KSL Academy Scholars explore three primary states of matter, and problem solving to change them and understand the chemistry to allows us to better appreciate matter in all its forms.
Why is syrup so thick (viscous) when it is cold?
Using Science Fundaments at Kids Science Labs with a touch of mad science experiments
Why many Kids Love mad science experiments so much?
Have you ever watched your child’s eyes light up while they mix colorful liquids in a plastic bowl or watch a fizzy reaction safely explode in front of them? If so, you’ve witnessed the magic of the type of mad science that kids love at places like Kids Science Labs! It's the kind of science that goes beyond textbooks and into the realm of hands-on, real-world experimentation. Several years ago, when Kids Science Labs was offering mad science style afterschool classes, parents remarked that kids aren’t just learning—they’re engaging in thrilling experiments that make science feel like an adventure. A transformative experience was born, when Kids Science Labs began offering these hands-on
But what is it about these mad science experiments that gets kids so excited? And why are they so beneficial for learning? Let’s dive into why kids love KSL and how it supports their growth in ways traditional learning can’t always match.
What Is It About Mad Science Experiments That Boosts Kids' Learning?
It’s simple: Kids Science Labs and similar programs that offer crazy and mad science experiments that are all about engagement, are the new thing this year. When children do something hands-on, they’re not just memorizing facts—they’re experiencing the concept firsthand. Imagine teaching a child about chemical reactions. You could explain it in a classroom, but there’s a special spark when they actually mix vinegar and baking soda to create a fizzy explosion themselves. That’s Kids Science Labs in action, especially with their ChemBusters Mad Science Labs available for Chicago Summer Camps or Summer Camps in Seattle.
What makes it even more exciting is that it’s not just about watching. Kids are encouraged to participate in every step of the process. They get to ask questions, make predictions, and see results unfold in real-time. This approach leads to better retention, a deeper understanding, and, most importantly, a love for learning. Experiments give children a chance to see the "why" and "how" behind the concepts they’re learning, making science come alive.
At some of the most mad science programs at Kids Science Labs, curiosity drives the learning process. Kids are often fascinated by the unknown and the ability to create unexpected outcomes. These hands-on activities tap into that natural curiosity, allowing them to experiment, fail, try again, and, ultimately, learn from experience.
How Did Kids Science Labs Improve on Mad Science After-School Classes to Accelerate Careers in Medicine and Engineering?
You may have heard of Kids Science Labs because of their slime birthday parties, chicago summer camps, or seattle fun things to do with kids? These specialized programs build upon the core principles of Mad Science and take them to the next level. Parents should know that Kids Science Labs differs from the franchise, Mad Science, which offers after-school programs, Kids Science Labs takes a more focused approach, encouraging kids not only to experiment but also to discover pathways to potential careers in STEM fields like medicine, engineering, and technology.
At Kids Science Labs, they don't just stop at fun experiments. The labs are designed to provide an immersive experience that helps children understand the real-world applications of science. For example, kids aren’t just learning how a balloon flies—they’re investigating the principles of air pressure, physics, and engineering. This deeper understanding sets the stage for careers in fields that are changing the world.
Kids Science Labs has refined its PowerScience program by integrating curriculum that aligns with current developments in STEM education. Again, it is not the same as “mad science”, which is based in Canada. KSL offers STEM programs for kids 12 months a year, alternating between birthday parties, field trips, summer camps for kids, and stem programs. From early exposure to complex concepts like vision & lights, or forces & motion, these programs make science feel accessible and relevant to kids. The approach helps foster skills that are critical for success in medicine and engineering, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.
By focusing on hands-on learning, Kids Science Labs accelerates the path for kids interested in exploring these high-demand fields. Instead of just introducing concepts, the labs challenge children to think critically and apply what they’ve learned to real-world scenarios—building a strong foundation for future careers.
What Do Kids Do to Turn Fun Science Into Crazy Mad Science at Kids Science Labs?
