Inside: Make this Thanksgiving extra special with these mind-blowing science experiments that will leave your kids in awe.
Thanksgiving is a time for feasting and gratitude, but it can also be an opportunity to engage your kids’ curious minds with some fun and educational science experiments.
From erupting cranberries to sprouting corn experiments, these Thanksgiving-themed hands-on activities will not only entertain your children but also teach them fascinating scientific concepts.
Get ready for some holiday science fun!
1. Pumpkin Smash and Investigation
It’s a long-standing Chicago tradition to take Halloween pumpkins to the park and smash them with hammers and baseball bats. Why throw them away when there is so much learning in taking them apart? This year, we smashed our pumpkins in the backyard and then covered them with soil. Do you think we are going to get a field of pumpkins next year? I will let you know!
Begin by exploring the outside of the pumpkin. What does the skin look like? Is it bumpy or smooth? Now, it’s time to hit it with something heavy. Was it easy to break the skin? How many hits did it take to break it apart? What do you call the inside of the pumpkin in your family? Pumpkin guts or the pulp? Let your kids sort through the parts of the pumpkin. Can you estimate how many seeds are inside your pumpkin?
2. Leaf Chromatography
Fall is a season known for its vibrant foliage, and your kids can unravel the secrets behind those stunning colors with leaf chromatography. By separating pigments from leaves, they can learn about the different pigments present in leaves and why they change color.
3. Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce Bounce
The original cranberry sauce recipe dates back to the mid-17th century when it was used as an accompaniment to game meat like turkey, but have you ever thought about its consistency? Discover the science behind cranberry sauce’s unique texture by exploring the properties of gelatin. Your kids can experiment with different amounts of gelatin to observe how it affects the consistency of the sauce, allowing them to understand the role of this natural thickening agent.
If you have done DIY Cranberry Sauce before, you might be surprised by my recipe. I’ve developed it over the years by tweaking one thing and the other each time I made it. I’m really picky, and this recipe really hits the spot 🙂 For the purpose of this experiment, prepare one portion as directed below, then double (or triple) the amount of gelatin for the second sample to observe the difference in the bounce.
What you need
- 8 oz bag of Cranberries
- 1 Tablespoon Water
- 1 teaspoon Citric Acid
- 1/4 KETO honey (you can use regular instead)
- 1 Tablespoon KETO sugar
- 1 teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (it makes it so creamy! mmm….)
What to do
Bring everything except gelatin to a boil in a pot, stirring until sugar and honey dissolve. Then reduce heat and simmer, stirring often until all the berries have burst, or about 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle gelatin over the berries and allow it to soften for about a minute, then stir in and turn off the heat. Voila, have a taste! It’s that easy!
4. Thanksgiving Sink or Float
Gather various Thanksgiving-themed objects and challenge your kids to predict whether they will sink or float in water. This simple experiment will teach them about density and buoyancy, all while they have a blast experimenting and making predictions.
What you need:
- A container
- Sink or float printable
- Various Thanksgiving-themed objects (mini pumpkin, leaves, acorns, corn on the cob, popping corn, red apples, cranberries, berries, fall-colored buttons and ribbons, Lego, bottle caps, etc.)
What to do
Fill a container with water. Talk through each item together. Would it sink or float? One at a time, drop the items into the water. Mark them under “sink” or “float” on our printable chart.
Density is one of the reasons our objects float or sink. Things that are denser than water sink, and things that are less dense than water float.
5. Popcorn Science
Help your kids understand the science behind popcorn popping by conducting a heat transfer experiment. It’s a great introduction to physics! By heating popcorn kernels, kids can observe physics in action and explore the factors that contribute to the popping process.
What you need:
- Popcorn kernels
- Covered pot or popcorn machine
- Bowl
The Science Behind the Popped Corn: The popcorn pops because of the water trapped inside the kernel. As we heat the kernels in the pot or inside the popcorn machine, the water turns to steam. Since steam has nowhere to go inside a hard kernel shell, the pressure builds and builds until …. at about 180C or 355 F, it simply bursts. At this moment, the kernel is turned inside out, and the sudden change in pressure makes cavities inside the kernel vibrate and make a loud “pop” sound.
6. Apple Oxidation
Apples are a beloved ingredient in many Thanksgiving dishes, but have you ever wondered why they turn brown when exposed to air? Teach your kids about oxidation by cutting an apple into slices and observing how they change in color over time. This experiment will introduce them to the concept of chemical reactions and the role of enzymes. Get detailed instructions on how to set up this experiment by clicking on the title of this experiment.
