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All ages, for ongoing observation!

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Explore.org is the world’s leading philanthropic live nature cam network and documentary film channel. Our mission is to champion the selfless acts of others, create a portal into the soul of humanity and inspire lifelong learning. Watch nature unfold live right now!

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What better way to get kids excited about science than with an experiment straight out of a spy novel? Write a secret message using colorless ink, wait for it to dry, then use a special secret solution to reveal the message. This activity was inspired by the Berlin blue experiment in this chemistry kit. However, while that experiment uses strange sounding chemicals and warns against putting the substances down the drain, I thought it would be fun to make something similar at home using common ingredients. I experimented a bit and came up with something that works well using only water, baking soda, turmeric, and rubbing alcohol.

My kids and I have also done the lemon juice invisible ink experiment in the past. It works pretty well, but the one downside is that your really need to apply a lot of heat (like with an iron or hot plate) to get it to work. In my experience, holding the paper over a lightbulb just doesn't cut it. That means I end up being the one to reveal the message while my kids stand by and watch. The nice thing about this color-changing invisible ink experiment is that no heat is required. Instead it uses a homemade acid/base indicator to reveal the secret message.

I knew that I wanted to use a natural indicator (like red cabbage juice or turmeric) along with a basic solution. As you can see, I tried several different combinations before I found one that I was really happy with. It turns out a solution containing only baking soda and water really has a remarkable change in color when used with the turmeric/rubbing alcohol indicator. (See below for detailed instructions.)

The kids had such a great time making and reading secret messages. The best part...even the baby could reveal the message on his own, since no irons or hotplates were involved. (Though I will warn you that if you're worried about stains, maybe have them use paint brushes instead of paper towels!)

Recommended Age Range: Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle School, High School
Time Required: ~30 minutes (including about 15 minutes to let paper dry in the middle)
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Under $10 (much, much less in used supplies). We had everything on hand, but turmeric can be a little expensive if you have to buy more than you will use. Maybe borrow a teaspoon from a friend!
Materials:

water (1/2 cup)

baking soda (1 Tablespoon)

paper

q-tips (or a paintbrush) to apply invisible ink

rubbing alcohol (1/2 cup)

turmeric (1 teaspoon)

paper towels (or a paintbrush) to apply color-changing solution

Supplies:

measuring glass

measuring spoons

spoon for stirring

Instructions:

1. First, add 1 Tablespoon of baking soda to 1/2 cup of water.

2. Stir the baking soda into the water to make the "invisible ink".

3. Use q-tips (or paintbrushes) to draw a picture with the invisible ink on paper.

4. While you are waiting for your paper to dry, mix up your color changing-solution. First, add 1 teaspoon of turmeric to 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol.

5. Stir the turmeric into the rubbing alcohol. (Note: The solution can stain a little bit. I used a white plastic bowl, which was not the smartest, because it was a little difficult to clean afterwards. You might want to use a glass bowl.)

6. After the paper is dry, use a paper towel (or paintbrush) to apply the color changing solution to the paper to reveal the secret message! (Note: We used paper towels, but our hands were all a little orange for a few hours afterwards, so you might want to use a paintbrush instead!)

Enjoy reveling in the mysteries of science!

Click here for more Chemistry activities for kids.

Related Links

Chemistry Activities for Kids
Robotics Activities for Kids
Best Books for Kids

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Fun chemistry activity for spy and detective enthusiasts that uses an acid/base indicator to reveal a secret message using a special color-changing invisible ink. Only common household ingredients required. Unlike the traditional activity using lemon juice, this one does not require heat.

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I taught 3rd, 4th, 6th grades (all subjects), and high school Art. You can read about those days Hi! I'm Leslie- a homeschooling momma to an almost 5 year old girl (seriously can't believe I just typed that) and 17 month old boy. The 2 are as different as night and day. I share our adventures here to both inspire learning at home and chronicle our lives, because honestly, I never started the baby books and my kids will just have to look back on their childhood through this blog... ha #keepinitreal.
In my life before being a homeschool preschool momma, I was a public education teacher.
here, Creating "Wonder" in learning can be tough in public school, but it's one of my most favorite things to observe in my preschooler.
As we explored waterfalls, I got to see that wonder again and again.

