Family activities…for little scientists

1. Make your coppers shine  Collect up a handful of copper coins, then set up five glasses on the kitchen bench and put at least one coin in each glass to test out ‘cleaning solutions’ that are ‘rumoured’ to magically shine your copper coins. Your child can choose any ‘magic solution’ for each of the glasses, but do try lemon juice; hot Tabasco sauce mixed with baking soda; white vinegar as some of the solutions. Ensure your coin is covered with the liquid for at least five minutes, then wipe off with paper towels. Tell your child to sit each clean coin in front of its glass so they can judge the winning solution.

2. Make slime  Pour half a cup of glue into a bowl. Add half a cup of liquid starch and two drops of green food colouring. Stir until it is mixed and leave to sit for five minutes. Use your hands to mix it all up until it all comes together.

3. Make raisins dance  Pour one third of a glass of water into a clear container; add one third of a cup of white vinegar and one tablespoon baking soda. The mixture should begin to fizz. Add a handful of raisins and watch them move up and down. Have your child do a ‘raisin dance’ alongside.

4. Code making  Give your children a range of symbols (dashes, dots, shapes) which they can use to create a code to represent either things (like hieroglyphs) or letters of the alphabet. They can then make up words or sentences in code for others to break. There are many variations on this theme to suggest.

5. Blow up a balloon with a bottle  Using a bottle with a narrow neck, pour approximately 5ml of water and 5ml of vinegar into the bottle. Using a funnel, fill half a balloon with baking soda. Stretch the open end of the balloon over the bottle neck, but be careful not to let any of the baking soda drip into the bottle. Once the balloon is in place, lift up the baking-soda-filled end of the balloon so the soda pours into the bottle.