7. Dancing Cranberries
Did you know that cranberries can dance? With a simple experiment using baking soda and vinegar, your kids can witness the magic of fizzing cranberries. This hands-on activity will teach them about chemical reactions while adding a touch of whimsy to their Thanksgiving celebrations.
What you need:
- Dried cranberries
- Clear tall glass
- Carbonated Soda (7UP, Mountain Dew, or Sprite)
What to do:
Pour soda into the glass and drop in a handful of cranberries. Notice how bubbles attach to berries and carry them to the top. Once on top, the bubbles pop and the berries drop down again. New bubbles stick to berries, and the process starts again.
The Science Behind the Experiment: Carbon dioxide, the fizzy part of the drink, is lighter than water and wants to float to the top. When enough carbon dioxide bubbles cling to the cranberries, they float up. How fascinating!
8. Milk Fireworks
Combine a few common household ingredients: milk, dish soap, and food coloring to create colorful and mesmerizing “fireworks” in a dish. This experiment demonstrates surface tension and how dish soap disrupts it, resulting in beautiful swirling colors that will captivate your kids’ attention.
What you need
- Milk
- Bowl
- Q-tips
- Food coloring
- Dish soap
What to do
- Pour the whole milk into the bowl.
- Drop food coloring into the milk.
- Dip the Q-tip in the dish soap, then touch the surface of the milk.
Why does the milk move and create swirls of color? It’s because the dish soap breaks the surface tension of milk and reacts with the fat. This reaction means the molecules of dish soap bind to the fat in the milk. Together, they shove the color molecules around the bowl, creating colorful designs.
9. Thanksgiving Butter Science
Butter is a staple of every Thanksgiving table, but have your kids ever wondered why butter tastes so good or how it’s made? Conduct a simple experiment using heavy whipping cream and a jar with a lid as an introduction to food chemistry and to demonstrate the transformation from liquids to solids. It’s a hands-on way to learn the science behind a Thanksgiving tradition. Click the title to get step-by-step instructions and a detailed explanation of the science behind the experiment.
10. Cranberry Invisible Ink Recipe
It turns out the tartness of cranberries comes from its high concentration of acid. Spies have been using this acidity to their advantage by writing secret messages with baking soda (a base) and then bringing the message to light with cranberries (acid). You can learn more about the chemistry of bases and acids by clicking the title of this activity and getting step-by-step instructions for making your own spy ink. So fun!
11. Sprouting Corn on the Cob
Take a closer look at a Thanksgiving staple by conducting an experiment to understand the layers of a corn cob. By sprouting a corn cob and examining its kernels, your kids can explore the anatomy of this plant and discover the fascinating patterns and structures within.
What you need:
- Corn on the cob
- A Container
- Water
What to do:
Put corn into a container and add enough water to cover the bottom ⅓ of the cob. Check the water level and add more to keep about ⅓ of the corn submerged. After a week, you will begin to notice that the sprouts are emerging, and some kernels are beginning to come loose from the cob. These can be planted. Make sure to discard those that have mold on them.
12. Candy Density Tower
Turn the remaining Halloween candy into a dazzling display of density by creating a colorful density tower. Using different liquids like water, oil, and honey, your kids can stack layers of candy and observe how they settle based on their density. But first, we need to dissolve the candy.
What you need
- Variety of leftover Halloween candy
- Various liquids: honey, milk, soap, water, vegetable oil, and rubbing alcohol
- (Optional) food coloring to compliment your candy colors (and make it more intense)
- One cup for each liquid
- Index cards or note pads to mark each liquid
- Clear Glass or vase
What to do
- Place 6 types of candy in 6 different cups. We sorted ours by color: red, pink, yellow, purple, green, and white.
- Add enough of each liquid to cover the candy completely.
- (Optional) Once the candy dissolves, add some complimentary food coloring to make the color more intense.
- To build a density tower, pour about a centimeter of each liquid in order from most dense to least dense. For us, it was honey, milk, soap, water, oil, and alcohol.
Note: Add each layer gently to prevent mixing!
The science behind the experiment: This experiment offers a hands-on exploration of the concept of density while creating a visually appealing centerpiece. Density is basically the amount of matter in a given volume. A rock has more density than your winter coat. Substances that are more dense create the base of the tower. Honey is the most dense or the heaviest substance on our list, while alcohol is the least dense or the lightest.
With these Thanksgiving-themed science experiments, your kids can delve into the wonders of the holiday while engaging their scientific curiosity.
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