Pre-School Science Exploration

Raisin Rising
Pour clear carbonated soda water into a clear glass. Drop four or five raisins into the glass. Show children how the carbon dioxide bubbles make the raisins rise and fall.

Mini Ocean
Fill a clear plastic liter bottle 3/4 full with water. Add blue food coloring then add cooking oil. Leave about 1 inch at the top of the bottle. Show preschool children how the oil and water do not mix. Tilting the bottle back and forth causes a wave effect.

Run Away Pepper
A great science demonstration. Sprinkle pepper over the top of a cup of water. Put a dab of soap on your finger and touch the center of the pepper. Show children that the soap breaks the surface tension of the water and the tension on the rest of the water pulls the floating pepper away from the soap.

Dinosaur Bone Hunt
Boil and clean chicken bones. Be sure there are no sharp edges. Bury them in a sand box for the children to find.

Sun Painting
Place various shaped flat objects on a dark piece of construction paper. You can cut out shapes and designs or use common objects like a ruler or key. Place paper in direct sunlight for a few hours. Show children how the sunlight faded the paper, leaving dark silhouettes.

Popcorn Dance
Fill small a glass jar 3/4 full of water. Mix in 2 tablespoons of baking soda and mix well. Add a drop or two of food coloring and 10 to 15 popcorn kernels. Then add a few drops of vinegar. The kernels will start to move in one or two minutes.

Ice Magic
Fill a glass with water and add one ice cube. Let a child lay a piece of string across the ice and try to pick up the ice with the string. Sprinkle a little salt over the ice cube, count to 10 and have child try again. Show child how the salt melted the ice just enough to bond around the string.

Volcano!
Place an empty baby food jar on a tray. Surround the jar with playdough. Form the dough to look like a mountain. Put a drop of red food coloring and a tablespoon of baking soda in the jar. Then add some vinegar to it to make it erupt.

Invisible Ink
Using a cotton swap or paint brush, let children write messages or paint designs on white typing paper with lemon juice. Let dry. The adult is to hold the paper close to a light bulb until the writing becomes visible by turning brown.