We've been using Mother Goose Time as our preschool curriculum for almost 3 years, and this month is all about Bubbles, Boats, and Floats!

Our STEAM station on Waterfall Day suggested going outside to do this activity. Anytime I can take learning outdoors, I try to do it! Who says learning has to be at a desk inside all day anyway?

Grab some spray bottles and put different colored water in each one. I put water in our bottles and added these liquid watercolors. They are my FAVE, but you could definitely use food coloring.

Using primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) will lead to the best results, and a great experiment in color mixing! I just used red (turned more pinkish) and blue since I only had 2 bottles.

I used some long copy paper and the kids got right to work spraying the top of the paper and watching the water drip down like a waterfall.

I love this picture below! Look at them observing the paper... even little brother got in on it!

They began to notice that the water kept going down the same path and eventually it tore.

They noticed the tear before I did.

"Why did it break?" our little friend visiting asked.

This led to a great discussion about how powerful water is!

I wanted my girl and her little buddy to each have some artwork to hang on the walls at home, so I got out some watercolor paper- one for each of them and attached it to the fence just like the long piece of copy paper. They then took turns spraying the papers and watching the water trickle down.

What did they learn?

-Water is powerful. It can tear and break things.

-Water always goes down.

-Water likes to go down the same path over and over.

-When red and blue mix, it creates purple.

We had so much fun!

I am so thankful MGT has all these wonderful ideas I can pull from to create fun learning experiences for my kids (and their friends)! Honestly, my brain is fried by the time they go to bed, and the thought of creating a lesson from scratch each and everyday makes that fried brain, spin.

and if you are on Pinterest, you can follow me here or pin the image below. :)

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I taught 3rd, 4th, 6th grades (all subjects), and high school Art. You can read about those days Hi! I'm Leslie- a homeschooling momma to an almost 5 year old girl (seriously can't believe I just typed that) and 17 month old boy. The 2 are as different as night and day.

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Duration: 1:32 mins

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Duration: 7:58 mins

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Little Fox Chinese - Stories & Songs for Learners

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The Three Little Pigs (三只小猪) | Folktales 1 | Chinese | By Little Fox

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Experience The Great Wall of China in Virtual Reality

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Experience The Great Wall of China in Virtual Reality

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great wall at huanghuacheng virtual reality

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great wall at huanghuacheng in virtual reality

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Virtually explore Great Wall at Huanghuacheng in a fully immersive 360-degree experience.

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Experience The Forbidden City in Virtual Reality

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Experience The Forbidden City in Virtual Reality

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Virtually explore The Forbidden City in a fully immersive 360-degree experience.

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We had originally designed this activity for the younger members of the family, but we know counting on fingers is for everyone (you can read more about it here!), so [...]

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Age 4-10, 10-20mn each.  Carefully selected folktales from around the world adapted into radio plays. Each explores important issues like kindness, persistence, and generosity, and ends with an activity that inspires conversation between children and adults.

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Created and produced by parents of young children, WBUR's Circle Round adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 4 to 10. Each 10- to 20-minute episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence and generosity.

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Duration: 5:32 mins

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碰碰狐 (兒童兒歌・故事)

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長高體操  | 熱身體操兒歌 | 碰碰狐pinkfong ！兒童兒歌

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Learn Chinese Calligraphy of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth

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Learn Chinese Calligraphy of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth

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Duration: 3:04 mins

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Learn Chinese Calligraphy of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth

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Duration: 6:06 mins

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【古琴Guqin筝笛鼓】《空山鸟语》'Birdsong in hollow valley'——Beautiful Chinese court music style宫廷雅乐风 宋代装束 秦时明月

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Duration: 7:46 mins

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Story time with Rebecca Fang laoshi "The rainbow fish" 中文绘本故事：彩虹鱼。

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Duration: 5:05 mins

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学中文 - 车辆-交通工具 | Learn Chinese for kids - Vehicles | Aprender Chino - Los Vehículos

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Duration 9:30 mins

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学中文-动物合辑 | Learn Chinese for kids - Animals Compilation | Aprender Chino - Recopilación de animales

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Duration: 6:21 mins

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Koala Know【考拉知道】故事乐园--《月亮的味道》 Welcome to the Story-Land of Koala Know!

