STEM at Home: 7 Simple Experiments You Can Do with Everyday Items
Looking for exciting, screen-free activities that actually teach your kids something valuable?
These 7 fun and educational STEM experiments are perfect for curious minds aged 5–12 — and the best part? You likely have everything you need already in your kitchen or garage.
Each activity below explores key STEM principles like physics, chemistry, and engineering in a way that's easy, engaging, and safe to try at home.
🔍 1. DIY Lava Lamp
What you need:
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Clear plastic or glass bottle
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Water
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Vegetable oil
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Food coloring
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Alka-Seltzer tablet (or any effervescent tablet)
What to do:
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Fill the bottle about ¾ full with vegetable oil.
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Add water until the bottle is almost full.
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Add a few drops of food coloring (watch it sink through the oil!).
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Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet in half and drop one piece in.
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Enjoy the bubbly lava action!
STEM Concept: Density & Chemical Reactions
Oil and water don’t mix — and the tablet creates a gas that lifts the colored water blobs up like magic.
🧲 2. Magnetic Maze Challenge
What you need:
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Paper or cardboard
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Paperclip
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Magnet
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Pen or markers
What to do:
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Draw a simple maze on a sheet of paper.
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Place a paperclip at the maze’s start.
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Move the paperclip by placing the magnet underneath the paper and guiding it.
STEM Concept: Magnetism & Force
Learn how magnetic fields can pass through materials and control movement without contact!
💨 3. Balloon-Powered Car
What you need:
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Balloon
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4 plastic bottle caps (for wheels)
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2 straws
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Cardboard or recycled base
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Tape
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Skewer sticks or wooden dowels
What to do:
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Make axles with straws and attach bottle cap wheels.
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Tape the balloon to a third straw and secure it to the cardboard body.
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Blow up the balloon, pinch the straw, and let go!
STEM Concept: Air Pressure & Engineering
Kids learn about propulsion and the basic physics of motion.
🌡️ 4. Color-Changing Milk
What you need:
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Milk (whole works best)
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Dish soap
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Food coloring
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Cotton swabs
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Shallow plate
What to do:
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Pour milk into the plate.
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Add a few drops of food coloring in different spots.
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Dip a cotton swab in dish soap and gently touch it to the milk.
STEM Concept: Surface Tension & Chemical Reactions
Soap breaks the fat in the milk and creates mesmerizing swirls of color.
🔥 5. Invisible Ink Messages
What you need:
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Lemon juice
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Cotton swab or paintbrush
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White paper
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Heat source (lamp or adult-supervised iron)
What to do:
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Dip a swab in lemon juice and write a secret message.
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Let it dry completely.
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Reveal it by gently heating the paper.
STEM Concept: Acid Oxidation
Lemon juice oxidizes and turns brown when heated, revealing hidden messages.
💧 6. Penny Polishing Magic
What you need:
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Dirty pennies
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Vinegar
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Salt
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Small bowl
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Paper towel
What to do:
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Mix vinegar and salt in a bowl.
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Drop in the pennies and let them soak for 5–10 minutes.
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Rinse and dry to reveal shiny results!
STEM Concept: Acid-Base Chemistry & Oxidation
Learn how acidic solutions can reverse oxidation on metals.
🌈 7. Rainbow Walking Water
What you need:
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6 clear cups
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Water
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Food coloring (red, yellow, blue)
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Paper towels
What to do:
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Fill every other cup with water.
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Add red, yellow, and blue dye to the filled cups.
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Fold paper towels and connect each cup like a bridge.
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Watch over hours as colors “walk” and blend into a rainbow!
STEM Concept: Capillary Action & Color Mixing
A beautiful way to see how water defies gravity and mixes colors!
🎉 Final Tip: Make It a STEM Day!
Set up multiple experiments in one day and let your kids become mini-scientists. Take photos, ask questions like “What do you think will happen?”, and let them explain what they observe. This boosts critical thinking, communication, and creativity — the true essence of STEM learning.