At Kids Science Labs, science isn’t just something kids learn about—it’s something they do. The labs are a playground for curious minds, where kids can dive into a range of activities that make science feel like an adventure. From creating chemical reactions that bubble and fizz to building simple machines or even designing their own experiments, the focus is on engaging children in the process of discovery.
One of the best parts of Mad Science at Kids Science Labs is the sheer variety of activities kids can try. Some might design rockets that actually launch (talk about cool!), while others might delve into biology by creating slime or observing plant growth in different conditions. There are also themed labs that bring real-world science into the mix, like understanding the science behind popular video games or the physics of roller coasters.
Every experiment is designed to be interactive and hands-on, ensuring that kids don’t just follow directions—they also get to take ownership of their experiments. They’ll make observations, hypothesize outcomes, and sometimes even fail before succeeding. These kinds of experiences teach resilience, collaboration, and, most importantly, the joy of learning through trial and error.
What Are the Special Benefits About Early Childhood Learning That Includes Frequent Hands-On Science?
Early childhood is a time when young minds are soaking up information faster than ever. It’s the perfect time to introduce children to the wonders of science through hands-on experiments. But why is this so important?
First, hands-on science nurtures a child’s natural curiosity. Young children are naturally inquisitive, asking "why" and "how" about the world around them. Engaging with science experiments helps them learn how to ask questions, think critically, and develop problem-solving skills. They learn that making mistakes is part of the learning process, which builds resilience and confidence.
Second, Kids Science Labs and other hands-on science programs help develop fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and other cognitive abilities. For example, when children measure ingredients for an experiment or manipulate materials to build a structure, they are exercising their coordination and ability to follow sequences of steps. This kind of learning improves concentration, memory, and understanding of basic math and science principles.
Third, regular engagement with hands-on science helps foster a love of learning. When children see their efforts come to life through experiments, they begin to associate learning with fun, which motivates them to continue exploring and experimenting. These positive experiences in early childhood set the foundation for academic success later in life.
Finally, early exposure to science can spark an interest in STEM careers. By introducing kids to the practical applications of science at a young age, you help them connect their academic learning with real-world opportunities. This could mean a future career in medicine, engineering, or even space exploration—fields that are constantly looking for the next generation of brilliant minds.
At the end of the day, the interesting and mad science experiments that are conducted at Kids Science Labs are not just about creating cool explosions or colorful reactions (though those are definitely part of the fun). Instead, KSL is about sparking a lifelong curiosity in children and giving them the tools to explore the world around them. Through the real hands-on experiments, led by excited teachers, children gain valuable skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and resilience—skills that will benefit them throughout their academic journey and beyond.
Whether it’s the mad science in chicago, the wicked potions in Seattle Summer Camps, hands-on science labs at Kids Science Labs or a simple experiment at home, there’s no better time to introduce your child to the world of science than right now. The possibilities are endless, and the results can be truly magical. After all, when kids can turn science into crazy fun, it’s easy to see why they’ll keep coming back for more!
Why do Hurricanes spin the way they do? - Weather and Climate Summer Camps for Kids
Easy Science Experiments for 6 year Olds
Kids are curious and their questions matter. All day they are asking about what they observe, wondering how things work, and applying their curiosity to our world in exciting ways. For example, my six year old asked me yesterday on the way to school “ Why can’t you drive faster on the side streets”, which just was a beautiful observation that led to a interesting conversation on risk, safety, and noise pollution. KSL Parents know that all of our classes that we teach start with an engaging question that is asked by a child, and only then do we experiment, discover, and use creative design to apply science principles to innovating things like chairs made of cups or night lights made of LED’s for our student population, starting at age 2. Our parents have been asking us for years to blog on the same cool science that we do in class each week and provide a forum for our students to ask their questions. So here you go, some hopefully useful news to engage your own curiosity as parents and help you to engage your kids in the car with some discussion. Enjoy!