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Duration: 7:43 Mins

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Duration: 5:29 Mins

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Koala Know【考拉知道】故事乐园--彩虹色的花 Welcome to the Story-Land of Koala Know!

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3:16 Minutes

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碰碰狐 (兒童兒歌・故事)

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開心的形狀旅行 | 形狀兒歌 | 碰碰狐！兒童兒歌

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1:30 Minutes

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碰碰狐 (兒童兒歌・故事)

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從一數到十 | 數字兒歌 | 碰碰狐！兒童兒歌

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5:02 Minutes

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《我的情绪小怪兽》儿童晚安故事,有声绘本故事,幼儿睡前故事

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Age 4+

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Drawing Portraits 😜 ages 4+ 😜 Dylan and his buddy Myles had a blast drawing portraits of each other using this easy method with sheet protectors and dry erase markers!

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR DRAWING PORTRAITS ACTIVITY (affiliate links):
Sheet protectors Dry erase markers
White sheet of paper or white surface

WHAT TO DO:

1. Start by having one child hold up a transparent sheet protector and have the other child attempt to draw their face using dry erase markers. (Washable paint would work well too, but would be messier.) Be sure to use stiff plastic sheet protectors so the sheet doesn't wrap around the face.

2. After one child has completed his or her drawing, have the children switch roles.

2. Once complete, place the sheet against a white surface or put a sheet of white paper in the protector to view the final result!! The boys had such a fun time drawing each other, they could not stop giggling.

3. The sheet protectors we used have a hole in the top so they can be easily hung on a bulletin board or wall for easy display!

Drawing portraits with a partner like this is great as an ice breaker or partner activity. This idea was inspired by an activity on Homegrown Friends.

Check out the boys in action drawing each other's portraits in the below video:

Posted in Tagged Age 4-5, group activity, preschool, sheet protectors, team activity Age 6-7, Age 8+, Art and Craft Activities for Kids, Top Posts

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Drawing Portraits on Sheet Protectors * ages 4+ ⋆ Raising Dragons

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Drawing Portraits 😜 ages 4+ 😜 Dylan and his buddy Myles had a blast drawing portraits of each other using this easy method with sheet protectors and dry erase markers! Sheet protectors Dry erase markers White sheet of paper or white surface 1.

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Are you looking for fun, hands-on activities to teach shapes to your Preschool or Pre-K students? These printable road shape mats are perfect for young children learning to identify shapes. You can easily include these shape mats in your lesson plans for transportation themed activities too.

Your students will love this playful hands on active learning experience that uses toy cars to teach shapes!

Road Shape Mats

Did you know that learning to recognize shapes is a precursor to identifying letters of the alphabet? True story!

When you're using fun, hands-on learning activities like these road mats, you're actually helping your kids develop very important pre-reading and pre-writing skills.

Learning Shapes

The first step in learning to identify letters is to understand the true definition of letters. That definition is, "letters are shapes and those shapes have names."

When young children are engaged in playful learning, such as using toy cars and tracing the shapes on the mats, they're also developing hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, muscle control, and eventually muscle memory.

Seeing the shapes on the mat and naming them helps prepare young children to identify letters and numbers and then to name them, and eventually to write them.

Road Shape Mat Materials

Here are the materials you will need to prepare this hands-on learning activity for your kids:

Printer and ink

Laminator and laminating film

Scissors

Small toy cars

Small object to mark what doesn't belong

Road Shape Mat Prep

Now it's time to start prepping your road shape mats. First, print the mats on cardstock and laminate for durability.

I have included both a black and white and a color version of each shape for you, choose the one that best meets your needs and those of your students.

You may also choose to start with the easiest shapes to identify first, such as circle and square, then work your way up to the more difficult shapes later.

Shapes Included

How to Use the Road Shape Mats

Next, introduce the road shape activity mats to children during your small group time. When introducing the mats it's important to follow a certain sequence. Start by showing the shape mat to the students in your small group, then name the shape aloud, and then ask them to repeat the name of the shape to you.

Finally, give each child the same shape mat you just introduced, say the name of the shape again, and ask them to repeat the name of the shape as they use their cars to trace the shape over and over again. This will also be great for them to work on their fine motor skills.

