Experiment-based play in childcare! Share the excitement with the children and have fun together

What happens with vinegar and baking soda?

[For 4-year-olds] What happens when vinegar and baking soda mix?! Experimental play

How about enjoying a fizzy experiment using vinegar and baking soda? When you mix acidic vinegar with an aqueous solution of alkaline baking soda, a chemical reaction occurs and bubbly carbon dioxide gas is produced.

If you’re doing it with children, adding watercolor paint to the baking-soda solution to make bright colors will heighten their excitement even more.

It’s great to build their imagination and anticipation beforehand by talking with them about what might happen.

The surprising reaction that happens the moment you pour vinegar onto the baking soda is sure to bring out adorable responses! After enjoying the bubbles, you can add water and freeze it to have fun with ice, too.

It’s a unique experiment that sparks children’s curiosity!

I wonder if ice will form?

[For 5-year-olds] Make ice and do experiment play

How about some ice-based experiment play that’s perfect for cold winter days? Put water in a container or bucket, add flowers or leaves that children like, and leave it outside overnight to freeze—that’s it.

Kids can have fun touching the cold ice or melting it to retrieve what’s inside.

You can also “fish” for ice by sprinkling salt on it so that it sticks to a string.

Try it out using the ice the children make.

Let’s spark plenty of curiosity and a spirit of inquiry through experimental play that makes the most of ice’s unique properties!

Milk Marbling

[Nursery/Kindergarten] Three Recommended Science Play Activities for Summer!! [Younger/ Middle/ Older Class]

Let’s try milk marbling using familiar milk for kids.

First, pour water and milk into a shallow container.

Next, choose a few colors of food coloring you like and drop them onto the surface.

Finally, touch the drops lightly with a cotton swab tipped with dish soap and—like magic!—the colors spread across the surface in marbled patterns.

It’s a moment that will captivate children’s attention.

Try adding more colors or swirling them around, and enjoy observing the color changes and the movement on the water’s surface together with the kids.

Does it change when put in water? A mysterious picture

Does the picture change underwater? A fascinating experiment using the properties of light [Fun Experiment]

If you want to see kids react with astonishment, this experiment is highly recommended! We’ll introduce a fascinating experiment that uses the principles of light reflection to make a drawing change underwater.

Draw a cat on a ziplock bag and a lion on a sheet of paper, then place the paper inside the ziplock so the images overlap.

Slowly lower the drawings into a cup filled generously with water, and underwater the lion transforms into a cat! It’s the kind of experiment that will have kids exclaiming, “Why? What’s happening?” It’s also great fun to try using drawings the children made themselves.

With a few tweaks, this unique experiment could even be used in a magic show.

Making slime without borax

You can make slime without liquid starch or borax! Try this simple experiment.

Borax needs to be handled with care.

Because of that, some teachers may find it difficult to incorporate slime-making into childcare activities.

Did you know you can actually make slime without using borax? All you have to do is mix liquid glue with baking soda and food coloring, then add a few drops of saline solution, making it easy to do together with children.

Using a clear container is recommended because it makes it easy to see the process of the slime forming.

Kids are sure to love the gooey texture of the slime! It’s a hands-on science activity that everyone can get excited about.

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A picture floating on water

[Fun Experiment] Do drawn pictures float on water? Drawing on water with a water-based pen

Let’s try a fascinating experiment where your drawing floats on water.

First, cut a clear file into a small piece to make a base, and cover the area where you want to draw with cellophane tape.

Next, use a whiteboard marker to draw any picture you like on the tape.

The key is to let the drawing dry thoroughly.

Prepare a container filled with water, then slowly dip the base into the water at an angle to the surface.

You’ll see the drawing slip off the base and gently float on the water.

It’s like magic! It’s also fun to draw lots of sea creatures and create a tiny aquarium.

Because it requires care and concentration, this experiment is recommended for older kindergarteners.

Static Electricity Experiment

[For 3-year-olds] Huh?! How mysterious! Static electricity experiment!

Many of you have probably experienced that little zap of static electricity during the dry season.

Let’s try incorporating static electricity into a fun childcare experiment.

First, generate static by rubbing a straw with a tissue or rubbing a balloon against clothing together with the children.

Once you’ve built up static, bring the straw close to tissue paper or curling ribbon, or press the balloon to their hair and enjoy watching things stick.

Kids will be fascinated by this curious phenomenon happening right before their eyes! To extend the play, prepare long balloons used for balloon art, cut tissue paper or plastic bags to make fish, and try a fishing game—it’s highly recommended.

It’s an experiment you can enjoy easily with familiar materials, so definitely try it with the children.