10 Easy Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids (No Special Supplies)

Some of the best science our kids have ever done happened at the kitchen counter on a Tuesday afternoon with ingredients we already had in the pantry. No lab coats. No special kits. No trip to the store. Just baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, and the question every good experiment starts with: "What do you think will happen?"

Kitchen science works because it removes every barrier between your child and real scientific discovery. The materials are familiar. The setting is comfortable. The experiments produce visible, often dramatic results. And the science behind each one — chemical reactions, states of matter, density, acids and bases — is genuinely fascinating once you know what to look for.

These ten experiments use ingredients found in most kitchens. Each one includes a complete materials list, step-by-step instructions, the science behind what is happening, and age recommendations. We have done every single one of these with our own kids, and they ask to repeat them regularly.

Why Kitchen Science Is the Best Kind of Science

Structured science curricula have their place — and if you are looking for a more formal approach, our guide to the best science curriculum for elementary covers the top options. But kitchen science fills a different role. It teaches children that science is not a school subject confined to textbooks. Science is what happens when you mix two things together and watch carefully. Science is wondering why oil floats on water and then figuring it out. Science is the fizz, the color change, the unexpected result.

Kitchen experiments also build genuine scientific thinking skills: making predictions, observing carefully, asking "why," and trying variations to see what changes. These skills transfer to every area of learning.

And honestly, kitchen science is just fun. The kind of fun where your child says "Can we do it again?" before the first attempt is even finished.

Experiment 1: The Classic Vinegar Volcano

Materials

• Baking soda (2-3 tablespoons)
• White vinegar (1/2 cup)
• Dish soap (a small squirt)
• Food coloring (red and yellow work well)
• A small cup, jar, or plastic bottle
• A tray or baking sheet to contain the mess

Steps

1. Place your cup or bottle on the tray.
2. Add baking soda to the bottom of the cup.
3. Add a squirt of dish soap and a few drops of food coloring.
4. Pour in the vinegar and watch it erupt.
5. Repeat as many times as your child wants — they always want more.

The Science Behind It

Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid. When they combine, they undergo a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas. The dish soap traps the gas in bubbles, creating the foamy "lava" effect. This is the same type of reaction that makes baked goods rise in the oven.

Ages: 2+ with help, 5+ mostly independent

Experiment 2: Milk Color Explosion

Materials

• A shallow plate or bowl
• Whole milk (must be whole or 2% — skim does not work well)
• Food coloring (multiple colors)
• Dish soap
• A cotton swab or toothpick

Steps

1. Pour a thin layer of milk into the plate.
2. Add several drops of different food coloring around the milk — do not stir.
3. Dip a cotton swab into dish soap.
4. Touch the soapy swab to the center of the milk and hold still.
5. Watch the colors explode outward in swirling patterns.

The Science Behind It

Milk contains fat molecules spread throughout the liquid. Dish soap breaks down fat — that is its job when you wash dishes. When the soap touches the milk, it rapidly breaks apart fat molecules, causing movement that pushes the food coloring in dramatic swirling patterns. The higher the fat content of the milk, the more dramatic the reaction.

Ages: 2+ with help, 4+ mostly independent

Experiment 3: Invisible Ink with Lemon Juice

Materials

• Lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
• A small bowl
• A cotton swab, paintbrush, or toothpick
• White paper
• A heat source (lamp, iron, or toaster oven — adult use only)

Steps

1. Pour a small amount of lemon juice into the bowl.
2. Dip your cotton swab into the juice and write a message or draw a picture on the paper.
3. Let the paper dry completely — the writing will become invisible.
4. To reveal the message, hold the paper near a warm lamp or have an adult carefully iron it on low heat.
5. The writing will turn brown and become visible.

The Science Behind It

Lemon juice is an organic substance that oxidizes when heated. At room temperature, the dried juice is nearly invisible against white paper. When heat is applied, the carbon compounds in the lemon juice break down and turn brown before the paper does, revealing the hidden message. This is the same principle behind why apple slices turn brown when exposed to air.

Ages: 4+ with adult help for the heating step

Experiment 4: Crystal Growing

Materials

• Salt, sugar, or borax (each produces different crystals)
• Hot water
• A glass jar
• A pencil or stick
• String or a pipe cleaner
• Food coloring (optional)

Steps

1. Boil water and pour it into the jar (adult step).
2. Stir in your crystal-growing substance until no more will dissolve — for salt, this is roughly 1/4 cup per cup of water.
3. Add food coloring if desired.
4. Tie a string or pipe cleaner shape to a pencil and suspend it in the solution so it hangs without touching the bottom.
5. Place the jar somewhere it will not be disturbed.
6. Check daily. Crystals will begin forming within 1-3 days and grow larger over a week or more.

