YORK, Pa. — Finding endless activities to keep kids entertained over the summer can be a daunting task, especially when it's too hot to go outside.
The Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts offers a cool place for kids to hang out and innovate, but the experimenting can also be done at home with items already in your kitchen.
Fizzy Fireworks
The Fourth of July may have come and gone, but fireworks are exciting at any time of the year! These fizzy fireworks are just as fun and colorful as the real thing--just without the loud blast.
Start by sprinkling some different colors of glitter into the bottom of a shallow dish like a pie pan. Then you'll repeat the process with drops of food dye until there's an explosion of color inside your pan.
"So we got our colorful base; we know fireworks are bright and colorful," Kristin James, education and Science Center manager at the Whitaker Center, said. "So we're going to do the science part now."
First, you'll sprinkle some baking soda into the pan until there's an even coating over the glitter and food coloring. Next comes the vinegar.
"What this is going to do when we combine the two is an acid-based reaction is going to occur," James said. "And that's a chemical change, so instead of being vinegar and baking soda, it's going to result in water, salt and carbon dioxide bubbles--which is the part we like to see the most."
Slowly pour the vinegar over the dish and watch the magic happen!
Slime
Another household favorite activity is making slime. This oozy gooey substance can provide hours of fun for little ones and adults alike.
"This is a really popular Whitaker Center lesson," James said. "We do it for birthdays, we do it for STEM lessons; it's very, very popular with the kids."
She recommends using a disposable cup or one you don't mind throwing away for this experiment. Fill it with one cup of Elmer's glue and a few drops of a food coloring of your choice. Mix the substances thoroughly, making sure to reach the bottom of the cup. Add in some baking soda and mix again. Then, the magic happens when contact solution is added.
"Inside contact solution... is boric acid. And boric acid is an activator, so what it does when we add it to the glue--the glue is going to gel together more, and it's going to change."
Once the solution is thoroughly mixed, the gooey slime is ready to play with!
For even more hands-on fun, the Whitaker Center can be found at 222 Market St. in Harrisburg. The organization has live performances, movies, a science center and more to keep kids educated and entertained. There are still slots available in some summer camps.