6 interactive games to ignite scientific curiosity at home
Many young people grow up thinking that science is not for them. They might think that it’s too difficult or that it lacks relevance to their future career or aspirations. The Science Museum Group want to focus not just on young people gaining scientific knowledge but also on them recognising the scientific skills they already have within them.
Whether they’re learning how to make water defy gravity, discovering what’s inside old gadgets or embarking on an outdoor object hunt, children will be inspired by the science around them through interactive activities that evoke a sense of discovery.
Can you freeze a bouncy ball?
Join Explainer Audrey for this experiment as she investigates what happens when you freeze a bouncy ball using liquid nitrogen. Will it bounce as high as it normally would, or will the colder temperature make it behave differently? Will the ball still bounce, or will it drop like a stone? Watch the full experiment to find out what happens.
Which of the planets in the Solar System is most like you?
Learn about the planets in our solar system with this out-of-this-world space quiz. Answer these (silly) questions and find out which planet is the most like you. Discover which planet is the coldest, which is the warmest and which one has a year more than 160 times longer than a year on Earth!
Go on an adventure with Explore It, Make It!
If your child could plan their own adventure, where would they go and what would they do? They can find out with the interactive game Explore It, Make It!, where they will discover 100 cool things to take on an imaginary adventure. From the Apollo 10 command module and rubber ducks to locomotives and space food, each object has accompanying fun facts to reveal the science and stories behind it. They’ll get to design and download their own postcard from their adventure to share with friends and family too.
How can we tackle climate change?
Join young presenters, Scarlett and Jeriah, as they explore one of the most important issues of our time, climate change. Learn about the innovations helping us to create a more sustainable future, from developing greener ways of travelling to changing the way we eat. Find out if we can cool the planet by adapting our homes and how we can slow the effects of climate change by generating more energy from nature. In this six-part series, your child will discover the story of the first ever satellite and how we measure the amount of C02 in the atmosphere.
Did you know your child can send a postcard to space, and have it posted back to them? We’ve partnered with Club for the Future who want to know what children would explore in space if they travelled there and what they would want life in space to look like. Children can add their big ideas to the postcard template before it’s launched into space on a rocket. After the postcard makes its journey to space and back, it will be stamped ‘Flown to Space’ and returned as a special memento.
What’s under the microscope?
300 years ago, a scientist called Antony van Leeuwenhoek looked down a microscope at a drop of rain – and found tiny things swimming around. It was an unusual surprise, but he had discovered microorganisms that are super important to understanding life as we know it. Today, modern microscopes reveal all kinds of hidden worlds. Children can play against themselves in this new quiz and find out what’s really going on under the microscope.
Through these activities, children will discover that science doesn’t have to be daunting. It can be fun, hands-on and directly connected to the world we live in. Helping children explore scientific principles in a fun and accessible way can nurture their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Platforms like Wonderlab+ make it easy for parents to engage their children in these activities at home.
Discover more free activities from Wonderlab+ that you can do at home.
This article is part of a paid partnership with the Science Museum Group, supporting educational resources for families.