The Science Behind It

When you dissolve salt or sugar in hot water, the hot water can hold more dissolved material than cold water can. As the water cools and slowly evaporates, it can no longer hold all the dissolved material, so the molecules begin to arrange themselves into solid, repeating structures — crystals. The string gives the molecules something to cling to, which is why crystals form along it.

Ages: 5+ with adult help for hot water. This experiment teaches patience — check in daily but do not touch.

Experiment 5: Homemade Butter

Materials

• Heavy whipping cream (at least 1/2 cup)
• A clean jar with a tight lid (a mason jar works perfectly)
• A pinch of salt (optional, for flavoring)
• Bread or crackers for tasting

Steps

1. Pour cream into the jar, filling it about halfway.
2. Seal the lid tightly.
3. Shake. Keep shaking. Shake for 10-15 minutes. Take turns if needed.
4. The cream will go through stages: sloshing liquid, thick whipped cream (no sloshing sound), then suddenly a solid lump surrounded by thin liquid (buttermilk).
5. Drain the buttermilk, add salt if desired, and spread your fresh butter on bread.

The Science Behind It

Cream contains tiny globules of fat suspended in liquid. When you shake the cream vigorously, you break the membranes surrounding those fat globules, allowing the fat molecules to clump together. The liquid left behind is buttermilk. You are essentially separating fat from liquid through mechanical force — the same principle behind industrial butter production, just slower.

Ages: 3+ (everyone can take a turn shaking). This one is great because you eat the results.

Experiment 6: Oobleck (Non-Newtonian Fluid)

Materials

• Cornstarch (1.5 to 2 cups)
• Water (1 cup)
• A large bowl
• Food coloring (optional)

Steps

1. Pour cornstarch into the bowl.
2. Slowly add water while mixing with your hands. Add water gradually until the mixture feels solid when you press it but flows like liquid when you release pressure.
3. Add food coloring if desired.
4. Experiment: punch it (it is solid), let your hand rest on top (it sinks), roll it into a ball (it holds shape), stop rolling (it melts).

The Science Behind It

Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it does not follow the normal rules of liquids. Under pressure, the cornstarch particles lock together and behave like a solid. Without pressure, they slide past each other and behave like a liquid. This is called shear thickening, and it is the same principle used in some body armor designs. For more hands-on sensory activities like this, explore our sensory play ideas for preschoolers.

Ages: 2+ (this is messy but non-toxic and endlessly fascinating)

Experiment 7: Walking Water

Materials

• 5-7 clear glasses or jars (same size works best)
• Water
• Food coloring (red, yellow, and blue)
• Paper towels

Steps

1. Arrange glasses in a line, alternating between full and empty.
2. Fill every other glass about 3/4 full with water.
3. Add food coloring to the water glasses — red in the first, yellow in the third, blue in the fifth.
4. Fold paper towels lengthwise into strips. Drape each strip so one end sits in a full glass and the other end sits in the adjacent empty glass.
5. Wait. Within an hour, water will begin "walking" up and over the paper towels into the empty glasses, mixing colors where two streams meet.

The Science Behind It

This demonstrates capillary action — the ability of water to move through narrow spaces against gravity. Paper towels are made of tiny cellulose fibers with small gaps between them. Water molecules are attracted to cellulose (adhesion) and to each other (cohesion), pulling water upward through the gaps. Where two colors meet in an empty glass, you also get a lesson in color mixing.

Ages: 3+ for setup, though full results take 2-24 hours. Check back periodically.

Experiment 8: Egg in Vinegar (Rubber Egg)

Materials

• A raw egg
• White vinegar (enough to cover the egg)
• A glass or jar
• Patience (this takes 24-48 hours)

Steps

1. Gently place a raw egg in a glass.
2. Cover it completely with vinegar.
3. Observe immediately — you will see tiny bubbles forming on the shell.
4. Wait 24 hours. The shell will be partially dissolved. Gently rinse the egg and replace the vinegar with fresh vinegar.
5. After 48 total hours, remove the egg and rinse it gently. The shell is gone. The egg is now translucent and bouncy.
6. Try gently bouncing it from a low height (over a tray — it will eventually break).

