Kitchen science: six experiments for a rainy afternoon

Science at this age is about noticing and asking why. These experiments use ordinary kitchen things and each takes less than half an hour.

Floating and sinking

Fill a bowl with water and guess which objects will float: an apple, a coin, a grape, a cork. Write the guesses down first, then test them.

Melting ice race

Put ice cubes on plates in different places around the house. Which melts first? Talk about warm and cold, and why.

Growing beans in a jar

Wrap a damp paper towel inside a jar and tuck a dried bean between the towel and the glass. In a few days you can watch roots and a shoot appear.

Rainbow in a glass

Stand a glass of water on a sunny windowsill with white paper below it. Move the paper until a little rainbow appears.

Which material is best?

Wrap a cold drink in foil, a sock and kitchen paper. Which keeps it coldest? It is a first fair test, and a great conversation about materials.