As we near the end of August, we want to take full advantage of our last days of summer. That means hitting the beach, the park, the splash pad, cooling off in the pool… You name it. With school just around the corner, doing some fun outdoor science experiments might be a great way to prepare your little ones to head back to the classroom. Here are a few fun ideas to enjoy summer and science together!

Erupting Volcanos

Throw some baking soda and vinegar in your beach bag, along with your sand toys, and make a sand volcano! Just pack sand up around one of your beach buckets, forming a volcano. Then, fill the bucket about ¾ of the way with sand, add up to one cup of baking soda, pour in the vinegar, and voila! An erupting sand volcano! This is a great way to teach kids about acid and base reactions.

There are plenty of other summers versions of erupting volcanoes. Try filling a bowl with a cup of baking soda and a teaspoon of dish soap. In a squeeze bottle, mix together water and Watermelon Kool Aid. Squeeze the Kool Aid into the bowl, and watch it react.

How about an ice volcano to cool things off? Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and fill it with a mixture of water and baking soda (more on the liquid side). Put it in the freezer and once frozen, take it outside and squirt it with vinegar for some frozen fizzing.

Ice Cream in a Bag

Edible science experiments are some of the best, and what’s better than ice cream in the summer!? Gather up a couple of sandwich-sized bags, gallon-sized bags, ½ cup of half-and-half or milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon of vanilla, ice, ½ cup of rock salt, gloves, and toppings.

Pour ½ cup of half-and-half or milk into one of the sandwich bags. Add sugar and vanilla. Try to get out as much air as you can and seal the bag. Then double-bag it in another sandwich bag to be safe. Put this bag inside of the gallon-sized bag with ice and rock salt. Again, double-bag this in another gallon-sized bag. Now, put on some gloves and start shaking! Shake the bag for about 15-20 minutes, and you should get ice cream!

Hungry for more edible science experiments? Try making fizzing lemonade or fizzy sherbet!

There are a lot of different ways to experiment with acid and base reactions, so get creative and see what kind of summer fun you can whip up!

More Advanced Science

For some more advanced science experiments, try making a baking soda and vinegar powered boat or a sidewalk chalk rocket. Exploding bags are another fun experiment to try outside. Get creative, add color for an artistic twist, and experiment outside where the mess doesn’t matter.  Explore the properties of water. Gather up some rocks and do a hardness scratch test. Experiment with items that float or sink in the pool. The possibilities are endless!