Oh, joy. Another weekend where it’s still not safe to go anywhere or see anyone. So we’re having a ‘Science Day!’. Lots of messy experiments to keep our tactile and curious daughter busy for a few hours.

Rainbow Pancakes Recipe

We had to start the day with some ‘Science Breakfast’, which was just pancake mix with a few drops of food colouring added in. I found that not mixing the colours in and just let it blend in makes a nicer pattern.

Play-Doh Volcano

We used up all the old homemade dough and the random pieces floating around the box that had either dried up or mixed together into an off-purple shade of brown.

Homemade Play-Doh Recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup salt
• 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
• Food coloring
• Quart sized bags

• Mix the dry ingredients
• Add the wet ingredients (not the colour)
• Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly
• Continue stirring until the dough has thickened and begins to form into a ball.
• Remove from heat and then place inside a bowl, big freezer zip-loc bag, or onto baking parchment paper.
• Allow to cool slightly and then knead until smooth. If you’re adding colors after, divide the dough into balls (for how many colors you want) and then add the dough into the quart sized bags.
• Add food colouring.
• Knead the dough, while inside the bag so it doesn’t stain your hands.
• Store the play dough inside the freezer bags to keep soft.

Make The Play-Doh Volcano

Put a cardboard toilet roll upright in a baking pan. Surround by Play-Doh and then pour in a few spoons of baking powder. Drip in some food colouring and dish soap and then the vinegar. Watch the eruption and fell free to keep topping up with more vinegar to get any left over powder.

Skittles Rainbow Circle

This doesn’t take up much time but it’s pretty.
Make a circle of different coloured Skittles on a plate and then pour water in the middle until it reaches the candy. Watch as the colours drain in up a pattern.

Make Marshmallow Buildings

Get toothpicks and marshmallows and stick them together to create three-dimensional structures, figures, animals, or shapes.

How To Make Honeycomb

This one is strictly for the adults to do, but kids can watch at a distance. The boiling sugar mix can burn and stick to skin.

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons water

1. Line a baking dish with parchment paper, measure out the baking soda in a small bowl, and have a heat-proof spatula ready before starting.
2. Whisk sugar, corn syrup, honey, and water together in a saucepan with a candy thermometer attached. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is thinner but still cloudy.
3. Let bubble until mixture is clear reaches 300 degrees F
4. Remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda until just incorporated.
5. Switch to a spatula and very carefully pour into the lined dish. Do not spread it out with your spatula or compress the mixture at all, or the bubbles will deflate.
6. Let cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
7. Remove candy from the pan by lifting out the parchment paper.
8. Tap against the counter and use your fingers to break it into individual pieces.
9. This can get REALLY chewy so watch those fillings!

Foamy Slime / Fluffy Slime Recipe

Similar to the usual recipe for making your own slime, this time add shaving foam.

• PVA school glue
• Saline solution / Contact lens solution
• Food colouring
• Baking Soda
• Foam shaving cream

1. Measure 3 heaped cups of shaving cream into a bowl. You can also experiment with using less shaving cream for different textures!
2. Add colour
3. Squirt 1/2 cup of glue into the shaving cream and gently mix.
4. Scoop 1/2 tsp of baking soda and mix.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of the saline solution to the mixture and start whipping.  (If your slime is too sticky, add a few more drops of the saline solution.)
6. Don’t add too much extra saline as the consistency gets less sticky with more kneading. Adding too much saline solution can result in a rubbery texture.
7. Once you get the mixture thoroughly whipped and incorporated, you can pull it out with your hands and knead.

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