Kids love science, especially when it involves hands-on experiments. These second grade science experiments are guaranteed to bring excitement and enthusiastic vibes into your classroom. They are easy to do and most use materials you probably already have handy. Your students will learn basic concepts about physics, chemistry, biology, and more while having a blast!
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1. Brew up tie-dye slime
Slime is more than just an ever-popular toy. It’s also got a lot of great science behind it. Mix up some eye-popping tie-dye slime and take the opportunity to learn about polymers and non-Newtonian fluids.
Learn more: I Heart Arts and Crafts
2. Make a bouquet of chromatography flowers
Use chromatography to split secondary paint colors into their original hues. The results are both pretty and fascinating!
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me/Chromatography Flowers
3. Concoct a foaming rainbow
Every kid loves the classic baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction experiment. This version makes a foamy rainbow, thanks to some added food coloring.
Learn more: Messy Little Monster
4. Sculpt pipe cleaner constellations
Help kids find the constellations in the night sky by making these models from pipe cleaners. The little star beads are such a clever touch!
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me/Pipe Cleaner Constellations
5. Tell time with a sundial
How did people tell time before clocks and watches? Help second grade science students find out by making their own sundials from paper plates.
Learn more: Paging Supermom
6. Power up a lemon battery
Here’s another classic science experiment every kid should try. They’ll be amazed to learn a citrus fruit can generate an electric current!
Learn more: Education.com/Lemon Battery
7. Race clothespin cars
Explore simple machines by building race cars from basic supplies like clothespins and drinking straws. It’s a really fun way to learn about wheels and axles.
Learn more: The Primary Brain
8. Pollinate like a bee
Use pipe cleaner bees to discover how these pollinators pick up and move cheese powder “pollen” from one juice box flower to the next. Simple, fun, and adorable!
Learn more: Around the Kampfire/Cheese Powder Pollination Activity
9. Build a body from play dough
Play-Doh activities are always fun to do! Visit the link below for free printable mats to use as you have your second grade science students sculpt the bones, organs, and muscles of the body.
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me/Play-Doh Body
10. Grow a sprout house
This two-part science project first challenges kids to use their engineering skills to construct a miniature house made of sponges. Then, they plant chia, alfalfa, or other quick-sprouting seeds and keep the sponges moist until they start to grow.
Learn more: The STEM Laboratory
11. Re-create the water cycle in a bag
This simple but effective experiment explores the water cycle. Fill a plastic bag partway with water and set it on a sunny windowsill to see how the water evaporates up and eventually “rains” down.
Learn more: Grade School Giggles
12. Turn pom-poms into crystal balls
Every kid loves making crystals! They’ll learn about supersaturated solutions as they make these cute little crystal pom-pom balls.
Learn more: A Dab of Glue Will Do
13. Conduct a cookie dunk experiment
Introduce or review the scientific method with a fun and easy experiment to determine which cookies float or sink when dunked in milk. Then you can eat the results! (Find more great edible science experiments here.)
Learn more: Around the Kampfire/Milk and Cookies Scientific Method Experiment
14. Test sunscreen for effectiveness
Kids might wonder why they need to wear sunscreen when they’re at the park or playing soccer. This experiment shows them the power of the sun’s rays and the protection sunscreen provides.
Learn more: JDaniel4’s Mom
15. Create an earth model from play dough
Play-Doh has so many uses in the classroom! Use it to teach second grade science students about the layers of the earth by building a fun and colorful model.
Learn more: The Crafty Classroom
16. Design and build an index card tower
Challenge your second grade science students to a little early engineering. Given only index cards, how tall and/or strong of a structure can they build?
Learn more: Education to the Core
17. Use bread to learn about hand-washing
There’s never been a better time for an experiment involving the importance of washing your hands! All you need for this one is bread, plastic bags, and some dirty hands.
Learn more: Parenting Isn’t Easy
18. Explore erosion with sugar cubes
Simulate the effects of erosion by shaking sugar cubes in a cup with some pebbles to see what happens. Get more ideas for second grade science activities about erosion and weathering at the link.
Learn more: The First Grade Roundup
19. Find out which liquid is best for growing seeds
As you learn about the life cycle of plants, explore how water supports their growth. Plant seeds and water them with a variety of liquids to see which sprout first and grow best.
Learn more: Lessons 4 Little Ones
20. Repel glitter with dish soap
Every teacher knows that glitter is just like germs … it gets everywhere and is so hard to get rid of! Use that to your advantage, and show students how soap fights glitter and germs.
Learn more: Living Life & Learning
21. Build a folded mountain
This clever demonstration helps kids understand how some types of mountains are formed. Use layers of towels to represent rock layers and boxes for continents. Then pu-u-u-sh and see what happens!
Learn more: The Chaos and the Clutter/Folded Mountain
22. Drink root beer floats to learn about states of matter
What’s easy to make, delicious to eat, and demonstrates all three states of matter at once? Root beer floats! This will easily be your students’ favorite science lesson of the year.
Learn more: Learning Lab Resources
23. Learn about osmosis with gummy bears
This is one of those classic experiments your second grade science students will love to see in action. Soak the gummies in water to watch them grow through the power of osmosis!
Learn more: Nurture Store UK
24. Build magnet-and-paper-clip trees
Experiment with magnet properties like polarity and strength by building cute little trees. This is also an excellent way for kids to find out which items are magnetic and which are not.