More Activities Using Mats

Printable Play Dough Mats - Add mats to your play dough center to support academic skills like counting. Your play dough center can be a great place for preschoolers to develop fine motor skills, use their imaginations, explore their own ideas, practice social skills, and work independently or cooperatively. The playdough center can even help support important emergent literacy and math skills.

Alphabet Play Dough Mats-106 page of hands-on fun to help your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students learn the letters of the alphabet!

Floor Tile Play Dough Mats-Are you tired of the sticky residue that play dough leaves behind on your tables? Or how about those play dough mats that curl up and fall apart after lots of use? I found something that is extremely durable and will protect your tables from play dough, keep reading to find out my secret!

Craft Stick Shape Mats-These craft stick mats will help your little learners identify 2D shapes! Your kids will love making shapes with inexpensive craft sticks.

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Printable Road Shape Mats for Preschool - Pre-K Pages

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Are you looking for fun, hands-on activities to teach shapes to your Preschool or Pre-K students? These printable road shape mats are perfect for young children learning to identify shapes. You can easily include these shape mats in your lesson plans for transportation themed activities too.

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Age 2 - 4

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I love this cardboard shape toddler craft - an easy and inexpensive toddler activity to do at home. A few cardboard shapes provide a simple building and sorting activity for toddlers. This open-ended activity is easy to setup with recycled cardboard to promote hands-on creative play.

Cardboard Shapes - Easy Toddler Craft Activity

Recycling cardboard for a toddler activity has never been easier. Simply cut basic shapes from pieces of cardboard, and place them on a table or in a tray. Kids can color the shapes, decorate them with self-adhesive stickers, or just leave them plain.

Cardboard shapes have versatility, with options for building and sorting. They also have durability when cut from strong cardboard.

You toddler will benefit from fine motor and sensory experiences as they explore basic math concepts. Counting and sorting are part of the creative fun.

If you have a go at this toddler activity we would love to see a photo! Share it in our Facebook group or over on Instagram - follow @myboredtoddler and use #myboredtoddler so we can all see!

What you need to make the cardboard shape toddler activity

Shapes can be outlined with a ruler and cut with a craft knife or scissors. Make basic shapes at first - square, triangle, rectangle, circle.

Incorporate different textures such as corrugated cardboard, and different colors of cardboard if available.

Your child can color the shapes with crayons or markers, or paint the shapes if preferred. You could even provide some self-adhesive stickers to decorate the shapes.

Try to keep supplies to a minimum - too much at once can overwhelm your toddler.

This simple activity for toddlers and preschoolers provides open-ended play and learning.

Kids can sort, stack and build with shapes in fun and creative ways.

A variety of sizes and color of shapes combines sensory and fine motor play with the creative play.

Place the shapes on a table or tray so your child can freely explore the materials.

Engage your child in conversation, while guiding the activity with your own participation.

How many wheels do you have on the bus?

Let's build a house with some of the shapes.

Can you stack the squares and rectangles?

This is a mess-free and hands-on activity that needs little in the way of instruction.

Toddler activities should be simple and open-ended. Cardboard shapes provide both. Younger kids can immediately engage with the materials, practise math skills, and engage in creative play.

If you have a go at this toddler activity we would love to see a photo! Share it in our Facebook group or over on Instagram - follow @myboredtoddler and use #myboredtoddler so we can all see!

This activity is a great play based math activity. Some more simple toddler activities that you might enjoy are:
Counting Activities for Toddlers Shape Activities for Toddlers Color Activities for Toddlers About the Author:
Heather is a former preschool teacher and founder of preschooltoolkit.com, a website providing early learning resources for teachers and parents. She focuses on creating fun crafts and activities that engage developmental skills while promoting hands-on learning through play. Follow her on , , and

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Cardboard Shapes - Easy Toddler Craft Activity

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I love this cardboard shape toddler craft - an easy and inexpensive toddler activity to do at home. A few cardboard shapes provide a simple building and sorting activity for toddlers. This open-ended activity is easy to setup with recycled cardboard to promote hands-on creative play.

