A Life In Review

My mom was a fifth grade teacher for my entire childhood. That meant summer fun “essay prompts” and extra summer math work. It also meant that we did some pretty cool science activities over summer break. My mom was so creative and we always had a blast with her summer science lessons. Using what I learned from her, and some really cool Pinterest finds, I think I have some fun ideas for your families.

Soda Bottle Rockets: I’m going to start with a simple one to get you started. Kids love big messes and things that make noise. My mom used to do this activity (and others like it) with her 5th graders. You can look into the actual science of this activity more if you want dive deeper.
Supplies: 1- 2 Liter bottle of Coca Cola || 1- Roll of Peppermint Mentos
Directions: Place the bottles somewhere you don’t mind a little mess (the driveway
or the backyard are great choices). Uncap the soda bottle and let the kids drop 2
Mentos into the opened bottle. Make sure that they back up quickly and pay
attention. The bottle will shoot a rocket of soda out. Make sure you have your
camera ready for their reactions.

Sun Prints: I loved doing this activity as a kid. Basically you lay an object on a piece of paper and let the sun fade the paper, leaving a picture behind (you can find examples here).
Supplies: Dark colored construction paper || Small objects that won’t away blow
in the wind || Sunlight
Directions: The kids will place their construction paper somewhere that will get
direct sunlight. Have them spread out a few things onto the paper (make sure that
they are heavy enough not to blow away). Once things are set up, let the paper (and
the objects) sit. After several hours, bring the kids back out and have them remove
the objects and look at their new piece of sun art.

Exploding Baggies: This is a fun activity that I found on kidsactivities.com (I linked it for you in case you’d like to explore their site more).
Supplies: Ziploc Sandwich Size Bags || 2 Tbsp Baking Soda || 1/3 Cup Vinegar
|| Food Coloring
Directions: Put the vinegar at the bottom of the baggie and add a few drops of food
coloring (you can let the kids choose which colors they want to use). Twist the
baggie to seal off the vinegar part. Put the baking soda in the top part of the baggie
and seal the baggie. Place the baggie on the ground carefully (you don’t want to mix
the vinegar and the baking soda too soon). Once you are set up, have the kids
untwist the baggies and shake them. They will get to watch the colored gas rise and
eventually pop the bag.

Sun Melting Experiment: This activity is great for kids who like to destroy things. It can be done on a really hot day when you don’t know what to do with the kids (think 90+ degrees F). There are many ways to go about this activity, but I chose the one that looked the easiest to set up (here is the link for one mom’s example).
Supplies: 6 or 12 section cupcake tray || Chocolate Bar || Marshmallows ||
Crayons (can be broken ones) || Candle Wax Melt || 2-6 other small items of the
kids choice || (you can find most of these things at your local dollar store).
Directions: Give each kid one of the cupcake trays. They will place one
marshmallow, one piece of chocolate, a few broken crayons and one small piece of
the candle wax, into different cupcake sections. In the remaining sections, the kids
can choose other small items that they would like to use for the experiment. Before
you bring the trays outside, have the kids predict which of the items will melt and
which ones won’t (if they are older, they can write their predictions down). You can
have them sit outside with the trays for a while, or you can set them outside and
use a timer to remind you to go back and check. This is really just a fun way to get
their minds working in the summer too.

Cloud Scavenger Hunt: I cannot take any credit for this activity, but it looks like a fun (and super easy) one. The title says it all, the kids are going to lay out and watch the clouds. Obviously this activity will need to take place on a day where the clouds are out.
Supplies: Printable Cloud Worksheet || A Pencil or Pen || A blanket || Clipboard
or hard writing surface || Sunglasses (if your kids have sensitive eyes) || Music
(optional addition)
Directions: Lay out towels or blankets for the kids to lay on (make sure to pick a
safe spot to have them lay). Have the kids lay down and start cloud watching. As
they find specific clouds, they can check them off the worksheet. They might see
things that aren’t on the list, which will help get creative conversations (and
possibly debates) going. It’s so simple, but should be a nice calm outdoor activity.

When you are doing these, remember that they don’t need to be perfect. They don’t even need to be photo worthy (though you should take tons of pictures because memories are being made), they just need to be fun. Enjoy the time you have with your kids before they aren’t kids anymore.