Science Ideas to try at hone this morning. These activities will need adult supervision. The children do not need to do all of them, just as many as you would like. One is fine so no worries if you don't have time or the things to do all of them. You could always try them another time this week.

The children could also have a go at thinking about an invention they could design. They could draw a picture of their invention. Is there something they could invent to make their life or a family members life easier or better?

Please talk to the children as they try the activities. What do they notice happening? Can they see any changes? What can they see? smell? hear? feel? Why do they think things happen? Help them to predict (guess) what they think may happen before they try something. Were they right? Can they think about what the activity has taught them about the materials they have used or why something happened? Lots of talk as they complete activities will really help them to think and process what they see. They may need help to understand certain words like sink, float, dissolve, liquid, solid. These science words will be really useful for them to learn and use as they try the activities. We have put these words in bold.

1. Sink or float – fill a washing up bowl or sink with water. Find objects around your home that float and objects that sink – why do they float / sink? Do the heavier things always sink and the lighter things always float? or does size/shape matter?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
2.                                                                                                          Will it dissolve? – put water into a few cups. Try putting a spoon full of the following into each cup – will it dissolve? (that means to disappear so you can no longer see it in the water!) try salt , sugar , oil , soil , milk , food colouring, rice, flour. Before you add each item to a plain cup of water predict (guess) if you think it will dissolve or not. Talk about what you are adding to the water each time - is it solid or liquid?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
3. Magnet play – If you have any magnetic toys at home find out what they stick to and what they don’t.  What materials are the items you check made from  - paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, fabric, foil, wood etc                                                                                                                                                
4. Homemade marble runs – use toilet roll tubes, junk tubes or make tubes from paper/card. Assemble to make a marble run. If you don’t have a marble use a small ball or rolled up paper ball. See what happens when you change the slope of the tube – does the ball roll slower or faster?                                                                                                                                          
5. If you have some bulbs or seeds plant them so you can watch them grow over the next weeks and months. Think about what they will need to grow (water, light, soil)                                                                                                                                 
6. Weather station – see what the weather is like today. Is it sunny, rainy, windy, snowy etc You could make a simple record by drawing a symbol to match the weather (like on a weather map), take the temperature with a thermometer if you have one or just decide if hot, warm or cold. If it is raining put out a pot to measure how much rain you get in an hour. Can you work out which direction the wind is blowing?                                                                                                                                             
7. Crazy cornflour slime - This activity is a bit messy but really fun and hands-on; children love exploring the strange properties of this cross between a liquid and a solid. For best results use a large shallow container that you can put on the table or floor. Mix together cornflour and water until you have a slime consistency. Try punching the slime – it instantly turns solid. Roll some slime into a ball in your hand and then stop – it turns back into a liquid.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
8. Magic dancing milk - For this activity – an engaging introduction to chemical reactions – you’ll need a shallow dish, full-fat milk, food colouring, cotton buds and washing up liquid. Pour some milk into the dish, add some drops of food colouring, then dab with a cotton bud dipped in washing up liquid. Use a few different colours at the same time for maximum impact, and try dabbing in different places.                                                                                                
9. Skittle Rainbow. Use a white plate if possible and arrange skittles in a ring around the edge of the plate. Add warm water into the centre of the plate until it touches the skittles. watch what happens. The water will dissolve the colours off the skittles and should make a rainbow pattern. Mix up the water and watch what happens as the colours mix. Then leave - does it stay mixed?