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Age 2 - 4

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If your kids are as crazy over Legos as mine are, then this Lego Color Sort activity will be right up their alley! All you need to get started is some construction paper - and some Legos, of course! (We used Mega Bloks® for this activity, but anything goes!)

Lego Color Sort

Choose the colors you would like your kiddos to sort and lay out coordinating pieces of construction paper! You can use masking tape to tape them to a table top (like our well-love kid's table here!) or to the floor, and then let your kids get started!
This is also a fun activity to take outside - My littles love any opportunity to head out in the sunshine, and so does this mama!
Check out the green section of this color sort: This was the perfect opportunity to talk about how colors can come in different shades but still be similar. (A cool life lesson can be worked in here with this concept, but I'll let you do with that what you wish!)

Download: Lego Printables for Colors and Patterns from I Can Teach My Child

Unable to print right now? PIN HERE for later!

After doing the Lego Color Sort, my kids wanted to keeping sorting, soooooo, we grabbed the play food!

Play Food Color Sort

The amount of playfood we own completely overwhelms me sometime (You, too? Good, I'm glad I'm not alone!), so I'm thrilled when we find a great way to work all of it in to our learning!

See? It was perfect...

...and then we spent some time talking about each piece of food - Was it a fruit or a vegetable? Why? Why not? How do you know? I love asking my littles those kinds of questions! Their answers are the best!

Maybe you don't own any Legos...or any crazy amounts of play food...but I'm sure you have something at home that your kiddos could sort by color! You know what my kids really love? When I turn them loose and say, "Go find something green!" or "Go grab something red and bring it back to me!" They love running through the house and finding what I'm looking for and bringing it back to me.

Quick Tip: This is actually a great way to get things cleaned up around the house! " Caleb, you clean up everything you see that's blue and green and Isaac, you clean up everything you see that's red and yellow." Ahhh, us mamas, we're sneaky! 😉
Make this activity work for you and your crew and then be sure to let me know how it went! I love hearing the creative ideas you guys have for learning at home with your kiddos!
Psst...How about one more fun idea? Have you seen this printable Color Sorting Mat from I Can Teach My Child? Print it, laminate it, use it over and over again!

Unable to print right now? PIN HERE for later!

Buy Color Sort Supplies:

Construction Paper Available Here

Lego Mega Blocks Available Here

Plastic Play Food Available Here

Are you a mama of a two-year old, a three-year old, or a four- year old (or all of the above) and you would like to do some intentional learning activities with them at home? Check out how we do Pre-school at Home!

Interested in learning more about homeschool preschool?

Check out the products I've put together just for you:

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Lego Color Sort - This Little Home of Mine

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If your kids are as crazy over Legos as mine are, then this Lego Color Sort activity will be right up their alley! All you need to get started is some construction paper - and some Legos, of course! (We used Mega Bloks® for this activity, but anything goes!)

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3:52 minutes

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3:40 minutes

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Age 2 - 4
2:14 minutes

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This lava lamp experiment is super cool! Your kids will love exploring colored water and oil, but a surprise ingredient will make this science activity even more exciting!

It's always a hit with the kids. So grab a few household supplies and give this lava lamp science activity a try!

Lava Lamp Science Experiment

As part of our science lessons this school year, we are trying out all kinds of really neat science experiments and activities. This lava lamp experiment tops the list!
*Disclaimer: Adult supervision is required for this experiment. You must supervise your children at all times while doing it. Do not allow children to put any of the items in their mouth and do not do this experiment if your children still put things in their mouth.
Both of my kids had a blast with this. We've actually done it several times and with all different colors, but it never ceases to amaze them. It's almost shocking how long they will engage with it.

One great thing about this science experiment is that you only need a few supplies and your probably already have most of them in your home or classroom.

Lava Lamp Experiment
Supplies Needed: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
To begin, color about 1/2 cup of water with food coloring. I like using these gel food colors for vibrant coloring.

Take the Alka Seltzer tablets and break them into 2 or 3 pieces. Place them in a small cup or container.

Fill a glass about 3/4 full with vegetable oil. Then pour in the colored water until the liquid in the cup is about 1-2 inches from the top.

You don't want it to overflow! Well, unless you want to turn it into an eruption experiment too. For this reason and quick cleanup, I like to do this on a tray.

