STEM through seasons and celebrations

Melting Snow

Celebrate the end of the winter with this melting Oobleck experiment. Get little hands to scoop up a ‘snowball’ and simulate the snow melting away, as the Oobleck dissolves. Your class is sure to be fascinated by how quickly the Oobleck changes states from solid to liquid.

Science tip for teaching little ones why the Oobleck behaves the way it does: When you use your hand to gather up the Oobleck, the force applied displaces the water from the solution, which cause the starch grains to collide, turning the solution solid. However, when you simply hold the Oobleck, the water returns to surround the starch grains causing it to move like a liquid. This occurs because the water has high surface tension, and the starch grains do not dissolve in it. 

What you need:

• Bowl 241644

• Measuring Jug 23916X

• Wooden Spoon 231473

• Cornflour

• Water

How to make:

1. Fill the measuring jug with cornflower up to the 200ml line and pour it into a separate bowl.
2. Use the jug to measure 100ml of water.
3. Slowly pour the water into the cornflour, whilst stirring the mixture with the wooden spoon. 
4. Continue stirring until the water and cornflour are fully mixed together.
5. Let the children experiment with the Oobleck by:

• Tapping it 
• Scooping it up into a “snowball”
• Letting the “snowball” melt in their hand
• Using it as part of a larger winter-themed tuff tray

Galaxy in a bottle 

Through this experiment, children are encouraged to explore the wonders of the universe by capturing the beauty of a galaxy within a bottle. As children carefully pour and mix the ingredients, they learn about density, viscosity, and the interaction of materials, all while experiencing the calming sensory effect the galaxy bottle offers. Incorporating STEM activities and fostering a sense of calm, creating a galaxy in a bottle is an engaging activity that combines science and relaxation, exploring a timeless activity that can be made with lots of different colours and glitters. Watching the swirling glitter settle within the bottle promotes mindfulness and tranquillity, making it an ideal activity for your classroom and EYFS setting.

What you need:

• Glitter: Gold 749222 or Silver 749230

• Food colouring: Red 85123X, Blue 851213

• Measuring jug 23916X

• Plastic bottle 500ml

• Baby oil

• Water

How to make:

1. Pour baby oil into the plastic bottle until it is half full (250ml).
2. Pour some gold or silver glitter into the bottle with the baby oil.
3. Measure out 200ml water and add a mixture of red and blue food colouring until the water turns a purple galaxy-themed colour. 
4. Fill the rest of the plastic bottle with the purple water and put on the lid.
5. Shake the bottle then watch as the glitter rises and bubbles burst. 

Valentines Hearts 

Celebrate love with this fun ‘heart-opening’ experiment, you could also cut out stars or flowers to move this simple STEM activity through the different themes and seasons of the year. Encourage your class to design their own unique paper heart, allowing them to be creative with size, shape, and colour. Let little hands practice folding the paper, then pop the hearts into the water and watch them unfold. Water is absorbed by the fibres of the paper, which then causes your paper heart to open. A fun and easy science learning opportunity. 

What you need:

• Coloured paper 114804

• Bowl 241644  

• Scissors

• Water 

How to make:

1. Fill a bowl with water.
2. Cut out a variety of hearts in varied sizes and colours. 
3. Gently fold each heart shape. Experiment by folding them in different ways, for example they can be folded vertically or horizontally, once, twice, or three times, symmetrically or non-symmetrically.
4. Drop one or more hearts into the bowl of water, leaving space between them.
5. Wait and watch the hearts unfold. 

Spring Rainbow

With spring almost here, try this colourful rainbow density experiment with your class. It is sure to create almost as much excitement as a real rainbow would! This experiment works by adding increasing amounts of sugar to each of the coloured solutions, thus increasing their density. The density of the solution correlates to the amount of sugar dissolved in them, as more space is taken up between the water particles. In turn, the densest solution with the highest sugar concentration settles at the bottom, whilst the less dense solutions layer on top to form the rainbow. 

What you need:

• 250ml Transparent beaker D62628

• 4 Plastic cups 230509

• Measuring Jug 23916X

• Wooden Spoon 231473

• Food colouring: Red 85123X, Yellow 851248, Blue 851213, Green 851221

• Water

• Sugar

How to make:

1. Fill each plastic cup with 50ml of water.
2. Add a different food colouring to each cup.
3. In the red water, add one spoon of sugar, then two spoons of sugar to the yellow, three to the green, and four to the blue. 
4. Stir each cup to ensure the sugar dissolves fully.
5. Pour the full contents of the blue water into the transparent beaker. 
6. Slowly pour the full contents of the green water into the beaker. This must be done extremely slowly by letting the water run down the edge of the beaker, to ensure the colours do not mix.
7. Repeat with the yellow and then red water.
8. Watch as the colours slowly merge to create the full rainbow.

We would love if you shared your recreations of these experiments, as well as your other favourite seasonal STEM ideas, by tagging us on Facebook or Instagram and using our #YPOCreateandMake.

Looking for more seasonal STEM inspiration? Check out our science kits for a wide variety of easy-to-plan STEM activities for your class.