Balloons, some string and an aluminum can is all that is needed to have fun while experimenting with static electricity. Start by attaching a piece of string to an inflated balloon. Place an aluminum can on the kitchen table and rub the balloon on your head for a couple of seconds. You will notice that when the balloon is placed near the can on the table that the can begins to move toward the balloon. By pulling the string attached to the balloon, the can will travel from one end of the table to the other. This same effect can be seen by rubbing the balloon on your hair and then slowly pulling upwards with the string. The hair will try to rise with the balloon.
Learn about how chemicals interact by watching how they can suddenly change colors. Crush a 100mg vitamin C tablet in a plastic bag until it is a fine power. Put the powder into a cup with 2 oz. of warm water and stir for 30 to 60 seconds. In a second cup, add 2 oz. of warm water and 1 tsp. of iodine. Add 1 tsp. of the mixture from the first cup to the second cup. Doing this should turn the brown iodine to clear. In a third cup, place 2 oz. of warm water with 1 tbsp. of hydrogen peroxide and 1.2 tsp. of liquid laundry starch. Pour the contents of the second cup into the third. Then continue to pour the contents of the two cups back and forth a couple of times. Place the cup holding all the contents on the table and wait a couple of seconds to see the clear water suddenly turn to a dark blue color.
When looking for an experiment to try in the backyard, consider using Mentos and a bottle of soda pop. While any soda will do, it is advisable to use diet soda pop to avoid a sticky mess. Water molecules attract each other and as a result they create surface tension that resists the movement of the carbon dioxide bubbles. The gelatin and gum arabic found in Mentos disrupts the water's ability to create surface tension and therefore, the bubbles are able to flow out at such a speed that it appears to erupt. To try this, remove the cap from a 2-liter bottle of soda pop and drop in as many Mentos as you can as quickly as possible. The faster they enter the pop, the more impressive the reaction.
When looking to a home science experiment for little children, consider making a home phone. Materials consist of two plastic cups and some string. To start this experiment, punch a small hole in the bottom of the cups. Put the string through the cup and then tie a knot bigger than the hole to prevent the string from falling out of the bottom. Place the other end of the string through the hole in the bottom of the second cup and tie a knot. To demonstrate how our ears use vibrations to determine sound, have the child place one cup tight against his ear. Place the other cup to your month and talk while making sure that the string is as tight as possible. The vibration from the sound coming out of your mouth will continue along the string into the child's cup.