Add pieces of the Alka Seltzer tablet to the cup. *DO NOT let kids put the tablet in their mouth at any time.

Why this Science Experiment Works

The water and oil do not mix and the oil doesn't change color because the food coloring is water soluble. The Alka Seltzer reacts with the water to make bubbles of carbon dioxide.

The bubbles attach themselves to the blobs of colored water and bring them to the top of the glass. When the bubbles pop the blobs of colored water fall back to the bottom of the glass.

This lava science experiment is sure to WOW your kids. They may even ask you to do it over and over again like mine did!

Video of Lava Lamp Experiment

Winter Lava Lamp Experiment!

This Blizzard Lava Lamp experiment is super cool! Your kids will love exploring colored water and oil with a winter twist!

Our kids were so excited because it looked like a blizzard was going on inside the glass. They had a blast with this fun science activity!

Benefits of Science Experiments with Kids

Science experiments help foster curiosity, ignite children's imagination and help nurture a love for learning! It's a great way for kids to develop fine motor skills, problem solving and analytical thinking while having fun and being creative!

From colorful chemical reactions to mesmerizing physics your kids will have a blast learning.
1. Hands-On Learning
When young kids actively engage in experiments, they grasp complicated concepts more easily. The tactile nature of experiments allows them to visualize abstract ideas, fostering comprehension that traditional teaching methods might struggle to achieve.
2. Cultivating Critical Thinking
Through engaging in science experiments, children refine their skills in observing, analyzing, and incorporating new information.
3. Fostering Creativity
Science experiments often involve a degree of unpredictability. When children witness unexpected outcomes, they are prompted to think creatively and to experiment with new strategies. This nurtures an environment of innovation, where they learn that failure is not a setback, but rather an opportunity to learn!
4. Building Confidence and Self-Esteem
As kids conduct experiments and have successful results, their confidence grows. This newfound confidence will have a positive ripple effect, encouraging them to tackle new challenges with enthusiasm and perseverance.
5. Real-Life Application
Science experiments bring scientific theories to life, showcasing how the principles are applied in real-world situations.
6. Improved Fine Motor Skills
Engagement in science experiments is a fun way for kids to work on fine motor skills. They will be accomplishing a variety of tasks using their hands, while learning and having a great time.
7. Bonding and Collaborative Learning
Science experiments can become wonderful bonding experiences for families, friends, and classmates. Whether it's a family project or a group activity in the classroom, kids will develop connections and create great memories.

Science experiments offer amazing benefits for kids while being fun and engaging!

Other Fun Science Experiments

Grow a Rainbow with this fun science experiment! This is quick to setup and you just need markers, a paper towel and two cups of water!

Try this super simple Oobleck recipe that only requires two household ingredients!

If your kids love this oobleck activity, they will absolutely love the Dinosaur Dig Excavation activity!

This rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment is one of our most popular science activities!

This rain cloud jar science experiment gives children a chance to explore clouds and rain in a fun and engaging way.

Explore chromatography with this fun chromatography science experiment for kids!

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Super Cool Lava Lamp Experiment for Kids

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This lava lamp experiment is super cool! Your kids will love exploring colored water and oil, but a surprise ingredient will make this science activity even more exciting! It's always a hit with the kids. So grab a few household supplies and give this lava lamp science activity a try!

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Age 4-6

Duration：4：02

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Duration: 4：05 minutes

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《蚂蚁和西瓜》儿童晚安故事,有声绘本故事,幼儿睡前故事

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Duration： 4：09 minutes
English subtitles available

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我愛聽故事 - 大猩猩的麵包店

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Age 2-6

Duration：3：14 minutes

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碰碰狐 (兒童兒歌・故事)

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Duration：1：29 minutes

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Duration：1：09 minutes

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碰碰狐 鯊魚寶寶 (兒童兒歌・故事)

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聲調歌 | Mandarin Chinese Song for kids | 愛學拼音兒歌 | 碰碰狐Pinkfong | 寶寶兒歌

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Duration: 4:23 minutes

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4-5岁4月  米卡看世界  水的旅行

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They're fun to look at in an aquarium or to try to catch in a lake, but did you know that fish breathe? And have you ever wondered how you could see this in action without putting your head under water? You can learn about how fish breathe right at home or in the classroom! This big idea is made tangible for kids with this easy to set up activity to show how fish breathe underwater. We love ocean science activities here!