Why Do Hurricanes Spin That way -
There has been a lot of news recently on Hurricanes, with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria reeking havoc on in the U.S. South and coastal islands. One child asked us “Why do hurricanes spin that way”? It is a really an interesting topic and fundamental question. Many people know that most hurricanes originate in warmer climates, and that they involve fast moving winds, so let’s start by just figuring out what the problem is?
Teaching Hands-on Science about Earth’s Features Helps Elementary SChool Kids Learn Science
The main problem is that the earth is constantly moving, and its environmental conditions are constantly changing and evolving. It is this movement and the changes in the environment that end up creating a basic weather phenomenon, wind. We can’t even talk about hurricanes without talking about wind. If we know that the earth has air, the question really starts with why that air starts to move in the first place. Air, like most other natural phenomenon, wants to be in the least disruptive place, so whenever there is high pressure, it moves away towards low pressure. It is this basic movement of air from high pressure zones to lower pressure zones that creates what we call wind. So when you see a lot of wind, it usually means that a very high pressure zone has moved in and the air is running away from it to find the nearest low pressure zone (peace). This of this like a letting a balloon go, the air shoots out because inside it is stuffed in (high pressure) and it is trying to get out to the low pressure.
Even Kids Can learn about Forces in Seattle Summer Camps
Anything requires force to move, so wind is simply air that is in motion, moving away from high pressure zones to low pressure zones. Our students in our Seattle Summer Camps wanted to know, so Imagine you were sitting at the top of a slide, but haven’t moved yet. Then some big kid comes along and pushes you, whether you like it or not, you are moving. The bigger and harder the push, the faster your body is going down the hill. This example if important, because gravity and the environmental conditions (wetness, heat, etc) are also big effects in producing lots of wind, just like being pushed down a slide.
Phew! So now that we are all on the same page that wind is just the earth pushing air around us, because there are strong forces (differences in high and low pressure generates force), lets get to the real question that this kid is having.
Engineering for Kids - How Hemispheres work
Scientists will tell you the basic science that hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere typically rotate counterclockwise and in the Southern Hemisphere they rotate clockwise. But why? Well, to a child, it is like watching anything that spins, the air around it is going to move in the direction of motion of the object spinning. Since the Earth moves or spins to the right, the strong winds that are experienced by a hurricane are typically moving in that same direction. Regardless of whether the hurricane is moving north or south, it is spinning to the right because the earth is pushing it that way.
What is the Coriolis Effect? - Easy Scence ExPeriment for Kids
If wind is the basic motion of air from high pressure to low pressure that is happening all the time everywhere on the planet, then its motion is almost always curving to the right, because that is the direction of the earth. There is a technical name for this called the Coriolis Effect, but that is not necessary to talk about to kids, just put that in your pocket for your next cocktail party! So when you are in the Southern Hemisphere (south of the equator), and traveling north, the earth is going to push the wind to the right as that is the direction of its spin, which creates a clockwise spin for any hurricanes moving north through the southern hemisphere. If however, you are in the northern hemisphere and traveling south, the earth is still pushing you to the right, however the motion that results is counterclockwise. To show this to your kids, just have them draw a line with an arrow pointing downward on a piece of paper and then slightly bend the arrow it to the right and see that it starts to move into a counterclockwise rotation. Now draw the opposite line with an arrow pointing upward and slightly bend it to the right to see that it starts to move into a clockwise rotation. If your child is drawing the line, just slightly push her finger to the right while she is drawing and the circular motion will start to look like a clock moving in the wrong direction if you keep pushing their finger.
That, our friends, is what creates the basic motion of a Hurricane in each of the hemispheres. Typically, Southern originating hurricanes moving north are clockwise and Northern originating hurricanes are counterclockwise as shown below.
