Is there an actual purpose of slime, other than making kids laugh?

Slimes are fun, but they have a real function for animals to defend against attack, ridding your body of germs, and even helping make your toast sweet. Jams, sunbutters, and saliva are all types of slimes that are viscous (thick), sticky (cohesive/adhesive) and wet. On this day, our students made slimes that solve a problem, and explored the elements inside those viscous (thick) liquids in our refrigerator that make them so much fun.

Our young scientists explored the hands-on science below

• How to adjust the ratios of elements to change a chemical’s properties using hands-on science

• When a substance is or is not a slime, based a simple three-part test (Is it viscous? Is it sticky? Is it wet?)

• Comparing the relative viscosity (thickness) of any two liquids, using a simple incline plane to compare their speed rolling down a slight hill.

Watch the video below for an episode of Science Max for Kids about all types of chemical reactions, including real applications of slime and please don’t forget your INNOVATION BOX, which is customized by your child every Wednesday at Kids Science Labs, to enable at home science and create new neuroscience pathways that increase the fun and build real confidence with hands-on science. ….

As members, please take advantage of our KSL Rewards Program that offers benefits to our entire community. Call us at (773-798-2012 or email support@kidssciencelabs.com) and mention “KSL Blog”

• 20% off any new program registration (parties, camps, group events, field trips) after this camp

• Free access to KSL Academy Programs for gifted and enthusiastic young scientists

• Social media raffle for members to win birthday party giveaways at Kids Science Labs

• Exclusive members-only Youtube content that powers kids to outperform in STEM long-term and on NGSS tests in 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade!

At Home Science Experiments your Kids will love

Easy Science Experiments for Kids on TV

Friday, we had a chance to hang out with the great team on WGN and do some hands-on science experiments. It was a great morning, where we got to explore polymers, make slime, talk about chemical reactions, and how strong everyday materials (cups and cardboard) can be .

Each and every day, we are looking to enable the next generation of creative thinkers and science is a tremendous vehicle for learning how things work, especially for children 2-14 yrs old.  Every class we teach starts with a question kids ask everyday, which we use to explore and focus on guiding them to find answers, instead of just telling kids something abstract in a science book.  Bringing science to life with context makes it accessible, fun, and interesting.  

We want to share some fun science experiments you can do at home. They are interactive, simple, fun, and hopefully we spark hours of fun.

How to Make Fluffy Slime for Kids?

We get it, slime is all the rage. What is very cool about slime is all the different combinations of materials that result in different viscous substances. Try different combinations of glue, shaving cream, baking soda, saline solution, food coloring and see what happens.

We will start you with an all-time favorite and let you and your kids take it from there. Create your own fully slime with the below:

• Ingredients: 2/3 Cup Glue, 1/4 Cup Water, 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda, 2-3 cups Shaving Cream, 1.5 tablespoons saline solution (with boric acid)

• Order of Mixing: (1) 2/3 Cup Glue, (2) Add Water and Baking Soda Solution, (3) Add Shaving Cream and mix thoroughly, (4) Add Food Coloring (5) Add Saline Solution and mix well.

• Mixing: you will need to mix for 5-10 minutes (knead) after adding the Saline Solution. The slime will be sticky at first and will slowly become less and less sticky.

• We recommend an adult mix the materials or be present when your child is mixing

Mentos and Coke - Cool Science with States of Matter

This one is pretty spectacular and we recommend Diet Coke (no sticky sugar) and a nice clear place outside. The idea is simple, how can we use the states of matter, which kids know as Solids, Liquids, an Gases, to demonstrate the release of carbon dioxide gas with candy.

A 2 liter of Diet Coke will do the trick. You can purchase a mentos dropper for the top of the bottle (or honestly dropping 3 mentos in quickly works just as well) and then move back fast :). You will create a 10ft+ fountain of greatness.

Forces and Motion - Easy Science Experiments for 1st -8th Graders

Most kids understand that every action, has a reaction. They also understand that its slippery on ice, so objects in motion need something to slow them down. This is a very fun challenge at home. A couple 6 ft pieces of foam insulation, easily purchased at Home Depot, some duck tape and a marble is all you need. This can be hours of fun creating and recreating tracks. We would recommend at least three 6 ft pieces of foam tubing.

