Science Activities for Kids

I LOVE science. I have been fascinated by the ideas of planets and stars for as long as I can remember. When I was 16, I took an astronomy course at the local community college and discovered Stephen Hawking’s Brief History of Time. That book was what led to me falling completely in love with science. I wanted to understand all the mysteries of the cosmos. While other kids were hanging out at the mall and going to parties, I would get cozy in my bed trying to understand Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

For college, I was admitted everywhere I applied. (It doesn’t hurt that I’m both Mexican American and female. 😜) I visited MIT, but in the end, chose the California Institute of Technology just 40 miles from home. People generally know Caltech from the show The Big Band Theory or the movie Real Genius. It would be tough to find anyplace nerdier. I’m not going to lie…I didn’t always feel like I was nerdy enough to be there and it was an intense four years, but I got so much out of it. I was able to intern in a fuel cell lab and for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I used the connections I made at JPL to earn a spot in the Stanford Plasma Dynamics Laboratory for graduate school. After getting my PhD from Stanford, I worked for the Air Force Research Laboratory for nearly a decade in the space propulsion group. I ultimately left to stay home with my kids, but I found the entire experience so rewarding.

There is no doubt that science is important to me. Whether or not my kids become scientists, I want them to develop an appreciation for how fascinating and beautiful this world is that we live in. I want them to know how miraculous it is that living beings are floating on this rock circling a star in such a vast universe. They don’t have to become scientists. But if they could learn the joy of living a nerd’s life even to the smallest degree, that would make me happy.

Below you will find resources for a number of scientific subject areas. Check back regularly as resources are continually being added! Better yet, sign up for my newsletter, and I will keep you posted on what I’m working on. 😉

Come share my love of astronomy and cosmology with these ideas for homemade activities related to these fascinating subjects.

In high school, I struggled a bit with biology, but it comes like second nature to my husband. There were always so many terms to memorize which has never been my strong suit, but even all these years later, I can ask my husband something like, “What’s the Krebs cycle?” and he’ll just know off the top of his head. I’m looking forward to learning alongside my kids.

Chemistry is a subject that any kid can get excited about. What other subject has the potential to make you feel like a wizard brewing magic potions? Even I’m excited for my kids to be old enough to use a chemistry set.

The earth sciences are perfect for introducing kids to science. Even the youngest children can learn the scientific process by studying and observing the world around them. This discipline includes the study of the land and rocks (geology), the oceans (oceanography), and the weather (meteorology).

Of all the science classes I took in high school, physics was always my favorite. Covering areas such as Newton’s laws, electricity & magnetism, quantum mechanics, and relativity, physics has always seemed to me to be endlessly fascinating.

Here are all of the science projects on this site. Be sure to check out the technology and engineering projects as well, such as these popular first “robots”.

Related Links

Technology and Engineering Activities for Kids
All Learning Activities
Play Ideas for Kids