Science Activities: Elementary-Age Kids

Mixing Colors Science Activity

Materials needed:

• old shirt or smock
• paint
• paper plates
• newspapers
• paint brush
• water
• cups

One science activity for elementary-age kids is mixing colors. Lay out the newspapers to protect the floor or furniture. Everyone should be wearing an old shirt or smock to protect their clothing. Place a dab of blue, yellow, and red paint (the primary colors) on the top of each child’s plate. Have the children predict what will happen if they mix different colors together. Then have them experiment with mixing to see if their predictions were correct. Have each child mix a few drops of paint together at the bottom of their plate. Try other colors, such as red and yellow or red and blue, to see what other colors they can make. Ask children: Can they make any more colors? What pictures can they draw with these colors? When they are finished with the activity, show children how to wash out each of the paint brushes, and show the children how to clean up their area, so that paint is not spilled all over the place.

Machines

Materials needed:

• screw
• hammer
• board

Teach children about the basic parts of simple machines. Screws are used to keep things in their respective places. Ask children to give examples of how screws are useful. For example, they keep the covers for batteries in place for all our toys! Hammers are a type of lever that can easily remove things. For example, hammers make removing nails a lot easier! An inclined plane can be created by placing a board on an angle to show children how it is easier to move things from one level to the next. What is an example of an inclined plane? A wheelchair ramp into a house is one example. After the discussion, have children draw a picture demonstrating the use of one of these simple machines. Children can also brainstorm a list of other simple machines, and then make a list of complex machines.

Weather Graph

Materials needed:

• pictures of the sun
• pictures of clouds
• pictures of rain
• pictures of wind
• construction paper
• pen or markers

Instruct students to draw a graph. Write the numbers one to ten on the vertical line (or Y- axis). On the horizontal line (or X – axis) write the types of weather: sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy. Over the course of two weeks, students will observe the weather every morning and place the appropriate picture on their graph. At the end of their week, they can compare their graph to answer various questions about the recent weather. For example, one question you could ask them is if they had more sunny than rainy days.

Make a Fossil

Materials needed:

• play dough or clay
• various objects, such as miniature old toys, coins, or leaves

Explain to children that fossils are ancient records or pictures from a long time ago. They are imprints created by past species that are molded into clay or dirt that has hardened and saved the outline. Using various objects, children can make their own fossils by gently pressing them into play dough or clay to make an imprint.

Science Activities: Elementary-Age Kids Summary

Children love to explore and discover the world around them. Science activities allow them to do just this, and should not be left only to the science classroom. Whenever your child expresses an interest in his natural environment, a window is open for a learning opportunity. Visit Science Club to find more simple science activities for elementary-age kids.