I remember that I hated History at school but now as an adut I adore watching historical videos via Youtube. The same with kids. Thank you for the idea!
Thanks! I hope you have fun playing with the kids :)
So glad I found you. Another mom in SNJ. As I was reading this it made me think…..if you are anywhere near Red bank Battlefield and/or National park, they have a free butterfly habitat exhibit, down by the river, for kids to explore. Might be fun for your children.
Sorry I am so late responding. Never saw the comment.
I am about an hour south but I don’t mind the drive. Thanks for the idea!
We love doing projects to show science. The chemical change – like roasting marshmallows – is so much fun and delicious! We also bake cooked and then make ice cream sandwiches with them.
My son just wants to be lazy for the summer. Ughhh. School takes lot out of home. Maybe science is a good idea
Ha! You’ve taken practical and made it informative I love it!
Love these ideas, and I needed the tips to help keep my son learning in the slow, lazy summer!
Making pizza dough for the first time was amazing! Watching it rise was so cool :P
These are some great ideas! I want to do some stuff this summer with my kiddos like this, and think they’d really enjoy it.
Observing insects was one of my son’s favorite things to do. He even went on to study them in college!
My kids love science and learning about how things work in the world.