Learn more: Preschool Powol Packets
25. Bend objects to test flexibility
Explore one of the properties of matter with this easy experiment. Kids plan how to test flexibility, then try it out with a variety of basic objects.
Learn more: Around the Kampfire/Flexibility Science Experiment
26. Freeze and observe liquid expansion
As you explore the states of matter, experiment to see if some types of liquid expand more than others when frozen.
Learn more: Education.com
27. Discover density with saltwater solutions
This simple experiment covers a lot of second grade science concepts. Learn about solutions, density, and even ocean science as you compare and contrast how objects float in different water mixtures.
Learn more: Science Kiddo
28. Explode a balloon seed pod
After you learn about pollination, take the next step, and explore how plants disperse their seeds far and wide. One way is with exploding seed pods. Use a balloon to see how it works.
Learn more: Around the Kampfire/Seed Dispersal Activity
29. Watch a leaf “breathe”
Plants “breathe” through transpiration, and you can see the process in action simply by submerging a leaf in water.
Learn more: Edventures With Kids/Leaf Transpiration
30. Grow a self-sustaining ecosystem
Plant seeds inside a sealed plastic bottle and observe both the water cycle and the plant life cycle in one simple second grade science experiment.
Learn more: Carly and Adam
31. Compare and contrast animal habitats
Build a variety of habitats (woodland, arctic, savanna, etc.). Then have kids compare to see how they are similar (all have water) and how they are different (trees, temperatures, etc.).
Learn more: Edventures With Kids/Animal Habitats
32. Use crackers to learn about properties of matter
Practice sorting, comparing, and classifying using properties of matter in this tasty experiment. All you need is a variety of snack crackers and inquiring minds! (These magnifying glasses would be fun too.)
Learn more: Around the Kampfire/Properties of Matter Cracker Lab
33. Discover plate tectonics with graham crackers
Use graham crackers as the earth’s crust floating on a bed of whipped topping “mantle” to learn about how tectonic plates interact.
Learn more: Playdough to Plato
34. Collect and classify rocks
Take a nature walk to pick up rocks of all kinds. Bring them back and have kids examine them closely and sort them into groups by properties (color, size, shape, texture, and so on). This is a fantastic lead-in to learning about the types of rocks.
Learn more: Rhythms of Play
35. Blast off drinking straw rockets
Engineer rockets from drinking straws and have a blast when you send them flying! Kids can tweak the design to see whose can fly the highest.
Learn more: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls
36. Demonstrate heat energy with chocolate kisses
Give each student two chocolate kiss candies to hold onto for five minutes. Students should keep one palm open, while closing their other around the kiss. See what happens simply from our body heat.
Learn more: Sandy Fiorini at TPT
37. Make a watermelon explode
How many rubber bands does it take to make a watermelon explode? Find out while observing the concepts of potential and kinetic energy with your students.
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me/Exploding Watermelon Science
38. Make edible dirt cups
Help your students remember the four types of soil with this tasty second grade science experiment. Layer pudding, graham crackers, and Oreos for a mouthwatering, memorable lesson.
Learn more: The Kitchen Is My Playground
39. Simulate how animals help plants grow
Students will love creating an animal model to learn more about how animals help seeds disperse throughout nature. The seeds will stick to the animals at first, but watch what happens as they are moved around!
Learn more: Around the Kampfire/Animal Attachment Seed Activity
40. Discover how fish breathe underwater
We all know that fish breathe through gills, but how exactly does it work? This fascinating second grade science experiment shows your students how it happens.
Learn more: Around the Kampfire/How Fish Breathe Underwater
41. Make a cloud poster or booklet
Help your students remember the different cloud types with this creative activity. Head outside afterwards and allow your students to observe and journal about the daytime sky.
Learn more: Having a Fields Day at TPT
42. Turn an egg into a bouncy ball
Simply soak an egg in vinegar for 48 hours for this amazing chemical reaction. This is guaranteed to blow your students’ minds!
Learn more: Cool Science Experiments Headquarters
43. Build a solar oven to make s’mores
Observe the power of solar energy while baking a delicious, gooey dessert in the process. Yum!
Learn more: Desert Chica
44. Conduct an egg drop
In this STEM project, your students will create a protective egg holder from simple materials. They will love seeing if their contraption keeps their egg in one piece during the competition.
Learn more: Buggy and Buddy
45. Create a solar system out of play dough
This is a perfect culminating project for your space unit. Your students can display their models at home when the project is complete.
Learn more: Good to Know
46. Drop a Mento in soda and watch it erupt
Here is another second grade science experiment that will make your students explode with excitement. Drop a Mento candy in different types of soda, and see which one causes the tallest geyser.
Learn more: Steve Spangler Science
47. Count how many water drops will fit on a penny
How many water drops fit on a penny? Find out with this fun and easy experiment that focuses on surface tension. Your students will be amazed by the results!
Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands
48. Project stars on your ceiling
Everyone loves visiting a planetarium. Turn your very own second grade science classroom into one with this simple DIY star projector from our friend Mystery Doug.
Learn more: Mystery Science
49. Write secret messages with invisible ink
Make your own invisible ink from just baking soda and water, then have your students write messages to one another. Reveal the secret messages with a flashlight once the ink is dry.
Learn more: ThoughtCo
50. Build marshmallow and pretzel structures
Get creative while practicing engineering skills by building structures with marshmallows and pretzels. Sweeten the deal by eating them afterwards!
Learn more: The STEM Laboratory
