Summer Science Experiments and Activities for Kids!

Take advantage of the warm (hot?) summer weather to get outside and do some science!  Kids of all ages will love these projects and experiments.

Most of these activities are perfect for elementary and middle school students, or you can do them with preschoolers and just provide extra help.

For example, preschoolers will love watching the baking soda and vinegar bottle rocket. It’s a great project for a hot day! Middle schoolers can actually understand what is happening with the chemical reaction, and they can explore how different amounts of baking soda and vinegar affect the height of the rocket launch. Fun for everyone!

Explore the heat of the sun, investigate chemical reactions, and learn about plants and nature. Plus, summer is a great time to do messy science projects like a mentos eruption or a sand volcano because you can pull out the hose and rinse away the mess when you are done!

Science Experiments About the Sun

What Melts in the Sun?  This is a fun science investigation!  Kids will enjoy observing what happens, and even preschoolers can do this one.

Learn Why the Sky is Blue and the Sunset is Orange with this cool science experiment. You just need a jar and a few other simple materials from around the house!

Make a Solar Powered LEGO Car from Teach Beside Me.  How cool is this?!

Make Sun Prints with Construction Paper from Pink Stripey Socks.  Great for any age, especially preschool.

Science Experiments with Water

Kids will love this Water Fountain Science Experiment! It’s fun to make the water fountain work over and over again. Perfect for a hot day!

Turn a water bottle into a Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat. Use a paddling pool for this experiment, or grab any large plastic tub. We used an under-the-bed storage box.

Here’s a collection of cool science experiments that demonstrate the Polarity of Water. These honestly feel like magic tricks – ha! Water is super impressive because of it’s polarity.

Learn about ocean waves, currents, water pressure, and more with these Ocean Science Experiments.

Magic Swimming Fish – Use a drop of dish soap to make some fish zoom across the water! This one is way up there on the wow factor. Such a cool way to learn about surface tension!

Outdoor Science Experiments – Flying Things and Chemical Reactions

Make a Sand Volcano! This is such a fun twist on the baking soda volcano, and it eliminates the need for a paper mâché volcano. Plus, you can make it erupt over and over!

Does it React?  Simple science for preschoolers, although big kids will enjoy this too!

Epic Bottle Rocket  This simple rocket flew higher than our two story house!  It has been a hit when friends come over too.

Mentos and Soda Explosion from Lemon Lime Adventures.  You’ve got to try this one! Drop some Mentos into a 2 liter of soda and watch is SHOOT into the air.

Make a Pool Noodle Rocket Flinger  It’s a fun toy, and a great way to learn about potential and kinetic energy.

We also love these Pool Noodle Planes. They fly really far! This project allows kids to explore the factors that make an airplane glide.

Build a Lemon Volcano from Babble Dabble Do.  Super colorful and fun!

Nature Science Investigations

Make Nature Suncatchers from Hands On As We Grow.  These are beautiful!

Hidden Animal Art   This is a fabulous art activity to try after reading a book about animal camouflage!

Make a Mold of Animal Tracks with plaster of Paris. We really enjoyed this, and it’s a great way to study different animal tracks and compare them.

Learn How a Leaf Breathes from Edventures with Kids. So simple, and an effective way to see that leaves give off oxygen.

Simple Nature Prints with Playdough from No Time for Flash Cards.

Go on a nature scavenger hunt!  Here is a nature scavenger hunt with pictures (for pre-readers) from The Measured Mom, or try these scavenger hunts for older kids from The Jenny Evolution.