About the event
DIY science activities to do at home
Here's a wide range of activities for children aged 5–11 that you can do at home using what you already have.
When we’re not working on a virtual Festival, Edinburgh Science sees over 60,000 young people every year in our immersive, hands-on workshops, shows and events. Our shows and workshops are designed to engage young learners using larger-than-life props, actions and experiments.
We can’t recreate all that in your living room, but we hope that the activities on these pages can get you thinking about various topics and spark an enthusiasm for science at home!
Many educational charities and cultural institutions, like ourselves, are doing what we can during the current pandemic to maintain business as usual. Whilst we usually charge for tickets, we have made our content free and fully accessible for all those staying at home. If you feel able to support our work, you can help us by making donation. Whether that amount be small or large, every little helps us continue doing what we do. Make a gift to Edinburgh Science.
Body Builders gets you thinking about the basics of the musculoskeletal, circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems. These activities are designed to get young people to think about how our muscles and bones (our musculoskeletal system) work. Have a go and see if you can get your home learners talking about what makes them tick.
Best suited for ages 7–11
Ella’s Wobble is an investigation into sound. These activities will get you thinking about how different sounds are made, how sounds travel and how we can detect different sounds depending on what produces them.
Best suited for ages 5–8
Power from the People explores the principles of electricity using circuits, flowing electrons, magnets and capacitors. These activities investigate how electricity can be stored and the science behind electromagnets.
Best suited for ages 7–11
Bricks and Blocks asks learners what robots are, why they are useful and how we tell them what to do. These activities are designed to get young people to think about how computers and machines work, and how we can create programs that control machines.
Best suited for ages 5–8
Day or Night introduces the movements of the Sun, Moon and Earth. These activities are designed to get young people to think about the moon and the stars, where they are in relation to us and why they change in the night sky.
Best suited for ages 5–7
Ready, Teddy, Go! is about how things move, why objects always fall when we drop them and why balls will never roll along the ground forever. Interactive activities focus on pushing, pulling, gravity and friction. These activities should get young people to think about the forces all around us, how friction affects the way things move and how magnetic forces can work at a distance.
Best suited for ages 5–11
Kids Lab – Activities Bundle
The activities in this downloadable bundle are collected from our archives of workshops that we have developed over the last few years. We hope they shine a light of discovery into your home classrooms. Good for getting everyone in the house involved.
Best suited for ages 5+
Download the Activities Bundle
Thanks to our Edinburgh Science Learning Supporters, Community Engagement Supporters and Catalysts too.
