Christmas Science | Chemistry Activities for the Holiday Season

November 08, 2019

Christmas Science | Chemistry Activities for the Holiday Season

Holidays provide great opportunities for fun science activities, and Christmas is ideal for exploring chemistry. Kids love chemistry, especially with a festive twist.

Here are some enjoyable Christmas-themed chemistry activities that inspire kids to see the magic of science around them.

Swirling Color Diffusion

Kids love to watch the swirling colors. To make it Christmas-themed, have the kids add red and green food coloring. Experiment with different colored water. They will be amazed at the difference between cold and hot water.

Falling Precipitate

This is geared for the upper elementary kids. It is a fantastic way to show a new substance being formed in a chemical reaction. To make it Christmas-themed, create one Epsom salt solution that is red and one that is green. When they add it to the washing soda solution, it will look like it is turning into red and green snowflakes that collect at the bottom of the container. These colors will not mix because they are solids. Click the video below to learn how.

Candy Diffusion

This is fun for any age. You can use so many varieties of candy. Kids can take the lead on exploring by choosing a candy of their choice. You can take it a step further by exploring the difference between cold and hot water. It is always neat to see what patterns the colors of each candy will make. Learn more about this activity.

Dangling Ice Cubes

This classic experiment is ideal for the winter season. Students learn how salt affects ice. We like to take it up a notch from a demonstration by turning it into an investigation. Kids love it, and it always makes an excellent science fair project for any age. Learn how to dangle ice on a string here.

Crystal Creation

Creating crystals is always enjoyable. This lab can be easily modified for Christmas. All students need to do is shape their pipe cleaners into ornaments like wreaths and candy canes.

At Kimberly Scott Science, we don't just make crystals. We investigate them. This lab is ideal for a science fair project and a STEAM activity. Students will get to test different waters to see how it affects crystal growth. The best part is that the crystals form overnight. Check it out.

Hot Chocolate Science

You will be amazed by the amount of science in a cup of cocoa. Cocoa powder, by itself, does not mix with water. That one discovery will lead your students to learn about the properties of matter, mixtures, and solutions, as well as heat transfer. The bonus is that kids get to drink their yummy mixtures.