200 Quick & easy experiments

Crazy chemistry experiments

Electronics & Robotics

Engineering & Building

Motion & Mechanics

Anatomy & Biology

Toy & game design

Math made fun

STEM Activities

750+ Quick & easy craft ideas

Recycled creations

Fun & functional projects

Jewelry & Fashion design

Handmade cards & gifts

Art & Creativity

Fun & Games

Hands-on learning

Sound & Music

Pretend play

Play & Learn

Kitchen science

Fun with food

Sweet & salty snacks

Treats & Dessert

Cooking for kids

Cooking & Baking

Animals & Bugs

Plants & Rocks

Seasons & Weather

Radical rainbows

Outdoor Adventures

Space exploration

Nature & Adventure

Birthday fun

Pi Day

Earth Day

Easter

Holiday & Events

building

construction

recycled

craft

homemade craft

Use a drinking straw and string to create a mechanical finger, inspired by the way our finger joints work.&nbsp;

a8bc9a6c6f26f.jpg

Use your scissor to make angled cuts on a straw.&nbsp;

Make sure the straw is still intact and that you're not cutting all the way through the straw.

a288a413a9a09.jpg

Repeat step one two more times. Try spacing out the cuts to imitate the joints in your finger! 

a4ad9c4390056.jpg

Cut the string just a bit longer than the straw and thread it through the straw. Tape one end of the string to the end of the straw. 

a8292c7ae919f.jpg

On the other end, pull on the excess string and watch your straw finger curl! How many more fingers can you create? Challenge yourself by making a straw hand using cardboard - you might even be able to pick something up with your hand mechanism! 

straws

string

tape

scissors

cardboard (optional)

Straw Fingers

luminary

electronics

science project

outdoor science projects

outdoor activities

Create a DIY camping lantern using a water bottle — and science.

a7fa446720af6.jpg

Gather the materials to make your DIY lantern.

a9dc617fe5cdb.jpg

Cut out at least 8 circles out of your cardboard. You will want them to be larger in diameter than both your water bottle and tap light.

a449c5a73d0ba.jpg

Cut smaller circles out of the center of the larger ones turning them into rings. They should be just slightly larger than the diameter of your tap light so that it fits loosely in the center.

a8095b5ca396d.jpg

Keep cutting out the circles until you have a stack that is taller than your tap light.

a5ddcb5b31f71.jpg

Cut two more circles of the same size. Cut a hole smaller than the diameter of the water bottle into the center of one of them. Don't cut a hole in the other one. 

a1f25899856b3.jpg

Glue together all of the cardboard rings you first cut. Then, glue the one with the smaller hole on top. Leave the circle without a hole detached for now.

a99fa0ae3fa3a.jpg

Flip over your stack of rings and attach hook and loop fastener dots to the bottom. Attach the opposite hook and loop fastener dots to the circle without a hole.

ab9651f0fb8ca.jpg

Insert your tap light face down into the stack of rings. The bottom cover is removable using the hook and loop fasteners, allowing the light to be turned on and off.

a3bfc529a8d64.jpg

Glue the water bottle to the top of your cardboard housing. The water bottle's base should cover the hole that the light shines through.

ac1491c59924c.jpg

Cut a length of ribbon, and glue both ends to the sides of the water bottle. This will act as the lantern's handle.

a2fca967a9aec.jpg

The last step is to turn on the light and find a dark place to test our your lantern!

What's happening?
The water causes the light to change direction. (You can see the same effect by putting a pencil in a clear glass of water – viewed from the side, the pencil appears to be broken.) This change in direction is called refraction, and it causes the focused light from the tap light to disperse in all directions. This spreads the light out around your campsite, making it easier to see all around you.

water bottles

tap light

cardboard

craft knife (or circle cutter)

hook and loop fasteners

ribbon

hot glue

hot glue gun

Water Bottle Lantern

game

indoor game

game design

pretend play

Try making this mini bow and arrow out of a craft stick, a cotton swab, and dental floss. It really works!

ac79a2dcffc4a.jpg

Start by cutting two notches into your craft sticks on each end.  You'll want them close to the end of the stick, and fairly deep. (I ended up going back and cutting them a little deeper than I have in this photo.)

a01497fab73dd.jpg

Then pop your sticks in a glass of water to soften the wood.  You'll need at least an hour for this step (and a little longer didn't seem to hurt it).

a89fcbfe157fc.jpg

When you're ready to bend your bow, start by wrapping the dental floss around one end.  I just wrapped it around 3-4 times, securing it in the notch.  Then holding the stick in one hand, stretch the dental floss to the notch on the other end, but take care to keep the floss on the same side.  Note: The popsicle stick is not especially bendy, so you will need to bend it to shape with one hand, as you stretch the floss tightly across.

