The kids enjoyed potions class so much from Hogwart's school that my son asked to have a potions birthday party, then we went to the store and he wanted a potions costume birthday party. I gave myself an extra week to plan and we had his birthday party on the 20th. He had a blast! He couldn't wait for the party as he was seeing me set it up. I admit I had quite a bit of fun planning and setting it up. Halloween is one of my favorites and so I jumped at the chance to plan this. Since I had a wide ranges of ages of kids attending, I wanted something interesting for everyone, so I had some science in general type stuff lying around for the older kids to mess with.
The kids haven't put this one down since I bought it. You become a human circuit by touching one hand on each of the metal ends. When you do, it lights up and makes noise. The fun part comes in when you touch other people and make a big circle and it still works. Then experiment with touching in a pattern and making a song because the second you stop touching, the sound stops.
Just add water and place in a shallow pan to play with. For a really beautiful effect, place in a clear pan on a light box or shine a light into it.
Thinking Putty is like Silly Putty only larger, more colorful and stiffer. The more you work it, the warmer it gets, which loosens it up a bit. It doesn't stick to anything and the kids just liked stretching it and making it pop when you fold it.
This one is fun for older kids. These super powerful magnets can be tossed close together in the air and they attract to each other. When they collide, they rattle and buzz from spinning against each other.
This was a demo I had one of the older kids do. The more you pour it back and forth the slimier it got. Eventually it gets so thick it creates a suction and actually moves opposite gravity.
I found most of these both at Target in the Halloween section and at Cost Plus World Market for less than Amazon, but I think it might be only seasonal. Of course, SteveSpanglerScience.com has these and lots more for sale along with demonstration ideas.
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| Potions Class |
Learning about bases and acids.
I made dirt cake with Milano cookies for tombstones and a creme pumpkin and gummy worm for fun. It was a bit too chocolaty for us, maybe next time I'll layer with vanilla pudding. My son had fun thinking it was mud and dirt though.
Water beads and body parts that grow in water. They didn't get as big as I had hoped in the time before the party. Everything else had the immediate effect, so I thought those would as well.
I picked up the beakers with eyeballs from OTC.
A Squishy Science kit I picked up months ago for when we cover it in school. This was perfect because the organs were really squishy, kind of like gummy candy, slightly tacky, but they didn't dry out. Eww!!
Some of our potion ingredients. I downloaded some labels I saw on Pinterest along with some ideas of what to do with them. Tip: Snapple jars make the best potion bottles because they have an S on them for Snape. ;) I used rubber eyeball bouncy balls in water, canned bean sprouts for Hippogryph Gizzards , whole water chestnuts for Blind Cat Eyes, spaghetti noodles in tomato sauce for Blood Worms, veg oil for Truth Serum, and dried black beans for Dried Black Crows Eyes. I had my son pick some leaves in the backyard to make Gillyweed. He insists I can make an underwater breathing potion with it, but I have to remind him I'm not allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts. ;)
Target had battery operated blacklite in their dollar section which turned out perfect for making my Dream Fluid (tonic water) glow.
I didn't get pictures of most of my demonstrations, because I was busy doing them. ;) Here are some of the experiments we did:
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| From: She Knows |
We made Borax slime with clear glue. It was really runny at first, but overnight in the fridge helped it out a lot and made it much less sticky and more solid.
I attempted Metamucil Flubber and I turned it into plastic somehow and ruined a glass dish. :(
I attempted Metamucil Flubber and I turned it into plastic somehow and ruined a glass dish. :(
I demonstrated the acids and bases color changing potions that is the first picture.
Elephant toothpaste was fun, but blew up quick like vinegar and baking soda. It was supposed to be a little more foamy, I don't think I let the yeast dissolve completely.
The hit of the party was a lava lamp. I had a bottle of colored water and cheap veg oil and placed a bowl of broken up Alka-Seltzer next to the bottle. Everyone got to put a tablet in and see this. It was really beautiful.
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| From: About.com |
When the sun went down I put some mentos in a bottle of tonic water with a blacklite behind it and they got a glow in the dark fountain.
The kids haven't put this one down since I bought it. You become a human circuit by touching one hand on each of the metal ends. When you do, it lights up and makes noise. The fun part comes in when you touch other people and make a big circle and it still works. Then experiment with touching in a pattern and making a song because the second you stop touching, the sound stops.
Just add water and place in a shallow pan to play with. For a really beautiful effect, place in a clear pan on a light box or shine a light into it.
Thinking Putty is like Silly Putty only larger, more colorful and stiffer. The more you work it, the warmer it gets, which loosens it up a bit. It doesn't stick to anything and the kids just liked stretching it and making it pop when you fold it.
This one is fun for older kids. These super powerful magnets can be tossed close together in the air and they attract to each other. When they collide, they rattle and buzz from spinning against each other.
This was a demo I had one of the older kids do. The more you pour it back and forth the slimier it got. Eventually it gets so thick it creates a suction and actually moves opposite gravity.
I found most of these both at Target in the Halloween section and at Cost Plus World Market for less than Amazon, but I think it might be only seasonal. Of course, SteveSpanglerScience.com has these and lots more for sale along with demonstration ideas.
