8 science experiments kids can do at home, from egg drops to ball ramps

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• Schools across the world are closed right now due to the coronavirus, thrusting parents into the role of homeschool teacher without much notice.

• For parents who don’t have a teaching background, finding hands-on ways for children to learn while at home can be particularly time-consuming and difficult.

• Insider found 8 easy science experiments children can do at home to get hands-on science experience.

With more than 30 million children stuck at home due to coronavirus-related school closings, many parents have suddenly become homeschool teachers.

For parents who don’t have teaching experience, at-home science lessons can be especially time-consuming. But homemade science experiments don’t have to get require hours of prep or extra trips to the store. 

Insider found 8 doable at-home science experiments created by teachers and parents that only require items you may already have around the house. 

From playing with static electricity to egg drop experiments, these easy, inexpensive science projects will keep kids excited about learning. 

Move a pencil with static

This static electricity experiment requires only three things: a pencil or pen, a bottle or a cup, and a balloon. Sergei Urban, the dad behind the thedadlab account, also created a follow-up video to this experiment, providing five additional at-home static electricity activities. 

Make a ball ramp

This ball ramp, which requires a ball, cardboard, a muffin pan, and a broom, will keep kids busy learning basic physics concepts like aerodynamics and velocity.

Test carbohydrate levels with iodine

In this simple nutrition experiment, kids can use iodine, available at many drugstores, to learn about the carbohydrate content of foods like potatoes, grapes, and cucumbers. 

Collect and classify leaves

For kids who are able to get out into nature safely, sampling different tree leaves and categorizing them by different physical and biological properties can be an easy way to learn about plant science. 

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Watch how water moves through plants with celery and food dye

Many parents probably remember this celery and food color experiment from grade school, which teaches about transpiration — how water travels and moves through plants. The only materials kids need to do this classic experiment are some celery, clear cups, and some food dye.

Build an object that floats

In this easily adaptable experiment, children use whatever materials they have around their homes to create an object that floats, choosing and testing household items to create a unique vessel.

Design a crack-free egg drop

This is another experiment that uses whatever materials kids have around their homes, this time to insulate an egg so that it doesn’t crack when dropped. Kids can use everything from towels to paper to create their unique egg holders. 

Read the original article on Insider