Physics is a subject that can be difficult for students to understand. With complex equations and situations, students often struggle to visualize what the problem actually means. Experiments and activities are an excellent way for students to create a simulation of what the problem looks like in real life. Not only do experiments and activities help students better understand the situation, but also create an interactive way to engage students.
Read on to learn about fun and educational experiments!
1. Newton's Cradle
Newton's Cradle is a classic physics experiment that uses basic materials to demonstrate kinetic energy and potential energy. Students will love watching after the initial drop how the marble causes the other marbles to move. This is a great way to demonstrate the basic concept of energy transfer in an engaging way.
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2. Simple Bernoulli Experiment
The Bernoulli experiment is an excellent way to teach students about pressure in the air. This is also a great experiment for teachers with limited materials. Students will use construction paper, tape, a bendy straw, a ping pong ball, scissors, and a pencil to demonstrate how large vehicles like planes can stay high in the air. This abstract concept will be brought to life quickly!
Learn More: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
3. Car Science Experiment for Air Resistance and Mass
One physics concept that will be fun to teach your students is the impact of mass on motion. Your students will feel like modern physicists as they place cars with different masses on their race track. While it may seem like a simple experiment, students can complete many trials to find an average time to go down the track based on mass.
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4. Archimedes' Screw Simple Machine
This fun project is a great way for school students to learn about moving liquids, in particular water. Archimedes' Screw is a commonly known machine that moves water upward and transfers it from one place to another. Kids will love watching as the liquid moves through their homemade creations.
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5. Layering Liquids Density Experiment
Children will love participating in this tasty and colorful activity. Have students use different colored juices or beverages to test out the density of each one. Everyone will watch in amazement as the different colored liquids float to different places. This experiment requires the basic supplies of a beaker and different types of liquids.
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6. Launching Easter Eggs Experiment
This activity would make for an incredibly fun science fair project or a great science activity during the Easter season. Using a mini catapult and plastic eggs, students will test how mass impacts the distance traveled by the egg. This experiment will definitely make your students smile!
Learn More: Inspiration Laboratories
7. Balloon in a Bottle Properties of Air Experiment
Balloon science is a fantastic way to engage your students in physics learning! Students will follow along in amazement as the balloon is inflated inside of the plastic bottle. By changing the properties of the bottle, students will learn about how air moves and is transferred.
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8. Elephant Toothpaste
Elephant toothpaste is a viral science experiment that is taking over the internet. Students will enjoy this explosive science experiment that combines dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and a few other ingredients to make this silly-looking creation.
Learn More: Teach Beside Me
9. How to Make a Pendulum Wave
This physics science project is both fun to make and incredible to look at! Using washers and a few other simple materials, students will stare at their experiment for hours on end. Besides being mesmerizing, students will learn about waves and motion.
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10. Creating Catapults
A homemade catapult is a great way to use cheap materials in a science experiment. Have students use household materials to determine which combination makes for the best catapult.
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11. Inertia Tower Activity
This creative activity uses sheets of paper or index cards to separate a tower of cups. The object of this activity is to remove the papers without disturbing the rest of the tower. Students will love this engineering project.
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12. Marshmallow Catapult
This marshmallow catapult is a great way to test out your students' engineering skills. Using materials like a tissue box and pencil, students will have so much fun trying out different sizes and shapes of marshmallows to see which one goes the furthest.
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13. Rice Friction Experiment
Friction can be a challenging concept to teach middle school students. Your students will love getting a better understanding through this simple science experiment. Using a plastic bottle, funnel, chopstick, and rice, students will learn how to increase and decrease friction.
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14. Balancing Robot
Add arts and crafts to physics class in this fun and adorable activity. Students will learn about balance and distribution of mass. You can even have your students color their robots and then compete!
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15. Heat Energy Ice Cream Lab Activity
Students will be their own heat source in this delicious science experiment. Have students learn about heat transfer and the reaction between the liquid and salt. Once students are done learning, this tasty experiment will be a hit!
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16. Gravity and Free-Fall Inquiry Lab
Students can use one of their favorite childhood books to learn about the concept of gravity. Using a stuffed moose and a muffin, students can learn about how mass and other factors impact gravity and the speed of falling.
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17. Color Mixing Tray Experiment
Students can learn all about color and how light transforms color in this interactive activity. Afterward, students can create their own color wheel!
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18. How to Make Corncob Popcorn
For science teachers looking to better engage their students, look no further than this tasty activity. Students will learn about pressure and how heat impacts the corn kernels and make delicious popcorn!
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19. Skittles Density Rainbow
Using a different quantity of Skittles in each liquid, students will learn about how solids impact the density of liquids. This is a cool science experiment your students will ask to do again and again.
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20. Mini Wave Model
This more complex activity will be one that your students will want to bring home and show their families. Since this activity uses a drill and hot glue, adult supervision is incredibly important.
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21. Dancing Raisins Science Experiment
Students will love this fun science experiment as they watch the carbonation of the soda water lift the raisins and "make them dance". Students will also learn about density.
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22. Learning With Dry Ice
Using dry ice is a great way to teach students about how clouds are formed. Inspire future meteorologists in this visually appealing experiment.
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23. Sink or Float Experiment
If you are looking for experiments with water that will keep kids cool and entertained on a hot day, try out this food floating activity. Students will use different fruits and vegetables to see if it floats on water or sinks to the bottom.
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24. Learning About Arches
Students can learn about how heavy-weight objects such as cars on a bridge are supported through arches. This activity will have students test out different types of arches to see which one holds the most weight.