a5e7f5ecab6c5.jpg

Then just wrap the floss around the other end of the stick, again pulling it taut and tightly into the notch.  I just wrapped it a few times again, and then cut it off.

a184ee51591bd.jpg

Your bow is ready to go! Your knights can decorate it with markers if they'd like to personalize them. Remember to snip the ends off your cotton swabs. It takes a bit of practice to get the motion down for shooting this teeny bow and arrow, but once you do, it's great fun! We found we could shoot those little arrows 10 feet or more! You could set up targets (using bowls or waste baskets to shoot into, or make bulls-eyes with cardboard &amp; paper) for extra fun. Then it's Ready...

a8838d62825d6.jpg

aec87cdfeddf5.jpg

a3d72552644e3.jpg

To take the fun a step further, we decided to create a quiver to hold all of our arrows! Get started by cutting a toilet paper tube about the length of the cotton swabs.

a4fcec2170c8e.jpg

Use a small piece of craft paper to cover the bottom of your toilet paper tube. Tape it down to secure it closed.

af0a9d892bff7.jpg

 (Optional) Use another piece of craft paper, and cut it down to the same size as your tube. If you like, draw or decorate your tube with drawings and patterns. Tape down craft paper to cover the sides of the tube. 

a33bf4fb7c526.jpg

Use a hole puncher to make two holes on each side of the tube. Feed the ribbon ends through each hole and tie a knot on the inside to secure the ribbon. 

a65b56b378ad1.jpg

Now your quiver is ready to hold all of your cotton swab arrows!

a80f1f6254252.jpg

To create targets, cut out circles from a paper plate. Decorate them with circles or point values to complete the targets.

craft sticks / popsicle sticks

floss

cotton swabs

scissors (for the grownup to notch the stick and cut one end off the cotton swab)

Archery

catapult

physics

launcher

toy design

motion

Turn office supplies into a mini catapult, then try a pom-pom launching contest with a friend!

a753ce294239c.jpg

Gather the materials you need to make your DIY catapult desk toy. 

aad959d7aa399.jpg

a625a3763a027.jpg

Wrap a rubber band around the middle of the binder clip. If it’s loose, keep wrapping it around until it’s tight. I had to wrap mine around three times.

a392168f827c7.jpg

Switch the arms, so the one that was up is down and the one that was down is up.

abbc09d3c2f89.jpg

Loop a rubber band around the lowered arm and through itself. Pull it tight to attach the band to the arm.

a4da1258a74fb.jpg

Pull the other end of the rubber band through the raised arm. Slot a pencil in between the rubber band loop and the binder clip arm so the rubber band holds the pencil against the arm.

acd1c7c1a975d.jpg

Slide the pencil up or down so the end of the pencil is just above the main body of the binder clip. Tape the pencil to the arm of the binder clip.

adb231c4f7c69.jpg

Stick the bottle cap onto the other end of the pencil. We used sticky foam, but you can also use tape or glue. (Make sure the bottle cap is facing forward!)

af6f0b6798286.jpg

You’re ready for launch! Put a pom-pom in the bottle cap, then hold the binder clip down with one hand and pull the pencil back with the other. Let it go and watch the pom-pom fly from the desk toy!
 For extra fun, try seeing how far you can launch your pom-poms, throwing several pom-poms at once, or set out a cup as a target and see if you can land a pom-pom in it!

What's going on?
 The desk catapult is able to throw projectiles because of tension in the binder clip. Tension builds up as the binder clip is bent backwards, out of shape, and when the arms of the binder clip are released, the clip relaxes back into its original shape. This quick relaxation relieves the clip's built-up tension, producing the throwing force that launches the pom poms into the air.

binder clip (jumbo)

rubber bands

Tape

pencil

bottle cap

pom poms

sticky foam (or glue) (optional)

Desk Catapult

engineering

Build a wind-powered car using a Ziploc® brand bag as the sail. You’ll learn about the engineering behind basic vehicles and how different components impact the overall functionality. Conduct experiments to see how distance, speed, and time are all related. How far can you make your car go? How fast did it get there? How long did it take? Download the Experiments Log Printable <a href="http://icdn.kiwicrate.com/printables/2019_Ziploc_Wind_Powered_Car_Printable_Experiments_Log.pdf">here</a>.&nbsp;Eager to learn more about the world around us? Explore how we build structures that withstand the elements with <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store">KiwiCo's</a> <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/civil-engineer-starter-kit/4587">Civil Engineer Starter Kit</a>!

