The Playful Parent

I love that our generation of parents are all about finding fun ways to learn and grow. If your kids are anything like mine, they are full of energy and curiosity. It’s important to keep young minds stimulated through hands on activities that promote exploration and discovery. I hope you enjoy a few of these spooky science activities.

SKELETON FLOOR PUZZLE

This spooky-themed skeleton floor puzzle is the perfect toy to encourages kids to explore the human body by piecing together a life-size puzzle. This simple yet fun activity is a great way to challenge kids to learn the bone names and basic body structure.  The puzzle comes with the 15 major bones including: head (skull), rib cage, right and left upper arm (Humerus), right and left lower arm (radius and ulna), right and left hands, hips (pelvis), right and left upper leg (femur), right and left low leg (tibia and fibula) and right and left feet.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE LEARNING:

• Mix up the puzzle pieces on the floor, call out a name and see if they can locate and place it in the correct spot.
• After they piece the puzzle together, encourage them to lay down on top of the puzzle to make comparisons to their own bodies.

PUZZLE INFORMATION:

This Skeleton Floor Puzzle is by my favorite toy company Learning Resources. The puzzle can be found on their website for under $30 by visiting this link.

SPOOKY SLIME

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1- 4oz Bottle of Clear Elmer’s Glue
• 1/2- TSP Baking Soda
• 1- TBSP Multi Purpose Eye Solution
• Green Food Dye
• Googly Eyes
• Disposable Bowl
• Popsicle stick or plastic spoon

HOW TO MAKE SPOOKY SLIME:

1. Empty the entire 4 oz Elmer’s glue into the bowl.
2. To add color,  pour in a few drops of food color and mix well.
3. Next, add baking soda and mix in thoroughly.
4. To make your slime stretchy add 1-2 TBSP of water.
5. Slowly add your contact solution and blend together.
6. The next part is essential and fun. You will need to knead the slime to make it form.
7. Add in googly eyes to make it super spooky and fun.

ERUPTING PUMPKIN

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• One Small Pumpkin
• Distilled Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Liquid Dish Soap
• Food coloring
• Warm Water
• Container or tray

HOW TO MAKE AN ERUPTING PUMPKIN:

This video was taken last year, look how much fun we had!

1. Follow the basic steps for making a jack-o-lantern.  Cut off the top of your pumpkin and scoop the insides out. You can keep the seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds. You can also use the inside of the pumpkin for sensory play. Next, carve a face of your own design into the side of the pumpkin. Rinse and dry the pumpkin. Be carefully cutting your pumpkin. This part should be done by an adult.
2. Pre-measure and set your ingredients up so that your kids can help with the science experiment. Measurements don’t have to be perfect. I mixed about a 1/2 Cup of warm water with 2-3 drops of food coloring and a few drops of dish soup (the dish soap helps make it bubble.) Next in a separate cup measure 3-4 TBSP of baking soda and finally measure in a third cup about 1/2 Cup of Vinegar. Set your pumpkin in a large tray or container to help maintain the mess. Place your three measured ingredients next to container and call the kiddos over for some fun.
3. Instruct your little helpers to first pour in the water, than the baking soda and last but not least the vinegar. The eruption will occur as soon as you add the vinegar.
4. You can talk to them about the science behind the fun. Let them know that a chemical reaction has occurred. By combining an acid (vinegar) with a base (baking soda) it turned into a new substance, carbon dioxide.

PUMPKIN CATAPULT

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Popsicle sticks
• Small Rubber bands
• Water Bottle Cap
• Pom Poms
• Pipe cleaners
• Craft Paper
• Googly Eyes
• Elmer’s Glue
• Hot Glue

HOW TO MAKE YOUR CATAPULT:

1. Stack two popsicle sticks on top of each other and rubber-band them together at one end and set to the side.
2. Bundle 6-8 sticks (8 worked best for us) together and rubber band them at each end.
3. Gently slide the group of eight sticks in between the two sticks from step 1.
4. Use two small rubber bands or one large one to secure all of the craft sticks together making an x shape.
5. For fun I made pumpkin pom poms. I just hot glued pipe cleaner stems on the top.
6. Now for the fun part, place your pom pom on the catapult and watch it sore.

HOW TO MAKE MONSTER TARGETS:

1. To start off you need a base to create your monster. To create the base, place 5-6  popsicle sticks next to each other on a flat surface. To secure them together glue a stick at the top and bottom.
2. The next part is where you get to be creative.  Have fun creating your monsters by giving them fun characteristics (hair, eyes, nose, mouth and teeth.) You can use felt, craft paper, pipe cleaners, stickers, whatever you like to make your monster unique and fun.
3. Now your monster is ready to be set up for target practice!

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

***All content and photos in this article belong to The Playful Parent.***