If you’re stuck at home right now, you may be wondering how to incorporate science at home. While some schools are doing a good job of adding science instruction, some schools don’t seem to be as on top of things as others.
If you feel like your kiddo would benefit from additional hands-on science projects (and we’re always a fan of that!), then you’ll love this list of science projects for kids at home.
But don’t worry, these science projects will also work for science fairs whenever those are back up and running!
20+ Science Projects for Kids that are Easy to Do at Home
You don’t really need any special supplies for these at-home science projects, and even better, they don’t use yeast, so you can save that for cooking when your stores run out of bread!
These simple science projects work best with kids between second and fifth grade, but if you have a middle schooler at home don’t be surprised if they want to join in!
And if you have younger kids at home, you’ll want to try these science experiments for preschoolers.
What is the difference between a science project and a science demonstration?
You see a lot of science experiments online (we have a huge bank of science experiments for kids), but not all of them are true *experiments.* Some of the science experiments that you read about are actually science demonstrations.
A science demonstration is an activity that kids can do that illustrate a specific scientific concept. Many of the science experiments that we have are more similar to a science demonstration because a single set of directions is given.
For something to be a true science experiment or science project, the children must follow the scientific method.
There should be a question, a hypothesis, variables to test, and then a report on the findings. This is what makes a true science project.
Keep reading to browse this list of science projects to try at home (and many are classroom-friendly, too!).
The Scientific Method for Kids
There are four parts to the scientific method:
Question
Every experiment starts with a question. A lot of experiments start with “what happens when” questions. Questions like “does X work better than Y for completing Z?” are also a popular format.
Hypothesis
A hypotheis is an idea of what the results of the experiment might be. A child might guess that water would freeze faster if it was already cold, for example.
Experiment
Here is where you test variables against a control group to see if the hypothesis is true or not.
Report or Conclusion
In the report, kids report their findings and identify if the experiment proved or disproved their initial hypothesis. Older kids can run additional tests, but most elementary kids stop at one round of testing.
Science Projects to Try at Home
Try these fun science projects at home! These science projects are fully-developed and include a question, hypothesis, variables, and conclusions, just like any full science experiment should.
Bacteria and Germs Science Projects
These gross science projects focus on bacteria and germs. My kids can never get enough of gross science, so we try to do these at least once a year!
What makes bread mold the fastest?
What is the best way to wash hands?
What is the dirtiest surface in the house?
Earth Science Projects
These earth science projects help kids learn more about the world.
Water Science Projects
Learn about water in these science projects.
How does surface tension work?
Is it possible to remove salt from water?
Biology Science Projects
Learn about animals and biology with these science projects.
What is the best soil for sprouting seeds?
Light Science Projects
These light science projects answer questions about light and color.
How does light refraction work?
What is the most energy-efficient window covering?
Chemistry Science Projects
Learn a bit of chemistry with these at home science projects.
What keeps apples from browning?
Physics Science Projects
Delve into the world of physics with these simple science projects!
What are states of matter? (with slime!)
What is your favorite real science project?