The Science Behind It

Eggshells are made of calcium carbonate. Vinegar is acetic acid. When acid meets calcium carbonate, a chemical reaction occurs that produces carbon dioxide gas (the bubbles) and dissolves the shell. What remains is the egg's inner membrane, which is flexible and semi-transparent. The egg actually gets slightly larger because some vinegar passes through the membrane by osmosis.

Ages: 4+ for the setup, all ages for the bouncing. This is a great exercise in patience and daily observation.

Experiment 9: Baking Soda Balloon

Materials

• A balloon
• A small plastic bottle (water bottle size)
• Baking soda (2 tablespoons)
• Vinegar (about 1/3 cup)
• A funnel (helpful but not required)

Steps

1. Pour vinegar into the bottle.
2. Using a funnel, pour baking soda into the balloon. Tap it down so it collects in the bottom of the balloon.
3. Carefully stretch the mouth of the balloon over the bottle opening without letting the baking soda fall in yet.
4. When ready, lift the balloon so the baking soda drops into the vinegar.
5. Watch the balloon inflate on its own as the reaction produces gas.

The Science Behind It

This is the same acid-base reaction as the vinegar volcano, but here the carbon dioxide gas is captured inside the balloon rather than foaming over. The gas has nowhere to go except into the balloon, inflating it. This demonstrates that gas is real, takes up space, and has force — concepts that are abstract until you see a balloon blowing up by itself.

Ages: 4+ with help, 7+ independently. A great rainy day experiment — and if you need more rainy day ideas, our list of screen-free activities for rainy days has 25 more.

Experiment 10: Density Tower

Materials

• A tall, clear glass or jar
• Honey
• Corn syrup
• Maple syrup (or dish soap)
• Whole milk
• Water (add food coloring so it is visible)
• Vegetable oil
• Rubbing alcohol (add a different food coloring)
• Small objects to drop in: a grape, a cherry tomato, a cork, a coin, a LEGO brick

Steps

1. Pour each liquid slowly into the glass, one at a time, in this order: honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, milk, water, vegetable oil, rubbing alcohol.
2. Pour each one slowly over the back of a spoon so the layers do not mix.
3. Wait a minute for the layers to settle. You should see distinct stripes of different liquids stacked on top of each other.
4. Gently drop in small objects and observe where each one floats — some will sink to the bottom, some will float in the middle layers, and some will sit on top.

The Science Behind It

Each liquid has a different density — the amount of mass packed into a given volume. Honey is the densest, so it sinks to the bottom. Rubbing alcohol is the least dense, so it floats on top. The liquids do not mix easily because of their different densities and because some are immiscible (they do not dissolve into each other, like oil and water). Objects dropped in will float at the level matching their own density.

Ages: 5+ with help, 8+ independently. This experiment is visually stunning and makes density a concept kids can literally see.

Tips for Making Kitchen Science a Regular Practice

You do not need to set aside a special "science day" to do these experiments. Most of them take 10-30 minutes and use ingredients you already have. Here are a few things we have learned from doing kitchen science regularly.

Keep it messy. Put down a tablecloth or do experiments on a tray, but accept that spills will happen. The learning is worth the cleanup.

Ask, do not tell. Instead of explaining what will happen, ask your child to predict. "What do you think will happen when I pour vinegar on the baking soda?" Their guess does not need to be correct — the act of predicting makes them observe the result more carefully.

Repeat experiments. Children often want to do the same experiment three, four, five times. Let them. Repetition is how they test variations: "What if I use more baking soda? What if the water is cold instead of hot? What if I use orange juice instead of vinegar?"

Let them lead. Once your child has done a few guided experiments, they will start proposing their own. "What happens if I mix all of these together?" Follow their curiosity, even when the experiment is unlikely to produce interesting results. The process of asking and testing is the point.

Connect it to real life. Point out kitchen science in everyday cooking: bread rising (yeast producing CO2), oil separating from salad dressing (density), sugar dissolving faster in hot tea than iced tea (solubility and temperature). Once kids start seeing science in the kitchen, they see it everywhere.

Final Thoughts

The beauty of kitchen science is that it meets children exactly where they are — in the most familiar room of the house, with ingredients they have seen a hundred times, doing something that feels like play but builds real scientific understanding. Every experiment on this list has been tested by our own kids, repeated by request, and adapted over time as they have grown.

You do not need a degree in chemistry to guide your child through these experiments. You just need curiosity, a willingness to clean up a mess, and the habit of asking: "What do you think will happen next?"