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Chemistry STEM Activities for Kids (84 results)

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Drinking Water Cleanup
STEM Activity
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24 reviews
Do you know where your drinking water is coming from? Sure, it comes out of your faucet, but how does it get there? Drinking water all over the world originates from either surface waters—such as lakes, reservoirs, and rivers—or from underground sources, such as groundwater. But would you want to drink water straight from a river or lake? Probably not; they can be really dirty and muddy! To become clean and safe, this water first has to undergo several treatment processes; the first… Read more
Charge from Change: Make a Coin Battery
STEM Activity
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49 reviews
Have you ever wondered why your phone, computer, or a flashlight works without being plugged into a power outlet? Where does the electrical energy come from that makes all these portable devices function? You probably know the answer: they use batteries! But do you know how these batteries work? Batteries store electrical energy in the form of chemical energy, which means that electrochemical reactions inside the batteries create electricity. It may sound complicated, but it is simpler than you… Read more
Colorful Patterns in Melting Ice
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110 reviews
Have you ever wondered why ice cubes in your cold drink become gradually smaller, or why their surface becomes smoother as they melt? Does ice always melt this way? In this activity, you will use water balloons to create giant ice balls and observe how they melt. Can you predict the effect a bit of salt will have on your giant ice ball? Read more
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Make String from Algae
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212 reviews
Did you know that the seaweed you've seen in the ocean or even eaten as a snack is inspiring innovators to imagine new materials? Large brown algae, like kelp, contains polymers—long chains of molecules—that are more environmentally friendly than the ones in most plastics. These natural polymers (alginates) could eventually be used to create sustainable everyday objects. Try your hand at using a bit of chemistry to turn biodegradable polymers from algae into your own custom… Read more
Make Your Own Fizzy Lemonade
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15 reviews
Did you know that the soda company Coca-Cola makes over 3,500 different types of soda to distribute around the world? If you tried a different one every day, it would take you over 9 years to try them all! Do you think you would like octopus-flavored soda? What about cheese-flavored soda? If you travel far enough around the world, you’ll find those and many other flavors that may seem exotic in the U.S. Although the flavors might differ, one thing that all sodas have in common is the… Read more
Make Your Own Kinetic Dough
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30 reviews
Kinetic or Magic Sand is easy to find in stores, and fun to play with at home! But did you ever wonder what’s so magical about magic sand? You shouldn’t be surprised to hear that the magic is actually science! You can create your own version of this fun mixture with just a few kitchen ingredients. Get out your magic wand and get ready for some science! Read more
Mouthwatering Candy Melt
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70 reviews
What is your favorite type of candy? Have you ever wondered why you like this candy so much? Is it its taste, how it feels in your mouth, or both? Cooks and food scientists study how substances dissolve or melt to create a unique and pleasant sensation in the mouth and optimize the release of flavor. Would you like to know how your favorite candy works? In this science activity, you will study two types of candy and discover what makes them so enjoyable. Read more
Chromatography: Be a Color Detective
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30 reviews
Do you love bright and vibrant colored art supplies? Do you ever wonder how these colors are made?  The variety of colors comes from colored molecules that are mixed into the material used to make the product. Some colored molecules are synthetic (or manmade), like the famous Yellow #5 found in food dyes. Others are extracted from natural sources, such as carotenoid (pronounced kuh-RAH-tuh-noid) molecules, which make your carrot look orange, and can be extracted from saffron.  Even… Read more
Explore Enzyme Activity with Toothpicks
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28 reviews
Do you know what enzymes are? They are like little machines that carry out many different chemical reactions that are essential for nature and our bodies. For example, they help break down the food we eat, or help make yogurt and cheese! In this activity, you will simulate an enzymatic reaction and explore what factors affect the activity of an enzyme. You only need a few simple items, including your hands, lots of toothpicks, and a timer. Read more
How Particle Size Determines Chemical Reaction Rate
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25 reviews
Did you know that flour can explode? Luckily, this does not happen spontaneously on your kitchen counter, but only if the conditions are right. The trick is that you need a very fine powder of flour to make an explosion happen. In fact, any solid flammable material that is dispersed in the air as a dust cloud will explode once it is ignited. Why is that? It has to do with the particle size of the solid material, which determines how rapidly a chemical reaction takes place. In this activity, you… Read more
Shine Bright Like a….Penny!
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43 reviews
‘See a penny pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck!’ – maybe you’ve heard this phrase before, and maybe you’ve even stopped to pick up a lucky penny off the sidewalk. But sometimes those pennies you see on the ground look anything but lucky. They look brown or black, and sometimes they’re so dirty looking that you can’t even tell whether they’re pennies!  In this activity we’re going to explore why pennies don’t… Read more
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