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25. Heat Changing Colored Slime
This unique experiment requires very specific materials, but when purchased will lead to a really cool science experiment. Students will love learning about thermodynamics and how heat can change the color of certain materials.
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26. Homemade Marble Run
Using household materials, create a track for marbles using only objects your kids find in the house or in the classroom. This activity can also be done by purchasing PVC pipes or other more traditional track materials. Your kids will love testing out different types of marble runs and seeing how it impacts the time it takes the marble to complete it.
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27. Candy Bar Sink or Float Activity
Students can use their favorite tasty treats to make predictions on whether their candy will sink or float. This would be a great activity to complete at home or in the classroom during the Halloween season.
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28. Ice Hockey Puck Friction Experiment
In this activity, students will use different flat circular items like bottle caps and coins to determine which materials make the best ice hockey puck. This activity will help students learn about friction. This is a great experiment for an icy winter day.
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29. Transfer of Momentum Basketball Activity
For a quick science activity during recess or on a sunny day, have students use different-sized balls to learn about momentum. Students will have so much fun playing and learning at the same time.
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30. Pumpkin Boats
Have students learn about buoyancy and density in this fun pumpkin challenge. Students can make different-sized pumpkin boats and then make predictions about whether or not their pumpkin boat will sink or float.
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31. Air Resistance Experiment
Using differently sized and types of pieces of paper, students will learn about air resistance as they drop the different pieces of paper from high up and watch them fall. Have students time how long their paper took to hit the ground and what they learned about air resistance.
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32. Growing Pumpkins Inside of Pumpkins
While this is more of a biology and ecology activity, students of all ages will love learning about nature and caring for their very own pumpkin. Students can experiment in different growing conditions and track the time it takes for the pumpkins to grow.
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33. How to Make a Hovercraft
Using simple household materials, students can learn about air resistance in this unique craft. Students will love creating their very own hovercraft that they can take home and practice what they learned at school back at home.
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34. Forces and Motion Worksheet
Determine your students' level of understanding of force and motion with this worksheet. You can use this as a pre or post-unit assessment to see what your students already understand and what they still need to learn.
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35. St. Patrick's Day Balloon Rockets
This holiday-themed activity is a great way to teach students about air resistance and acceleration. Kids will attach their balloons to a track on a string and let go to watch their balloons quickly move along the track.
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36. Marshmallow Shooter
Your students will love this silly activity that incorporates a favorite sweet treat and a unique contraption. The marshmallow will go flying through the air and students will notice how the force of the pull impacts the motion of the marshmallow.
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37. Gravity and Magnetism Science Experiment
This exciting activity will have your students wanting to learn more about magnetism and how it works! Simply use a large magnet and paper clips to demonstrate how magnetism counteracts gravity.
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38. Magic Toothpick Star Experiment
Students will watch in awe as this science experiment seems to create magic. With simple materials like toothpicks and water, students will learn about the properties of liquids and how they impact solids.
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39. Water Powered Bottle Rocket
Bottle rockets are a fun science experiment to bring the science classroom outdoors. Students will love learning about pressure and how it impacts the velocity of an item. You can even have your students decorate their own rockets!
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40. Surface Tension Experiment
Surface tension is a unique concept that students will experience in their life. Using dish soap and pepper, students will watch as the pepper seems to magically move away from them.
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41. Magnetic Levitation Activity
For another magical seeming activity, attach some magnets to a surface. Then poke a pencil (or another object) through the circular magnets. Your students will be amazed as they watch the power of magnetism making your pencil seemingly float!
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42. Friction Ramp
Students can learn all about friction between different objects in this easy-to-set-up experiment. Have students make equal-sized "cars" made of different materials. Then students will watch as they see which cars move and which ones fail to budge.
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43. Walking on Eggs
Students will love this seemingly sneaky activity where they walk on a carton filled with eggs. Your students can make predictions as to why the eggs don't break and reflect on their knowledge of arches.
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44. Rubber Band Powered Car
This adorable craft will teach your students about force and how when force is applied, there is motion. Students can also try to see which rubber band car will move the farthest and go the fastest.
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45. Making a Water Wheel
An at-home or in-classroom water wheel is a great activity to replicate how water powers vehicles and creates power. Your students will love seeing how their creations allow for movement to occur.
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46. DIY Pulley Physics
This pulley system will show your students that simple machines aren't always so simple. Using whatever materials your students can find and some string, they can create intricate pulley systems along your classroom walls. This would make a great display for the entire school year.
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47. How to Make an Orange Sink or Swim
Your students will watch in awe as they learn that they can change the density and buoyancy of an object by slightly altering the object. All you will need is an orange, a jar, and some water! This is an easy experiment to have all of your students partake in.
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48. Paper Airplane Test
Paper airplanes have been around for a very long time! Your students can test out different designs to see which shape of the paper airplane will fly the furthest and which shape will stay in the air the longest. The designs can include different materials as well as differently folded airplanes. This activity would make for a great classroom competition!
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49. Rising Water Experiment
Water experiments in the classroom can be so much fun! This activity will teach your students how fire can impact water and make it rise. Your students will love watching what seems like magic! Since this activity includes fire, it requires close adult supervision.
Learn More: Teach Beside Me
50. Physics Mystery Bag Challenge
This unique physics activity has students work in groups to solve a physics mystery. Each group of students receives the same bag of mystery items and is told what type of machine they need to create. The challenge is that there are no instructions. Using the items, students will compete to see which group creates the best of the designated machine.
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