BALLOON IN A BOTTLE: Use air pressure to play a trick on your friends

What you’ll need:

2 x plastic PET bottles

2 x coloured balloons

CHEMICAL REACTION: Make a swirling rainbow of colour from milk

Have you ever wondered what to do with the little bit of milk left at the bottom of your bowl? Use a chemical reaction to turn it into a swirling rainbow of colour.

What you’ll need:

2 x white plates

1 x jug of tap water

Full cream milk

Food colouring

1 x small bottle of dish detergent

1 x cotton bud/tip

Education Resource:

CHEMICAL REACTION: Make a swirling rainbow of colour from milk

CORNFLOUR SLIME: Create your own impressive slime

Do you like getting covered in mud so you’re really gross? This is even better than mud: SLIME!

What you’ll need:

1 x box of cornflour

1 x small jug of water

Any food colouring

1 x large mixing bowl

1 x large spoon

CORRUGATED PAPER: Make a strong roof for your toy house

What you’ll need:

1 x piece of scrap A4 paper

1 x wooden block

Two toy house walls

FLY INTO SPACE: Make your own rocket using bi carb soda

Have you ever dreamed of flying into space? How would you like make your own model rocket powered by high-pressured gas?

What you’ll need:

1 x cup of tap water

1 x cup of white vinegar

2 x plastic cups

1 x box of Bicarb soda

1 x teaspoon

1 x pair of safety goggles

1 x empty film canister with a tight-fitting lid

GREEN HOUSE: Grow your own food in a self-watering garden

What you’ll need:

1 x roll of sticky tape

Some alfalfa seeds

5 x cotton balls

2 x clear plastic cups

1 x spray bottle filled with tap water

HOMEMADE ICE-CREAM: Make your own very cool ice-cream

What you’ll need:

1 x large mixing bowl full of ice and water

1 x packet of table salt

2 x teaspoons

1 x medium metal bowl

1/3 cup of cream

2 x teaspoons of sugar

Vanilla essence

HOVER CAR: How to make your own model hovercraft

Have you ever been on a hover craft before? Ever wondered how do they travel over both water and land?

What you’ll need:

1 x balloon

1 x pop top lid from a juice popper or detergent bottle

1 x old CD

1 x piece of BluTac

KARATE CHOP: Use your own force to do incredible things

Have you ever wanted to do a real karate chop, like a master of the master arts? It’s all about forces: pushes and pulls to do incredible things.

What you’ll need:

1 x old wooden ruler (to break)

1 x stack of newspaper

MODEL OF A LUNG: Find out what happens when you breathe

Have you ever felt out of breath? What happens inside your body when you breathe? What makes the air move in and out of your lungs?

What you’ll need:

1 x pair of scissors

2 x balloons

1 x drinking straw

1 x elastic/rubber band

1 x pencil

1 x ball of plasticine

1 x 600 ml plastic PET bottle

SCI FI VIBRATIONS: How to make sound effects using a slinky cup

Ever wondered how to make your own science fiction sound effects?

What you’ll need:

1 x hard metal slinky

1 x polystyrene/foam cup

1 x metal spoon

SQUIDDY! - Make your own pet Squid

Have you ever wanted your own pet squid which obeys your every command?

What you’ll need:

1 x pair of scissors

1 x pen lid

1 x balloon

1 x BlueTac piece

1 x elastic/rubber band

1 x cup of water

1 x PET bottle full of water, with closed cap

STAR QUALITY: Make your own music using musical bottles

Have you ever wanted to play amazing music on stage? Ever wanted to find your own unique sound?

What you’ll need:

6 x identical glass bottles

Food colouring

1 x funnel

1 x jug of tap water

1 x pen

SUSPENDED EGG: Why is it easier to float in salt water?

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to float in the salt water? Find out why.

What you need:

1 x fresh egg

1 x glass half full with water

1 x jug of water

1 x large spoon

1 x teaspoon

6 x teaspoons of salt

Red food colouring

Blue food colouring

SWIRLING VOLCANO: Create your own lava lamp

What you’ll need:

1 x empty PET bottle

1 x jug of tap water

1 x bottle of white vinegar

Food colouring

1 x bottle of cooking oil

1 x box of bicarb soda

1 x packet of citric acid

2 x teaspoons

WALK ON WATER: Small miracles of surface tension

Ever wondered why little creatures like water skippers, mosquitos and spiders can walk on water?

1 x bowl

1 x jug of tap water

1 x packet of black pepper

1 x small bottle of dish detergent

1 x cotton bud/tip

WHIRRING WIDGET: Make your own music

Can you play a musical instrument? Have you ever wondered how  musical notes are made? Make your own high and low notes with your own weird whirring widget.

What you’ll need:

1 x pair of scissors

2 x wooden paddlepop sticks

1 x drinking straw

1 x large elastic/rubber band

2 x small elastic/rubber bands

WIRED FOR SOUND: Create your own Morse code with an electrical circuit

What did people do before telephones and the internet? How did they communicate with each other over vast distances?

What you’ll need:

1 x 9 volt battery

1 x 9 volt battery holder*

1 x small buzzer*

1 x wooden peg

2 x pieces of Aluminium foil

*available to purchase online, or from an electronics store (e.g. Jaycar)

Education Resource:

Electrical Circuits – Morse Code