Learning on the weekends can be fun as well as tasty. Listed below are fun experiments that exercise the right side of the brain, which handles logical tasks, and the left side of the brain, which processes the five senses.
To understand which side of the brain is dominant in a child, doctors advise parents to observe how their child responds to various situations. It is found that children who prefer to work alone and find researching and analyzing facts interesting are left-brain dominant. Children who are right-brain dominant enjoy art projects and hands on activities over writing papers and doing research.
Education professionals recommend finding ways to encourage the use of both sides of the brain that results in harmony and the use of the brain’s full potential.
“It is not a question of either/or—right brain or left brain,” says Diane Connell, Ed. D, in a recently published article.
Try these learning experiments from Bayer’s Making Science Make Sense® portal to encourage children to use creative thought processes while encouraging independent thinking.
Balloon Skewers Experiment
Who knew you could stick a skewer through a balloon without bursting it?
Lava Lamp Experiment
This year marks the 56th anniversary of the Lava Lamp. Originally called the “Astro Globe,” the liquid motion lamp has become popular with a younger generation. Check out how to make it at home!
Ice Cream Chemistry Experiment
After the experiments are done, there’s nothing like a delicious bowl of ice cream to bring sunshine to young faces. It’s an even happier time when families can make this creamy delight in 10 minutes.
Brigitte L. Maxey is a freelance writer for Our Children Magazine.
Bayer—a founding sponsor of National PTA’s STEM + Families initiative—is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science Fields of healthcare and agriculture.
