These 12 Valentine's Day themed science activities are kid friendly and jam-packed with fizzy, hands-on, colorful projects that are perfect for a Valentine's Day party. Let friends who can't attend know they "matter" to you with a drop-off Valentines Science kit. From mixing up love potions, discovering the laws of magnetism, creating a lava lamp to candy viscosity, the "chemistry" of fun is undeniable! My hypothesis is that these Valentines themed experiments & at-home packs will spark their curiosity and encourage them to LOVE science!
This fizzing baking soda hearts science experiment is fun for all ages and a great introduction to chemistry. First, mix baking soda & water to create a paste. Add red or pink food dye to the mix. Then place the paste into heart molds to make the baking soda hearts. Freeze the baking soda hearts overnight. Once ready place the hearts into a bowl and squeeze vinegar over the heart using a dropper. Watch the hearts fizz. For a more dramatic reaction pour vinegar from a test tube. Get ready for the squeals and a request for more hearts!
Making crystal hearts is such a fun chemistry experiment! First, shape a chenille stem into a heart. Then find a jar big enough to fit the heart completely inside without it touching the bottom or sides. Carefully fill up the jar with boiling water. Then add three tablespoons of borax per cup of water, stirring slowly to dissolve. Next, lower the heart into the jar & secure using string and a lollipop or stick. Leave the jar undisturbed overnight and wait for the crystals to grow. The next morning, pull out the borax crystal heart from the mixture and set it on a paper towel to dry.
Safety Note: Ensure adult supervision when using hot water and Borax chemical powder.
Their hearts might just explode trying out these experiments with Smarties® Valentine Candy Love Hearts! Test the chemical reactions of candy love hearts with a variety of liquids such as cold & hot water, vinegar, soda, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, oil, corn syrup, juice, soap and milk. Place liquids into Super Science Test Tubes with Trays, then drop candy love hearts into each liquid and watch what happens. Will they sink or float, dissolve, or melt, or will they jump around like jumping beans?! I hypothesize a super fun reaction!
This sparkling Valentines' theme lava lamp is a fun way to explore liquid density, molecular bonding, and bubbling chemical reactions. Fill a beaker about 2/3 full of cooking oil. Then top the beaker the rest of the way with water (leave some room at the top) and add some glitter and a few drops of red food coloring. Now it's time to drop in a tablet of Alka Seltzer to get a chemical reaction! Watch closely…when the tablet and water combine, they create carbon dioxide gas which are the bubbles you see. The bubbles create colored glittery blobs that float to the top of the oil where they pop and fall back down. Continue the fun for longer by adding extra tablets…we couldn't stop!!
Opposite poles attract or pull together! Inspire S.T.E.M learning with a set of Mini Horseshoe Magnets with Bar. Let the kids experiment and discover what the magnet will pick up. Try paper clips, keys, pins, nails, aluminum foil, wood or plastic.
Light up the room with love & rainbows! Prisms are such a fun, hands-on way for kids to explore light, especially rainbows! Hang them in a sunny window to see the rainbows or rotate the prism slowly until the angle is just right and the light refracts into a rainbow. Try it over white paper so the kids can use colored pencils to color over their rainbows created by the prisms.
The Science Academy: Soap Lab kit is filled with everything the kids will need to experiment with soap making. They'll learn the crafts of melting, casting and cutting soaps as well as the science behind soap making. The kids will love experimenting with several different types of soap as well as using shapes such as hearts and the cutest little love bug. For even more of a Valentines spin add Valentines themed food coloring, cosmetic glitter and dried flowers.
The Science Academy: Perfume Lab kit is filled with everything the kids will need to experiment with perfume making. To create their own signature blends they'll be measuring, mixing, extracting, and filtering as well as learning the science behind perfume making. The kids will love experimenting with different types of scents as well as naming their elixir of love!
Hugs & Squeezes for everyone! The Science Academy: Deluxe Squishy Ball Lab is filled with everything the kids will need to experiment and learn the science behind both polymers and pressure.
The kids will love experimenting with unique combinations of ingredients to create their own squishy stress balls and being left with squeezable ball of love!
Have the kids experiment with revealing inner beauty! The Break Open Geodes kit has a great selection of geodes for them to crack open.
Have you ever seen a geode? On the outside, it looks like a plain old, round rock. But when you break it open, inside is a lining of beautiful crystals!
Of Quartz, they're bound to discover Geology rocks!
Turn a classic engineering experiment into a Valentine's Day themed build! Let the kids build fun structures with toothpicks and Valentine Foam Hearts.
What can they build? A bridge, a tower, geometric hearts, an abstract sculpture!
Create challenges along with the building. Who can build the highest? Longest?
Valentine's Day slime is one of the most popular experiments you can do with kids! Fun, colorful, glittery and sensory it is perfect for Valentines! You'll find all the supplies you need as well as easy to follow instructions in the Science Academy: Slime Lab kit.
Alternatively follow one of the many slime recipes on our site and provide a range of fun Valentines Day ingredients to mix in, such as food coloring, glitter, sequins, Red & Silver Heart Confetti, Heart Shaped Pony Beads, red or pink pom-poms, or FloraCraft® Rainbow Slime Ballz.
For those kids who can't attend, drop off a Valentines Day Science Experiment Kit so they can take part virtually! Fill Valentines Heart-Shaped Baskets with shred and tie a "You Matter To Me" tag made from an index card and grid paper with Baker's Twine. Download the free printable download to add to the grid paper. Add science essentials - a dropper, beaker, sharpie, gloves, craft sticks, a notepad for notes, and experiment instructions on index cards,
Then add experiment supplies - Prisms, chenille stems, candy hearts, glue, , yeast packs, and alka seltzer. Film canisters are perfect for holding liquids like activator or peroxide and Round favor containers can be filled with magnets, glitter and slime ballz. Don't forget the candy! Fill heart-shaped containers with fruit candy and tube Favors with jelly beans.
Check out the DIY Periodic Table Backdrop, DIY Valentine's Day Molecule Centerpiece and the Science-Themed Valentine's Day Party.
