With the future of the school year up in the air, parents are looking for more ways to keep their kids occupied—and learning—at home. The kitchen is a great place for doing both. Here are a dozen of our favorite activities and experiments for keeping kids busy in the kitchen—and they might just learn something, too.
Photo: Natasha Beck from @dr.organicmommy
1.
DIY food coloring
Using a blender and fresh or freeze-dried produce, kids can make flavorful food coloring to use in drinks, doughs, frostings, and more.
2.
Color-changing potion
Kids make a “magic” potion with red cabbage that can be used to test the pH of various liquids (or make psychedelic-colored lemonade).
3.
Home-grown sprouts
Kids can grown their own sprouts using a jar and some organic seeds. Feeling ambitious? Grow a sprout house!
4.
Regenerated food scraps
Carrots, avocado pits, garlic, scallions, lettuce, herbs, and more can be brought back to life in a bowl of water.
5.
Yeast balloons
Teach kids about the miracle of these tiny organisms by using them to blow up balloons.
6.
Alien eggs
Ever seen an egg bounce? Watch happens when kids soak eggs in vinegar.
7.
Chocolate slime
There are millions of tutorials on homemade slime, but few smell as good (and are as nontoxic) as this chocolate slime made with cornstarch, cocoa powder, and coconut milk.
8.
Instant ice
Watch the magic of “snap freezing” — that is, instantly turning water into ice — using a bottle of purified water.
9.
Super-taster test
Is your child a “super taster?” Find out with this simple experiment.
10.
Cloud dough
Toddlers love squishing and squeezing this homemade play dough made from just two ingredients: flour and vegetable oil.
11.
Spice-dyed shirts
Use up surplus spices to teach kids the ancient art of dyeing fabric with natural ingredients.
12.
Infused sugars and salts
By mixing sugar or salt with herbs, spices, and citrus zest, kids can make myriad infusions for using at home or gifting to friends and family.