a3e7774f643a0.jpg

ac056ed3f6996.jpg

A basic wind car design has wheels, a base, and a sail. Think about&nbsp;how you want your wind car to look and sketch out a plan. If you want to follow along with our design first, move on to Step 3. Our design is one way to do it, but there are lots of different ways to create a great wind car with other types of materials or construction methods.

a674d63230c18.jpg

The Ziploc® brand bag will be the sail. Decorate it with soft-tipped permanent markers. As you decorate, keep in mind that the bag’s green seal will be the bottom of the sail.

a642aa9e2adb2.jpg

Make a support for the sail with two straws. Cut one straw to fit inside the bag horizontally. Take a second straw and cross it over the first straw to make a T-shape. Tie them together with string or attach them with tape. Place the crossed straws inside the decorated bag. The longer straw should stick out of the bag’s opening.

ae10030d409c8.jpg

Build the base of your car so that it’s light but sturdy. Line up two craft sticks horizontally. Then use non-toxic glue to add ten craft sticks vertically on top —five from the left and five from the right. Make sure to leave a gap in the center for the sail. Let dry. 

abd98eb6dc025.jpg

Build the wheels and axles of your car. Cut the two lollipop sticks in half so that you have four pieces, each two inches long. These sticks will be your axles.Wrap a rubbe band around one end of each lollipop stick, about ¼-inch from the end.Stick the other end of the stick through a plastic spool. The rubber band will keep the plastic spool from falling off. These plastic spools will be your wheels.

a93a24552aa98.jpg

Attach the axles to the craft stick base. Flip the base over so the two horizontal craft sticks are visible. Tape the axles to each of these sticks, so the four wheels are aligned to the edge of the base and to each other. Flip the car over and give it a test pushto make sure it rolls straight. 

a44a8cf5bc4b5.jpg

Attach the sail to the base. Hold the sail so that it’s parallel to the axles of the car and the straw pokes through the opening in the base. From the underside of the base, tape the straw to another craft stick. This craft stick should be parallel to the axles. Tape the stick to the base. You made a wind-powered car!

adcc2f9e8824f.jpg

Now test it out! Use tape to mark a starting line in front of a fan. Place the car at this mark. Turn the fan on and start a timer with a stopwatch. Once the wind car comes to a stop, stop the timer and note the time. Use a ruler to measure how much distance the car traveled. Use the <a href="http://icdn.kiwicrate.com/printables/2019_Ziploc_Wind_Powered_Car_Printable_Experiments_Log.pdf">Experiments Log</a> to record the time and distance. To calculate the speed of the car, divide distance by time. Conduct three more trials and then calculate the car’s average distance, time, and speed.

a83fecd53bdb6.jpg

After you record the initial results, try tinkering with different parts of the wind car. What can you change to make it move faster or farther? Run another test with the new design and record the results. By testing and recording results with each change, you can measure the impact of that specific change. Keep experimenting until you get a final design that you’re happy with! [Ideas: Make the base with cardboard instead of craft sticks. Create a support structure for the sail with dowels or sticks instead of straws. Swap out the plastic spools for plastic bottle cap wheels. Once you start thinking, you’ll discover that there are so many ways to think creatively with different found objects around the house!] 

In engineering and design thinking, there's often more than one solution to a problem. In this project, the challenge is to make a wind powered car that goes as far and as fast as possible. There are three components of the car’s design that you can experiment with —the base, the sail, and the wheels. We’ve provided one car design here, but try thinking outside the box. Can you make the base a different shape or size? Can you build a car with only three wheels? You’ll run multiple trials to compare each design. You can even use<a href="http://icdn.kiwicrate.com/printables/2019_Ziploc_Wind_Powered_Car_Printable_Experiments_Log.pdf">&nbsp;the printable Experiments Log </a>to record data on distance, time, and speed. Challenge your friends to make their own wind-powered cars and race to see whose design works best!

ziploc® brand sandwich bag

permanent markers (soft felt-tipped)

straws (2)

craft sticks (13)

lollipop sticks (2)

Scissors

paper or notebook

non-toxic clear glue

masking or painter's tape

plastic spools (4)

small rubber bands (4)

stopwatch

Experiments Log Printable

Wind Powered Car

egg projects

How can you get an egg to drop without breaking it? Change the way it drops with this awesome egg drop experiment! An egg drop experiment is the perfect way to tap into your creativity and solve problems through a cool (and messy) project! Think outside the box and engineer awesome solutions to keep your egg safe and sound. If your egg doesn't crack, then your design is a success!Discover everything that eggs have to offer with <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/eggsperiments-project-kit/2979" target="_self">Eggsperiments</a> from the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store" target="_self">KiwiCo Store</a>! Use the scientific method with a series of egg-based experiments that explore chemistry, physics, and biology.

26 fun building projects for kids

Screen-free fun!