Spark Science Joy This Christmas: Festive Fun for Your Classroom

The festive season is a wonderful opportunity to combine the magic of Christmas with the excitement of science! With a little creativity, you can turn your classroom into a hub of discovery and fun while keeping the holiday spirit alive. Here are some simple and engaging Christmas science activities to try with your children this year.

1. Christmas Slime

What you need: Clear glue, liquid starch or saline solution, water, glitter, green and red food colouring

Instructions: Mix equal parts glue and water, then stir in your chosen colours and glitter for a festive touch. Slowly add liquid starch or saline solution until the mixture thickens into slime. Children can mould it into Christmas tree shapes or candy canes!

Science behind it: This activity explores polymers – substances made of long chains of molecules. The slime’s stretchy, gooey texture is a perfect example of how molecules interact.

2. Ice Ornaments

What you need: Plastic cups, water, string, leaves or small decorations, freezer

Instructions: Fill each cup with water, add decorations or natural objects, and place a loop of string inside. Freeze overnight. Once frozen, peel off the cup and hang your icy ornaments outdoors.

Science behind it: Children will learn about the freezing process and states of matter as they watch the water transform into a solid.

3. Candy Cane Chemistry

What you need: Clear cups, warm water, cold water, vinegar, sugar water, candy canes

Instructions: Place candy canes in each cup of liquid and observe what happens over time. Which liquid dissolves the candy cane fastest?

Science behind it: This simple experiment demonstrates how different liquids interact with sugar, introducing children to the concept of solubility.

4. Festive Balloon Rockets

What you need: Balloons, string, tape, straws, jingle bells

Instructions: Thread a string through a straw and attach it between two points. Tape a balloon (and jingle bells for festive sound effects) to the straw, blow it up, and let it go!

Science behind it: This experiment demonstrates Newton’s Third Law – every action has an equal and opposite reaction – in a festive and exciting way.

5. Melting Snowmen

What you need: Baking soda, water, vinegar, small plastic items (like buttons or beads)

Instructions: Mix baking soda and water to form a dough, then shape it into snowmen. Add buttons, beads, or other small decorations. Place them on a tray, pour vinegar over them, and watch them “melt.”

Science behind it: Children will learn about acid-base reactions as the vinegar and baking soda fizz and dissolve the snowmen.

6. Snowstorm in a Jar

What you need: Baby oil, water, white paint, glitter, effervescent tablets

Instructions: Fill a jar mostly with baby oil, then add a mix of water and white paint. Sprinkle glitter for sparkle, then drop in an effervescent tablet to create a swirling snowstorm.

Science behind it: This activity demonstrates density and chemical reactions, with the tablet producing carbon dioxide that moves the "snow."

7. Christmas Light Circuits

What you need: LED Christmas lights, batteries, copper tape, card or paper

Instructions: Use copper tape to create a simple circuit on paper. Connect the tape to a battery and an LED light to make it glow. Children can design their circuits as part of a festive card!

Science behind it: This activity introduces children to basic circuits, conductivity, and how electricity powers festive lights.

Celebrate Christmas with Science!

Each of these activities will bring a little festive magic into your classroom while reinforcing key scientific concepts. Whether you’re creating snowstorms in jars or melting baking soda snowmen, your children will love exploring the science behind these fun and seasonal experiments.

For even more engaging ideas, don’t forget to check out our Science Fundraising Kits at Popcorn Education. Packed with exciting activities, they’re perfect for keeping young scientists curious and learning all year round.

Let us know which activities you try, and have a Merry, Science-filled Christmas!