Counterclockwise Motion - Curious Kids in our Chicago Summer Camps Want to know how it Affects the Wind
Now that we understand that wind is just the resulting motion of air from high pressure to low pressure, and that hurricanes spin clockwise or counterclockwise almost entirely based on their origin and the rotation of the earth (Coriolis Effect), we can begin to talk to our kids about environmental conditions. A Hurricane needs food to grow big and strong, and the food that hurricanes love the most are water, warmth, and strong differences in pressure. When the wind starts to move over water, it is called a Tropical Depression, which is basically strong enough to feel (up to 38mph), but doesn’t cause major damage most of the time. When the wind feeds on water that is evaporating, warmth, and pressure difference, the wind gets stronger and can build into a Tropical Storm (winds 39-73mph). A tropical storm causes damage, but it not nearly as bad as what happens next, which is a Tropical Hurricane (winds > 74mph).
How Does the Eye of a Hurricane Work? An Easy Science Experiment for Kids
A basic hurricane has a low pressure center (peaceful in the middle), with ridiculously strong winds immediately boring this low pressure EYE and winds that decrease in strength as you move further away from the eye of the hurricane. There are hundreds of tropical storms a year, and only some of them have the right mix of wind and pressure conditions that they develop into Hurricanes (Category 1 - Category 5). Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones are all the same thing, they just originate in different zones.
When discussing with kids, there is a basic experiments that can do to demonstrate their power at home. The first is to grab an empty two liter bottle and fill it with water. Put a tiny bit glitter or cinnamon (colorful spice) into the bottle and fill it up. Then, just turn it over and watch the water flow out, as you observe it, the glitter or cinnamon won’t do anything. Next, repeat the experiment, but as you turn the 2 liter upside down, give it a tiny circular spinning motion, which will start a vortex (higher speeds of motion) and the kids will see that the glitter is now moving violently in a circular motion and the water will pour it twice as fast. This helps kids see that circular motion effects an increase the rate of water being dumped and simulate the naturally occurring rotation effects on wind as the earth moves. If you happen to have small solid object that will fit into the water, it makes for a really interesting observation as the spinning vortex will whip that object around the 2 liter as the vortex pushes everything down!
Learning How Wind Works -And how its related to Hurricanes?
Ok, so wind is simply motion of air that is caused by differences in pressure, the earth spins to the right, hurricanes develop over time under the right conditions of warmth, water, and pressure, that are sustained, and if you know the hurricane develops in the south or the north, you can reasonably predict whether it will be spinning clockwise (destination Northern Hemisphere from Southern Hemisphere). That’s cool. So what is all this recent media business on whether Hurricanes are getting worse. Well, it turns out, that climate change suggests that our climate is getting warmer. The basic principle is that since the oceans are getting warmer, then the evaporative movement of water will be forming more storm clouds, which will experience higher pressure differences, which will create faster movement of wind, which will increase wind speeds with circulation motion, which will result in stronger hurricanes. :) A Category 5 Hurricane can raise water levels up to 20 feet, which is why there is so much flooding during a hurricane. Water is literally being pushed by the wind over long distances and it piles up onto the shore or in other instances leaves beaches with dry ocean beds.
We could talk about this topic forever, but we will start with some basic problem solving. We can’t really control mother nature, so Hurricanes and Storms will happen. However, if you look at how you theoretically stop them, there are three basic methods:
Cool The Air
Remove the Water
Disrupt the flow of Air with large objects/deflectors (friction is the force that slows things down as we are learning over the next two weeks at Kids Science Labs)
When speaking to kids, we can’t really talk about complexity, as they just are not that interested in that deep level of detail. The basic reason that Hurricanes Spin the way that they do, is that the earth is spinning to the right, and all hurricanes have wind that is being pushed to the right. It just matters whether the hurricane is traveling to the South or traveling to the North, that causes the hurricane to be Clockwise (Destination Northern Hemisphere) or CounterClockwise (Destination Southern Hemisphere). Some of your kids may want to know more, and if so, just bring them to Kids Science Labs because we do this stuff all day. We are the place to bring the curious child to be engaged and learn about how the world works!
If your child has a question that involves science, please let us know and we will address it on Facebook or via a new feature of “I Have A Question”, a regularly occurring blog explaining basic science to kids around the world. Just email your question to “stem@kidssciencelabs.com” and our team of passionate teachers, engineers, and parents will gladly get back to you.