Wizardly STEM! (Awesome Summer Science Experiments)
Check in each week at Science Buddies this summer for our Awesome Summer Science Experiments series! Each week, we'll highlight a few activities for awesome science and engineering kids can do at home. We've got a whole summer of fun STEM themes lined up for kids of all ages — for free. This week: awesome summer science experiments with a wizardly twist!
Awesome Wizardly STEM
Our Awesome Summer Science Experiments picks for Week 3 will bring out the wizard in all of us! If your kids are fans of stories about wizards and magic, from Merlin to Harry Potter, then, poof!, this week's activities are sure to be a hit!
This week features a variety of fizzing, bubbling, foaming, and mysterious hands-on science experiments you can tie in with favorite stories about wizards and magic. Kids will have fun mixing things up, activating chemical reactions, and pretending they have either mastered wizardly spells or are seeing what happens when potions go wrong! Wizard's robes are optional, but making or decorating a wizardly cape might be a perfect add-on and a great way to inspire imaginative storytelling to go along with this week's Awesome Summer Science Experiments theme!
Awesome Summer Science Experiments Week X: Experiment | Watch | Kits | Ask | Explore | Read
EXPERIMENT: Wizardly Science
Stupendous Elephant Toothpaste!
When wizards mix potions and cast spells, poof!, things don't always go as planned! You won't need any real toothpaste for this fun, foaming activity. A chemical reaction does all the work! What colors will you use? How big will your elephant toothpaste grow? (Tip! See what colors these kids used.)
Secret Messages with Invisible Ink
The ability to write and reveal secret messages can be a valuable wizarding skill! You do have a notebook to keep your formulas, spells, and recipes, right? There's no real magic in the secret ink activity, but the spice cabinet might have just what you need to create your own disappearing and reappearing ink! (Tip! When this family made secret ink, they made some discoveries about what type of paper works best.)
Bubbling Lava Lamp
A lava lamp's floating blobs of color can be mesmerizing. These Alka-Seltzer-powered lava lamps don't create real light, but they are perfect for an afternoon of wizardly fun or a wizard's feast! Can you find the secret to speeding the bubbles up? (Tip! Try setting your lamp on a flashlight for a more magical glow!)
Jumping Flames
Imagine walking down a dim hallway at a school for wizards, and one by one the candles light. The candles will have to be close together, but in this activity, you can watch the flame from one candle jump to light another candle, as if by magic! (Do more! For another mesmerizing science activity with candles, see A Candle Seesaw Balancing Act.)
Foaming Lemon Volcano
What happens when you combine baking soda and lemon juice (citric acid)? You'll want to record the bubbling chemical reaction from the Make a Lemon Volcano activity in your potions book! (Tip! Add a bit of food coloring for extra awesome eruptions.)
Magical Math Puzzle
The math puzzle in the Puzzle Fun with a Perimeter Magic Triangle activity is an enchanting way to practice your skills. You'll need to make all sides add up properly to balance the magic triangle!WATCH: Videos
These videos demonstrate activities highlighted for Week 3's Wizardly STEM theme:
KITS
The following Science Buddies Kits fit in with this week's Wizardly STEM theme. These science and engineering kits provide the specialty materials kids need for a variety of fun explorations, including robotics, computer programming, and electronics:
- Bath Bomb Science Kit: turn your bathtub into a fizzing cauldron of fun by creating your own bath bombs! Can you perfect your recipe for the fizziest ones? Hoard all the magic or give a few to friends!
- Spherification Kit: transform juice into jiggly balls that are still liquid on the inside. If you master the science of making juice balls, you can pick them up (carefully!) and eat them one by one, or you can add them to a cold beverage for tasty, juice-filled fun! What flavor will you try?
ASK: Questions
Use these questions to prompt conversation and reflection about the science behind this week's Awesome Summer Science Experiments activities:
- In what ways do some science experiments seem like "magic"?
- What is the difference between science and something described as "magic"?
- What is a chemical reaction?
EXPLORE: STEM Careers
After trying this week's summer science experiments, kids can learn more about related science and engineering careers, like:
READ: Books
For more suggestions for science-themed summer reading, see our Summer Reading List. Also, don't miss this roundup of creative STEM activities for storytelling and imaginative play.
Bookmark Awesome Summer Science Experiments Week 3: Wizardly STEM
10 Weeks of Awesome Summer Science Experiments
- Week 1 - Rubber Band STEM
- Week 2 - Kitchen Concoctions
- Week 3 - Wizardly STEM
- Week 4 - High-Flying STEM
- Week 5 - Amazing Art Science
- Week 6 - Clever Contraptions
- Week 7 - Radiant Rainbows
- Week 8 - Wacky Water Science
- Week 9 - Carnival STEM
- Week 10 - Ready, Set, Go STEM
Follow the full summer series on the Awesome Summer Science Experiments page!
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- 12 Science Kits for Summer Science Experiments and Discovery
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- Awesome Summer Science Experiments
- Deep Dive into STEM—Do a Summer Science Project!
- Imagine Your Story - STEM Activities for Storytellers of All Ages!
- Carnival STEM (Awesome Summer Science Experiments)
- Wacky Water Science (Awesome Summer Science Experiments)
- Radiant Rainbows (Awesome Summer Science Experiments)
