Take Homeschool Science Outdoors for National Science Week

Summer is coming to a close and, while chasing fireflies and late night Olympic binges may still be on your calendar; your family needs to start thinking about preparing for the school year. What better way to get your homeschoolers back into the routine of learning than by rocking their world (literally) with outdoor science studies. And, this week is a great time to get started because next week is National Science Week! Grab your supplies, including an observation notebook and Scientific Method, cheat sheet, and get ready for “Backyard Science Camp.” Take homeschool science outdoors for National Science Week with these 15 next level science experiments for all ages.

15 Outdoor Science Experiments for National Science Week

1. Make S’mores Oven Outside: Learn all about the science of heat with this sweet experiment!
2. Seeds and SIP’s: Explore the world of seeds and irrigation by making your own sub-irrigated planter out of a 2 liter and a few packs of seeds.
3. Rock Their World: Discover how to find and identify different minerals and stones. All you need is a magnifying glass and vinegar!
4. Roll Around Fun: Explore the world of roly polys, also known as pill bugs, with this series of preschool-elementary based activities from capriplus3.com.
5. Shadow Buddies: Turn your children into human sundials while learning about shadows and how the earth moves in this Human Sundial Shadow Experiment.
6. Evaporation Exploration: By using recycled caps and lids your little learners will dive into the water cycle and evaporation.
7. Light It Up: Fire meets dandelion. What’s going to happen? Learn about what makes dandelions special in this fun experiment!
8. Fruit-Cano: Take chemistry and volcanoes to the next level by adding a watermelon to your basic baking soda volcano experiment.
9. Baking Boats: Don’t put the baking soda away just yet! Continue to explore chemical reactions with a touch of physics by making a baking soda powered boat.
10. Bubble, Bubble: Nothing says “summer” for young kids like bubbles. Make bubble snakes with this easy bubble experiment that even little hands can do!
11. Next Level Bubbles: What can you use to make giant bubbles? Math meets science in this bubbly experiment! Take a tour around your house scanning for circles and experiment with bubbles and size.
12. Dirty Dozen: Gather different household materials to create filters while you learn about porous materials and water safety in this water filtration experiment.
13. Campground Science: Take science week to the campground with some campground science experiments from sciencebuddies.org.
14. Wacky Water Balloons: Explore density and heat in this water balloon science test. Be sure to make good use of those balloons afterwards with a good ‘ole balloon battle!
15. Origami Surfing: Origami meets wind power. Your older science geeks will love this hands-on weather experiment! Be sure to try different shapes and styles of origami to take this experiment up a notch.

Turning your backyard into a laboratory is easy with these 15 fun Science Week activities. And, if you journal and log hours, you’ve already got a start on your science requirements for the year! Now that’s the smart way to end your summer!
Which experiment are you going to try? Tell us in a comment below!