Engineering, maths and chemistry inspired some of the most popular science activities for school students reading the Australian children’s science newsletter, Double Helix Extra (DHE).
DHE is a sister publication to Cosmos magazine and has been published by the CSIRO – Australia’s national science agency – for over 12 years.
The most popular science activities which parents and teachers can try out with their kids were:
Pom pom cannon (engineering): Set yourself a technical challenge: can you knock down all the targets with a toilet paper roll, a balloon and some pom poms? Perfecting your pom pom cannon design and your aim could pass a whole afternoon.
Logic puzzles (maths): If you’re feeling puzzle-y, we’ve got an entire guide to solving grid-based logic puzzles and a space-themed logic brainteaser to keep you going. Become a regular Sherlock with puzzles ranging from kittens to T. rex.
Splashy magic trick (chemistry/physics): But if you feel more like impressing your friends and family with science, then we’ve got this splashy water magic trick for you to master and perform! Find a place in your home that’s easy to clean up because we bet you won’t pull it off on the first try…
Sky jar (Earth & space science): While you’re working with water, why not make a sky jar and discover the physics behind the beautiful colours of a sunrise and sunset? All it takes is a little splash of milk.
Giant cell cookies (biology): Finally, we’ll finish with this year’s most viewed activity: make giant cell cookies. Have a blast baking these extra-chunky cookies and decorating them like tiny cells. If you’re keen to explore more biology in the kitchen, check out runners-up, glitter grapes and ceviche.
If you enjoyed these activities, we invite you to sign up for Double Helix Extra, a fortnightly newsletter delivering science activities, news, quizzes and more for kids and curious adults.
