Scintillating Summer Science Experiments

Looking for some fun science activities to do with your kids this summer? We’ve rounded up some of our favorites.

1. “Food, Science, Fun!” from My American Farm has 10 science activities; Try out “Crazy for Compost”! this activity shows young learners how food scraps can turn from waste into soil. You can download all of the activities here and find “Crazy for Compost” on page 4.

2. Get messy in this activity from 4-H! This hands-on experiment illustrates how pollutants are naturally removed from runoff water before they enter rivers and oceans. Learn more here. 

3. Have some playdough laying around? Use it in this Purple Plow Puzzler! This puzzler demonstrates how to take soil core samples to determine soil fertility. Find this activity here.

4. For older kids, have them make a 3-D model of DNA. How? Make it from licorice and gummy candies or Fruit Loops! This lesson Is part of Bringing Biotechnology to Life and can be downloaded here! 

5. This one is for kids of all ages! Investigate the animal life in your yard or neighborhood to figure out the biodiversity. In this experiment from Science Buddies, young explorers classify the animals right outside into different groups, by their phylum. Download for free here.