HOW DO FISH BREATHE UNDERWATER SCIENCE ACTIVITY

HOW DO FISH BREATHE UNDERWATER?

Get ready to add this simple ocean science activity to your lesson plans this year. If you want to learn about how fish breathe underwater, let's dig in! While you're at it, make sure to check out these other fun ocean activities.

Our science activities and experiments are designed with you, the parent or teacher, in mind! Easy to set up, quick to do, most activities will take only 15 to 30 minutes to complete and are heaps of fun! Plus, our supplies lists usually contain only free or cheap materials you can source from home!
Looking for easy to print activities, and inexpensive problem-based challenges? We have you covered... Click below to get your quick and easy STEM challenges.
HOW DO FISH BREATHE SCIENCE ACTIVITY

Let's get right to learning about how do fish breathe. Go ahead and get prepared to see this big idea made understandable for young learners right in your kitchen or classroom.

YOU WILL NEED:

SCIENCE ACTIVITY SET UP:

STEP 1: Fill a cup with water and mix in a tablespoon of coffee grounds.

Discuss how the coffee mixture is like water in the ocean.

STEP 2: Place a coffee filter over the top of your glass jar with a rubber band around the top holding it on.

The coffee filter is like the gills on a fish. See below for more information about fish gills.

STEP 3: Pour the coffee ground and water mixture slowly in the top of the jar over the coffee filter.

STEP 4: Watch the water filter through the coffee filter.

Discuss what has been left behind in the coffee filter. Similarly, what do fish gills filter from the water? Where does the oxygen go?

CLASSROOM TIPS

This simple ocean science activity works well combined with lots of discussion. Get kids thinking by asking questions about how they breathe, and extend it to what they might already know about how fish breathe.

For example; Can fish breathe out of water? Why or why not?

THE SIMPLE SCIENCE OF HOW FISH BREATHE

Do fish have lungs? No, fish have gills instead of lungs and so they can't take oxygen in from the air like we do. Instead they get their oxygen from the water.

But how does that happen? Water goes in the mouth of the fish and out its gills. Gills are made of very thin tissue which acts like a filter to remove oxygen from the water and release carbon dioxide.

Water moves through the fish gills, and as it does so the gills pull oxygen out of the water and into the blood to take it to all the cells in the fish's body.

Here, the coffee filter represents the gills, and the coffee grounds represent the oxygen. The coffee filter gill is collecting the oxygen to send to the fish's circulatory system.

Did you know that hermit crabs also use gills even though they can come out of the water too? However, they can only do this in humid conditions where the gills can pull the moisture from the air!

WHY CAN'T FISH BREATHE OUT OF WATER?

Another interesting question to ask is why fish can't breathe out of water? Certainly, there's still plenty of oxygen for them, right?

Unfortunately, their gills collapse and then can't function properly to pull in the oxygen they need and circulate it through their system.

Even though we can get oxygen from the air we breathe in, the air in our lungs is very moist to make it easier to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

LEARN ABOUT MORE OCEAN ANIMALS

HOW DO FISH BREATHE ACTIVITY FOR OCEAN SCIENCE

Discover more fun and easy science & STEM activities right here. Click on the link or on the image below.
Looking for easy to print activities, and inexpensive problem-based challenges? We have you covered... Click below to get your quick and easy STEM challenges.

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They're fun to look at in an aquarium or to try to catch in a lake, but did you know that fish breathe? And have you ever wondered how you could see this in action without putting your head under water? You can learn about how fish breathe right at home or in the classroom!

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What's nicer than a fresh bouquet of flowers? How about a homemade bouquet of flowers made with STEAM (Science + Art)! Easy coffee filter flowers are the perfect craft for spring, or any time of the year. Find out how to make flowers out of coffee filters. Fun STEAM activities are always engaging for junior scientists of all ages!

Enjoy Flowers For Spring

Spring is the perfect time of year for art and craft activities! There are so many fun themes to explore. For this time of the year, our favorite topics to teach kids about spring include weather and rainbows, geology, Earth Day and of course plants!

