Forget costly summer outings, entertain the kids with inexpensive experiments at home, says Jaine Blackman

When the children start to moan that they’re bored during the summer holidays, parents need go no further than the kitchen table to provide cheap, fun entertainment that’s brim-full of education too.

From home-made lava lamps to racing balloon cars and giant bubbles, science charity the Royal Institution (Ri) has launched a series of films showing parents and children how to carry out easy science experiments at home.

The ExpeRimental initiative aims to give parents the confidence and ideas to explore, question and test some of the fundamentals of science with children, through activities designed to appeal to families who’ve never considered trying science at home.

All 10 of the films, aimed at children aged four to nine, are presented by ordinary parents and children from across the UK, and all the activities require only common household objects or cheap and easy to buy materials.

Dr Gail Cardew, director of science and education at the Ri, says: “For 200 years, our mission has been to encourage people to think more deeply about the wonders and applications of science and the Royal Institution is often called the home of the science demo. Supporting families to do science at home is hugely important.”

Research shows 84 per cent of the UK public agree that science is such a big part of life that everyone should take an interest, yet only 41 per cent of adults feel informed about science, says Cardew.

She points out that science is mostly taught by non-specialists in primary schools, and the amount of time devoted to it in the primary phase has declined in recent years.

“Our ultimate goal is to help parents, teachers and those who look after children to spark the natural curiosity of children at an early age and set them on a lifelong course of scientific exploration and investigation.”"

Physics teacher and filmmaker Alom Shaha, who developed ExpeRimental, says: “The films demonstrate how making and playing with home-made cannons can turn the concepts around energy and forces into an explosive reality, and how a home-made lava lamp can create a mesmerising illustration of the connection between density and whether things float or sink.

Oxford Mail:

“As well as covering basic scientific facts, ExpeRimental focuses on developing scientific skills like observation, prediction and how to conduct a fair test.”

The films are being released weekly throughout the summer, with accompanying worksheets to help parents prompt children to look more closely at what’s happening, ask questions, and discover the answers themselves.

Shaha adds: “We hope ExpeRimental will become the first place people think of when they need new inspiration on how to capture a child’s imagination and encourage them to explore the world around them in a more meaningful and hands-on way.”

Olympia Brown, science learning manager at the Ri, features in the lava lamp film with her five-year-old daughter, Viola, and says the initiative was born from a desire to share the excitement of science.

“It shows how much fun it is to do simple science experiments, in the same way that you might do arts and crafts activities at home,” she says.

The clear instructions in the films and on the worksheets, plus the way the adults in the films run the activities with their children, should give people more confidence to tackle their own science experiments, she adds.

GIANT BUBBLES

One of the first films to be released shows different ways of looking more closely at bubbles and also predicting what will happen.

It suggests using different objects like biscuit cutters, or pipe cleaners bent into shapes, to blow the bubbles, using a mixture made of one measure of washing up liquid to 10 measures of water. And for “super duper bubble mixture” for giant bubbles, the recommended recipe is one litre of water, 100ml of washing up liquid and two tablespoons of glycerin (available in the baking section in supermarkets).

Make a bubble wand using string threaded on to a key, tied around two wooden spoons to make a triangle shape with the key hanging in the middle. Then blow giant bubbles!

BALLOON CARS

The basic model is made by taping two straws under a piece of card, then threading a wooden kebab skewer through each, before poking them into four milk bottle tops. The engine is a balloon, with a straw as the exhaust, taped to the top of the card.

Modifications can be added, and Brown suggests: “Ask why the modifications have been put on the car, and what effect your children think each of them will have on the final car’s performance. You can have competitions to see whose car goes fastest or straightest or furthest, or work together to make the best car you can. This working collaboratively is really good fun, and you’ll be surprised by how good a car you can dream up together.”

To see the films and read more about the science, visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/Ri.ExpeRimental Clicking Like will ensure notification when a new activity is released.

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