Experiments you can run at the kitchen table
Real science and real maths, with stuff that's already in your house. Every one ends with a why, because the why is the good part.
Two things first
Read the whole thing before you start, so you know what's coming. And if a step says grown-up, that means their hands, not just their eyes.
25 minStraw Rocket
A paper tube on a straw, launched with one big breath. First one might go a metre. By the fifth one, with the fins and nose cone sorted, it's crossing the room.
20 minBottle Xylophone
Six glass bottles, different amounts of water, a spoon. Tap them and you'll hear that more water means a lower note, then tune them until you can play something real.
30 minRainbow Density Tower
Sugar water in five strengths, each a different colour, poured carefully so they stack into stripes. Pour it wrong and it goes brown. Pour it right and people won't believe it's only water.
Mental Maths Tricks
Three tricks that make hard-looking sums easy. Learn them, then challenge a grown-up to a race with the calculator app. You'll win.
Canada by the Numbers
The facts about this country that sound made up and aren't. Learn them, then quiz whoever's nearest.
5 minBend Water with a Balloon
Rub a balloon on your hair, hold it beside a thin stream of tap water, and the water bends toward it without touching. Two minutes, zero mess, and it works every time the air is dry.
Walking Water Rainbow
Six cups in a row, three with coloured water, three empty, and folded paper towels bridging them. Leave it alone and come back to a full rainbow. The water walks uphill.
Secret Codes
The shift code that Roman generals used, plus a way to crack it. Make a code wheel, write a message, and hand it to someone who has the key.