Get ready to add this flower craft, to your lesson plans this season. How do you make easy coffee filter flowers? Let me show you! In fact, this has to be our favorite craft to make with coffee filters.

Simple enough to do with your preschoolers, and kindergarten students, as well as older kids. All you need is a handful of bright markers and pipe cleaners to finish off a pretty bouquet to give away!

Our craft activities are designed with you, the parent or teacher, in mind! Easy to set up, quick to do, most activities will take only 15 to 30 minutes to complete and are heaps of fun! Plus, our supplies lists usually contain only free or cheap materials you can source from home!

And if you are looking to add a little STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and art) to your lessons, then this is the activity you need to try. Even my "not interested in crafts" kiddo loves it! While you're at it, make sure to check out these other fun flower art and crafts.
Mother's Day! Birthdays! Weddings! Teacher gifts! Spring crafts!
Learn About Solubility With Coffee Filters

Make a gorgeous bouquet of flowers with coffee filters, and markers. No coloring in skills needed because simply add water to the coffee filter, and the colors beautifully blend together.

Why do the colors on your coffee filter flower blend together? It's all to do with solubility! If something is soluble that means it will dissolve in that liquid (or solvent). The ink used in these washable markers dissolves in what? The water of course!

With our DIY coffee filter flowers, the water (solvent) is meant to dissolve the marker ink (solute). For this to happen, the molecules in both the water and the ink must be attracted to each other. When you added drops of water to the designs on the paper, the ink should spread out and run through the paper with the water.

Note: Permanent markers do not dissolve in water but in alcohol. You can see this in action here with our tie-dye Valentine cards.
Also check out another easy way to make coffee filter flowers!
More Fun Coffee Filter Crafts

Want to have more fun with coffee filter crafts? You will love...

How To Make Coffee Filter Flowers

Supplies:
Check out our rainbow coloring page to learn about the colors of the rainbow!

Coffee Filters

Washable Markers

Gallon Size Zipper Bag OR Metal Baking Sheet Pan

Scissors

Water Spray Bottle

Pipe Cleaners

Instructions:

STEP 1. Flatten round coffee filters, and draw colors in circles, patterns, or even scribbles! Make a rainbow on one with all the colors or stick with just complimentary colors!

STEP 2. Place the colored coffee filters on a gallon size zipper bag or metal baking sheet pan and then mist with a water spray bottle.
Why not use any leftover pipe cleaners to make these easy crystal flowers!
Watch the magic as the colors blend and swirl! Set aside to dry.

STEP 3. The last step in your coffee filter flower bouquet is a stem!

Once they are dry, fold them back up and round the corners if desired.

Pull the center together just a touch and tape with clear tape to make a flower.

Wrap a pipe cleaner around the tape and leave the remaining pipe cleaner for a stem.

Fun Flower Crafts To Explore

When you finish making this coffee filter craft, why not try one of these ideas below. You can find all our flower crafts here and plant activities for preschoolers!

Cupcake liner flowers are great to make as a homemade gift for Mother's Day.

Color in this cute flower printable with nothing but dots.

Paint these fun bright flowers with their own homemade stamps.

How about a homemade handprint flowers bouquet!

Use art and craft supplies you have on hand to make the parts of a plant.

Printable Spring Pack

If you're looking to have all of your printable activities in one convenient place, plus exclusive worksheets with a spring theme, our 300+ page Spring STEM Project Pack is what you need!

Weather, geology, plants, life cycles, and more!

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Find out how to make easy coffee filter flowers with a bit of solubility science. A pretty spring craft for preschoolers and older.

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Patchimals - Educational and cultural contents for children: apps, worksheets and resources. | Kids art projects, Kandinsky art, Art worksheets

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Mar 19, 2017 - Patchimals - Educational and cultural contents for children: apps, worksheets and resources.

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Tornado in a Glass | Science experiments kids, Kid experiments, Cool science experiments

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A tornado, also called twister or cyclone, is a violent rotating column of air extending between the Earth’s surface and the base of a thunderstorm. This vortex of wind, usually funnel-shaped, can be very destructive. It can destroy large buildings, uproot trees, drive sticks into trees and hurl cars hundreds of yards 

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Age 2-4

Duration：3：52 minutes