Please see below for a round of simple science activities parents can do at home with their children…
Feed the butterflies with the Natural History Museum (8 + years to adult)
As the weather improves, you might have noticed there is more wildlife around, especially bugs and insects. Many of these are pollinators, including butterflies. Butterflies are really important pollinators – as they fly from flower to flower, they spread pollen, which helps flowers grow.
The Natural History Museum have developed an activity where you can make a butterfly feeder, and record how many different butterflies you see. You will need a plate, a key ring, scissors, a tape measure, wool or string and over-ripe fruit. This activity is great for kids and adults, although it is recommended that children get help when using scissors.
To help you record how many butterflies you find, or if you just want to go outside to a green space and explore you can make a wildlife nature journal and write down and draw what you see.
Cereal Time (8 + years)
The team at the Imperial Reach Out lab have put together experiments you can do at home with simple household items. In this cereal experiment you can explore the iron in cereal using a magnet. You’ll need a magnet, clear plastic bag and rolling pin. You can use a microscope, but you may also be able to see the iron with your eyes or with a magnifying glass.
Ask Dr Universe (6 – 11 years)
Nothing is more important in science than asking questions – and asking questions is the first step to nearly every scientific discovery. If you have got a question about science you can ask Dr Universe from the nice people at Washington State University and get your questions answered. You can ask questions, which will be answered by an expert, and you can access a bank of already answered questions about every topic imaginable. The activity is for children at all learning levels, but adults may also want to ask a few questions too. This is a great activity to get children developing critical thinking skills.
Have fun! Please comment below if you try any of these activities or if you have any other ideas for Science activities that you could share.