(Image credit: Future)
These hands-on experiments will open up a world of discovery. They are quick, fun and easy to do – and use materials that you're likely to have around the house.
Blast off with a model of NASA’s Space Launch System, the rocket sending humans towards the Moon.
© Future
Celebrate the New Year and learn about energy transfer at the same time.
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Channel your inner engineer and build a bridge that stands up without any supports.
© Future
Try the egg drop challenge
Put your science and engineering skills to the test to protect a falling egg.
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This multicoloured creation is a real game of sink-or-swim.
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Harness the power of plants to turn cabbage into a rainbow.
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Challenge your friends and family to pick up ice cubes using just a piece of string. Then show them how it is done using a little bit of science.
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Test your chemistry skills and make a weird substance that is both liquid and solid.
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Become a secret agent and pass hidden messages. Use spy science to reveal them.
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Into space
Get creative and find your own patterns in the night sky.
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Unpredictable weather can mean more cloudy nights than usual, but when the skies clear, grab this map and a torch, and get outside to see the stars.
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Whip up these out-of-this-world snacks to give yourself a taste of what it's like to be an astronaut.
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Make a magical Möbius strip
Explore the weird world of an object with a single surface.
© Future
Create a lightning bolt in a jar
No need to be a storm chaser, experiment with static electricity to generate your own lightning bolt.
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Make a balloon hovercraft
See how air pressure makes this balloon hovercraft whizz across a table.
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Use science to change the shape of bubbles.
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Amaze your friends with this surprising trick of the light and learn about the science of refraction.
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Explore flying-machine physics using just a piece of paper.
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Create your very own bouncing ball using just three ingredients.
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Discover how washing-up liquid can power a boat.
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Prove that taste if not all on the tongue with this flavour-fooling drink.
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This simple experiment allows you to isolate DNA – the chemical that shapes life – from strawberries.
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Turn ordinary play sand into a mouldable alien substance that acts like both a solid and a liquid.
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Find out how your lungs suck air into your body with this easy-to-make activity.
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We carefully select every activity, making sure that they are quick, fun and easy to do – and use materials that you're likely to have around the house. It's a parenting win!
Embark on an adventure and build your own compass.
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Make flowers change colour and discover how water moves up through a plant.
Can you squeeze an egg through the neck of a bottle without touching it?
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Why wait millions of years when you can grow your own crystals at home in just two days?
© Future
Discover how to make artificial gravity with this ace trick.
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Make water hop from one glass to another.
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Discover how sound moves through water and make a musical instrument.
© Future
Some cereals are fortified with iron – here's how to get it out again.
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Which easy peeler will float – a heavier whole one or a lighter peeled one? The answer may surprise you.
© Future
Aim for the sky and turn a piece of paper into a soaring kite.
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Discover how liquids change their volume as the temperature changes.
© Future
Get involved in this citizen-science project from Dundee University to study the marks footwear leave behind. The data you collect could help forensic scientists investigate crime scenes.
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This device uses energy to propel objects through the air.
Try making this great glider, which doesn’t need wings to fly.
Get experimental in the kitchen (Image credit: https://www.rosielettsnutrition.com/recipes/desserts/healthy-ice-lollies-and-ice-cream/)
There's more chemistry to explore over in the kitchen – with the bonus of a yummy treat at the end!
Kitchen Chemistry activities
Fun with illusions
Put the "sponge" into sponge cake with this eye-catching recipe.
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Concealed beneath this bright pattern is a 3D scene - but can you spot it?
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Trick your friends with a mind-blowing illusion that will leave them reflecting for hours.
Grow your own crystals with sugar.
Credit: Getty
Pop a balloon with the power of orange peel.
© Future
Mycelium is the main body of a fungus. Try growing it yourself and watch these tiny, incredible fibres spread rapidly.
You see clouds in the sky almost every day, but did you know you can make a cloud in the comfort of your own home?
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Create a microscope out of rubbish
Reuse leftover junk from around your home to build a functioning microscope.
Seeing isn’t always believing – create some awesome illusions that will fool your friends and family… and your own eyes.
Experience the mysterious “overview effect” without leaving the planet.
Credit: Getty
Enjoy some egg-stremely Easter-tastic science.
If you think liquids are boring, then think again! These colourful experiments show you the magical properties of everyday materials.
Credit: Getty
Make a rain cloud in a jar
This simple weather experiment shows you how rain works.
Go on a journey to the Jurassic this Easter and make some prehistoric eggs with a science twist.
Film a stop-motion animation
Become an animator whizz with this simple project.
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Master the science behind blowing bubbles.
Credit: Getty
Learn about the power of electricity with these fun experiments.
Credit: Getty
Build an erupting volcano
Make your own mini Mount Vesuvius.
Credit: Getty
Discover the power of vibrations with these three noise-making activities.
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Can you solve this Mother’s Day puzzle to create a heart?
Perform a magic bottle trick
Amaze your friends with this egg-cellent science set-up.
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Explore the autumn night skies and open up the universe’s wonders.
Credit: Getty
Fool your friends by photographing a fake sighting of an alien spaceship.
Credit: Getty
Make a trick that works a treat
Fold a paper banger to scare your friends.
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Wow your friends with this maths trick.
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Create some spooky slime this Halloween.
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Make a terrific terrarium
Create a mini ecosystem in a bottle.
Explore time and motion with this classic physics gadget.
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Use chemistry to craft a gift for Mother’s Day.
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Make corn boogie using science.
Create a winter wonderland in your home with these frozen fractal experiments.
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Bathtime will go with a bang with this bubble experiment.
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Watch wintry sparkles appear on these seasonal shapes.
Make a colour-changing liquid
Try some cool cabbage chemistry that will surprise your friends. It’s a kind of magic!
Check out The Week Junior magazines' FREE Activity Hub. The team has compiled some super exciting activities from the award-winning magazine that you can enjoy at home with little to no resource - something to fun, free and easy help keep curious young minds educated and entertained.
(Image credit: Future)