World Science Day on 10 November is a lovely chance to slow down, notice the wonders in everyday life, and learn side by side with your little one.
At Kids Planet, we see science as play with a purpose. With a tray, a torch, a few kitchen bits, and your encouragement, children build confidence, language, and problem-solving skills that sit at the heart of early years education. You do not need fancy kits…just curiosity, time, and a splash of creativity.
✅ Keep it Supervised: Always stay with your child, protect clothes and surfaces, and check for allergies.
✅ Let Them Lead: Invite your child to guide the play and make the predictions.
✅ SEND Adaptability: Reduce noise, offer visual supports, or use larger tools for an easier grip to support different learning styles.
You’ll need: Washing-up liquid, warm water, sugar or glycerine, cups, straws, different wands.
Try it: Stir a spoon of washing-up liquid into warm water with a pinch of sugar. Test big and small wands, then try joining two bubbles. Ask what happens if you blow slowly or quickly.
💡 The Learning: Observation, predicting, cause and effect, and rich describing words.
You’ll need: Bowl or bath of water, a mix of toys.
Try it: Make a “will it float” prediction pile. Test each toy and sort into float or sink groups. Try trapping air in a plastic cup and test again.
💡 The Learning: Early physics, sorting, classifying, and new vocabulary (float, sink, heavy, light).
You’ll need: Torch or lamp, clear wall, hands or toys.
Try it: Shine the torch and move hands closer and farther. Trace outlines on paper. Compare shadow size as you move the torch.
💡 The Learning: Light and shadow, creativity, and positional language (near and far).
You’ll need: Bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, washing-up liquid, tray, cup.
Try it: Put bicarb and a drip of washing-up liquid in the cup. Pour in vinegar and enjoy the fizz. Compare small and big scoops and agree on safety rules.
💡 The Learning: Acid-base reactions, turn-taking, and listening to safety instructions.
You’ll need: Whole milk in a shallow dish, food colouring, cotton bud, washing-up liquid.
Try it: Add colour drops to the milk. Touch a soapy cotton bud to the surface. Watch the colours race and describe the patterns.
💡 The Learning: Surface tension, colour mixing, observing carefully, and using descriptive language.
Learning outdoors is our happy place. Our Udeskole approach uses real-world experiences in all weathers to grow confident, curious thinkers.
You’ll need: Magnifier, small tub with air holes, sticks, leaves, bark.
Try it: Search under stones and leaves, handling with care. Observe and count legs, then return the insects. Build a mini bug hotel with sticks and bark.
💡 The Learning: Habitats, empathy for living things, and speaking in full sentences.
You’ll need: DIY rain gauge (bottle with a ruler), ribbon windsock, notebook.
Try it: Place the gauge outside and check it daily. Watch the windsock and note if it’s breezy or calm. Compare days and talk about the weather patterns.
💡 The Learning: Measurement, recording data, and noticing patterns over time.
Combine your child’s favorite books with interactive engineering challenges!
You’ll need: Straw, sticks, blocks, and a hairdryer on cool.
The Challenge: Build three small houses. Test them with gentle puffs from the “wolf” hairdryer. Discuss which materials are strongest and why!
You’ll need: Foil, a bowl of water, coins or buttons.
The Challenge: Shape a foil boat and predict how many coins it can hold. Add the cargo one by one until it sinks. Redesign the boat and try again!
You’ll need: Tray, flour, small pebbles.
The Challenge: Smooth flour into a tray to make the “moon.” Drop pebbles from different heights and compare the crater sizes and impact patterns.
Every child is different. You can lower noise levels, offer ear defenders, swap touch-heavy tasks for visual ones, or use larger tools. Our colleagues model rich vocabulary, support turn-taking, and extend language, which is especially powerful for children with SEND.
Pick one idea, set out a simple invitation to play, and follow your child’s lead. You are doing the most important bit: being present and curious together. On World Science Day, and every day, we will be right there cheering you on.
Want more play-and-learn ideas, or to see how our early years education supports curiosity? Book a visit to your local Kids Planet and chat with our team about our nurturing approach and funded childcare options.
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