Looking for some "wizard" science experiments to impress students? How about some Harry Potter magic tricks using simple household chemistry! Here are 10 easy hands-on kitchen science activities.
Eerie Ectoplasm (AKA silly putty, noise or farting putty): Mix equal parts Elmer's school glue and liquid laundry starch. Work together with fingers until it forms a rubbery putty. Have kids experiment with folding it and making a loud burp noise. Explain that because air is trapped, it pops, like a latex balloon. This is how we prove that air is a gas, takes up space and creates pressure. Use these kitchen science experiments in lesson plans on matter.
Ghost Writing or Invisible Ink: Dip a cotton swab or toothpick in lemon juice or milk. Write a message to a friend. Or write a magic spell from Harry Potter. To read the invisible ink, hold it over a warm light bulb, candle or flame. The writing will magically appear. Use these kitchen science experiments in chemistry lesson plans.
Magic Rubber Bone: Turn ordinary chicken or turkey bones into a bendable "rubber bone." Soak a clean bone in white vinegar for 24 hours. Tell students that you have cast a spell upon the bone to make it bend. When you take the bone out of the vinegar, it will bend and not break. These chemistry experiments shows how acid (vinegar) dissolves the hardened calcium and mineral deposits it the bone.
Unbreakable plastic bags: Tell students that you have special magic bags that will not leak even if you poke them. Fill Ziploc bags with colored water and seal. Gently push a sharpened pencil through the bag and remove it. Use these science experiments to demonstrate a polymer works. Plastic is a polymer that will stretch to close the gap and not let any liquid spill.
Magic fire shield (adults only): Tell students that you have magic that prevents clothing from catching fire. Dip a bandanna in magic fire shield solution (rubbing alcohol). Squeeze it out and don't let it dry. Hold a match to the tip of the bandanna. Flames will engulf the bandanna but it will not burn up. After a moment, the flames will burn out and the bandanna will be un touched. Explain that alcohol burns at a very low heat.
Magic beans: For this science activity, get Mexican jumping beans from Amazon. These are little beans with a live worm inside. When the worm moves (especially in your warm hand) the beans jump. Pretend to talk to the beans, ask them questions, etc. The beans will seem to move in answer to your questions.
Magic rainbow (color chromatography): Gather assorted brands (Sharpie, El Marko, Crayola) and styles (water color, permanent) black markers. Touch each marker tip to a separate piece of damp paper towel. Watch each ink blob diffuse and separate into a color spectrum. Use this chemistry activity show that black is made up of many colors.
Fleeing fleas: Fill a pie tin with water. Add black pepper and then red pepper. The different pepper types will repel each other like magnets. What's really happening is that the pepper is disturbing the meniscus--or molecular force that holds water inside a glass. Use this for water or magnet science experiments.
Wizard Water: Further explain meniscus by slowly over-filling a bottle. The water will actually rise above the level but stay in place by the meniscus "skin" till too much is added and it breaks.
Genie in a bottle. Rinse a glass bottle and freeze it. Place a dime atop the bottle and then call the genie out. Slowly the dime will lift to let trapped air escape. Then the dime will clink back in place. It will repeat this several times. What's happening is that as the frost inside the bottle melts, it expands. These make great science lesson plans on states of matter.