Here are a couple of keys things to remember

• Cut the foam tubing as straight as possible

• Try to keep duck tape out of the track

• Do not make the slope from the wall to the floor too steep

• Don’t be afraid to leverage duck tape or boxes to keep the track stable

Here are some ideas for rollercoaster challenges (1) can you get a loop to work (2) how about jumps (3) angle the track sideways (4) how about adding hills (5) what is the greatest distance you can get the marble to travel.

Chemical Reactions that Kids Love

This one everyone can do at home. We all have baking soda and vinegar in the cabinets. Place the vinegar in one cup and the baking soda in the other. When you combine them, you are forming a chemical reaction. If you want to try to make it even better add some dish soap to the vinegar, mix, and then add it to a new cup of baking soda.

Ingredients Needed

• Two small cups
  Baking Soda
  Vinegar
  Dishsoap (optional)

We recognize that having fun is important, and while music, sports, other activities are indeed fantastic, children as young as 2 yrs old can experiment with science everyday from a popsicle that melts and why viscosity is cool. That's science. That's Kids Science Labs.

Our Top 6 Tips to Navigate Remote Learning At Home

Remote learning and Covid-19 have really changed the way in which we are engaging kids with regard to learning. It also has royally messed up the routines and roles that we have relied on as. As parents, we are used to balancing schedules, multi-tasking, setting boundaries, and generally supporting our children....but remote learning is different.

Kids have missed considerable learning already in the spring, and the adjustments to learning in a virtual world just don’t work for everyone. At KSL we have over 10 years of experience engaging kids in person and with remote learning.  We wanted to share a few best practices with you, with specific hands-on experiments you can do each week.

“Incorporate your own emotional health into your routine”

Here are our Top 6 Tips for Managing Remote Learning

1.    Know the Weekly Plan Ahead of Time.  Every Sunday, take a look are your child’s schedule for the week  Remote learning is challenging and it is even more challenging when you don’t know when/where you are supposed to be. This will help you and your child.  When a child misses something is can create significant internal stress for them

2.    Schedule a Specific Time to Help (15-30 minutes).  Schedule time during the day when you are available. Your child needs you and its far easier to manage a consistent 30 minutes of time, than to have a child constantly asking for your attention.  Setting time expectations will help them and you manage the day more effectively and support their social emotional week being.  Choose 1-2 times a day when your child knows you are available, it will help them and it will help you finish critical work on your plate.   

3.    Identify an Area and Non-Screen Activities for Breaks.  Identify an area of your home where kids can find hands-on activities that you approve. Provide random materials (no electronics) that a child can engage with everyday, and make it fun by creating an “unboxing” where it’s a surprise what is in that area to use. Puzzles, mixing salt and pepper, Legos, an old phone to take apart, painting, cardboard – with a build challenge.  It is far better to tell a child what they can do and where they can do it, then provide mystery materials for them to engage, than to have them wreck your home during their school breaks.

“We know that exercise, especially aerobic workouts like running, stimulates something called Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which encourages the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus.”

4.    Give Kids a Break & Physical Activity.  Balance remote learning expectations with a child’s emotional needs.  Classroom teachers are spending considerable effort to provide creative learning opportunities that give kids a challenging, yet full, day of synchronous and asynchronous learning. However, 4+ hours of Google Meets, Zoom, Canvas or other video conferencing is a lot.  Kids need a break. a best practice is to let your child know what they can do when they need a break and give them a place they go for quiet or active engagement. A moment outside, paying catch for 10 minutes, doing some situps/pushups are all a good break. 

5.    Make your kids accountable.  Help your child learn to be accountable for some of their own learning.  Clearly younger kids need our support, however building confidence in kids comes with helping them learn to be accountable, as much as they can manage.  While it sounds simple, the best advice is to not put alerts on your phone to try to keep your kids on schedule, as it likely will drive you crazy at home.

6.    Give yourself a break. Incorporate your own emotional health into your routine. It’s hard enough being a parent and managing your career. Coronavirus has made it practically impossible by escalating all types of obvious and less visible stresses into our lives. It is critical that you gain peace as you can’t support your child without it. Take an online yoga class, do some breathing work, read a book, or exercise (even for 10 minutes) to escape the crazy.

We hope these tips help you navigate COVID a little better and stay tuned for ideas on projects you can do at home.