I found this website that promotes helping your child learn science and am posting excerpts of the science activities the website suggests:
http://www.2think.org/home.shtml
ACTIVITIES AT HOMETHE BIG PICTURELooking at objects closely is an important part of science, and a magnifying glass lets us see things we don't even know are there. It also helps us see how objects are similar or different from each other.
What you'll need
A magnifying glass
Your science journal
ATTACK OF THE STRAWSCan a paper straw go through a raw potato? Here's an easy way to learn about inertia and momentum.
What you'll need
A raw potato
One or more paper straws
Your science journal
SOAP POWERHave you ever tried using soap to power a boat? This simple activity works because of "surface tension."
What you'll need
1 index card
Scissors
A baking dish (or sink full of water)
Liquid dish detergent
Your science journal
BUBBLESWho doesn't enjoy blowing bubbles? You can make bubbles at home, and they can be beautiful shapes and colors!
What you'll need
8 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid
1 quart water
1 drinking straw
A shallow tray
Grown-up alert!
1 tin can, open at both ends
Your science journal
BUGS!Some bugs help us, some annoy us, and some are downright dangerous. But you can learn a lot from bugs.
What you'll need
An insect guide and a spider guide from the bookstore or library--preferably ones with pictures
Your magnifying glass
Your science journal
IT FLOATS!We don't usually stop to wonder why a big cruise ship can float as well as a feather. This activity helps to explain.
What you'll need
1 solid wood building block
1 plastic cap from a bottle
2 pieces of aluminum foil (heavy duty if you have it)
1 chunk of clay
Grown-up alert!
1 pair of pliers
1 bathtub (or sink) filled with water
Your science journal
SLIME!Oil the hinges of a door and it will stop squeaking. Rub petroleum jelly on lips to prevent them from becoming chapped. These slippery substances are called lubricants. They are very important in modern technology.
What you'll need
4 envelopes unflavored gelatin
Square baking pan
A mixing bowl
Liquid dish detergent
Vegetable oil
2 bowls
A watch with a second hand
Grown-up alert!
A table knife
8-ounce cup
Your science journal
CELERY STALKS AT MIDNIGHTDid you ever wonder how a paper towel can soak up a spill, or how water gets from a plant's roots to its leaves? The name for this is "capillary action."
What you'll need
4 same-size stalks of fresh celery with leaves
4 cups or glasses
Grown-up alert!
Red and blue food coloring
A measuring cup
4 paper towels
A vegetable peeler
A ruler
Some old newspapers
Your science journal
STICKY STUFFAdhesives are used to stick things together. Many adhesives we use every day are made in factories. Others occur in nature and have important uses for plants and animals.
What you'll need
Baking flour
Measuring cup
Egg white
Food coloring
4 small bowls
4 plastic spoons
Aluminum foil
Cotton balls
Toothpicks
Bits of cloth
Glitter
Blunt-tip scissors
Colored yarn or ribbon
Colored paper
Your science journal
SPLISH SPLASHThere are many ways to measure things. At bath time, use different sized containers to measure volume.
What you'll need
Measuring spoons and cups of different sizes
Milk containers of different sizes--for example, pint, quart, half-gallon, and gallon (or 1 liter, 2 liter, and 4 liter)
A funnel
2 containers that hold the same amount (such as a 1 or 2 quart pitcher and storage bowl), but are different shapes--one tall and thin, and one short and squat
Grown-up alert!
1 bathtub or sink filled with water
Your science journal
This activity provides an introduction to volume and measurement.
HAIR-RAISING RESULTSHave you ever been shocked when you walked across a rug or touched a light switch? Wait until a cool, dry day to learn about static electricity.
What you'll need
A cool, dry day
2 round balloons (inflated and tied)
2 20-inch pieces of string
1 wool or acrylic sock.
1 mirror (or more)
1 friend (or more)
Your science journal
MOLDY OLDIESMolds are tiny microscopic plants that can help or hurt us. Molds like some environmental conditions better than others. Find out which ones they prefer by watching mold grow.
What you'll need
Grown-up alert!
3 cups containing a little coffee or leftover food.
Your magnifying glass.
Your science journal.
PLANTSPlants are the only things on earth that turn sunlight into food. They do it through a process called photosynthesis, which is explored in this activity.
What you'll need
Some household plants
A book on plant care from a store or the library
Grown-up alert!
Plant fertilizer
Paper
Scissors
Your magnifying glass
Your science journal
CRYSTALSA crystal is a special kind of rock. Different crystals have different beautiful shapes and colors.
What you'll need
Your magnifying glass
Table salt
Epsom salt
Honey jar
Measuring cups and spoons
Paper cut into circles
Scissors
Pencil
String
1 3/4 cups of sugar
2 or 3 paper clips
A glass jar or drinking glass
Your science journal
CAKE!Learn about chemical reactions by baking 4 small cakes, leaving an important ingredient out of 3 of them. The ingredients are only for 1 cake, so you'll need to measure and mix 4 times.
What you'll need
A small soup or cereal bowl
Several layers of aluminum foil
A pie pan
Cooking oil to grease the "cake pans"
Measuring spoons
A cup or small bowl for the egg
A small mixing bowl
Your science journal
Ingredients (for one cake)
6 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
2 or 3 pinches baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Part of an egg (Break egg into a cup, beat until mixed. Use 1/3 of it. Save the rest for 2 of the other cakes.)
TELEVISION
Science can be learned from television. Even though the quality varies a lot, some programs provide a marvelous window on science.
What you'll need
A television set
A VCR, if you have one
Your science journal
What to do
1. Look on the regular networks, public television stations, and cable channels (The Discovery Channel, for example) for science programs such as Reading Rainbow, Nature, Nova, Newton's Apple, The Voyage of the MIMI, National Geographic, Jacques Cousteau, Cosmos, The Royal Institution of Great Britain Christmas Lectures, and Smithsonian Institution specials.
2. Look for reports of scientific discoveries and activities on regularly scheduled news programs, and for TV characters with science-related jobs--doctors, for instance.
3. If you have a VCR, tape science shows so you can look at them later and stop--or replay--parts that are particulary interesting or hard to understand and so you can talk to someone about them.
4. Watch some of these programs with an adult so you can ask questions.
Some TV programs give misleading information about science and/or scientists. It is important to know which things on television are real and which ones aren't.
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