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Bible Activities and Sermons » Activity Type » Kids' sermon/message

10 Science Experiments for Children’s Ministry

Published: January 3, 2013

Here are 10 wonder-filled, hands-on science experiments for kids — to illuminate God’s powerful presence in kids’ lives.

Faith and science have a lot in common. Both can be messy, explosive, and mysterious. Kids question both, test both, and ponder the wonder of things that, at first glance, might not make much sense. In the process of learning about science, kids are quickly captivated, embarking on their own discoveries. So goes faith: Once kids get a taste of our intriguing, real-deal God, they just can’t get enough.

Science is God-inspired, and it’s a lot of fun. So why not tap into your kids’ natural curiosity to help them discover fascinating scientific facts — while at the same time growing their understanding of biblical truths? Come on — grab your lab coat! We’ve got 10 experiments for kids to help them discover how their faith connects with the wonders of God’s amazing universe.

Science Experiment #1: Calm in the Storm

Build a tornado tube to remind kids they can rely on God in any situation.

Bible Connect: Luke 8:22-25 Best for: Ages 8 to 12 Stuff Per Group: Two 2-liter plastic soft drink bottles, water, one 1-inch metal washer, duct tape, food coloring, and glitter.

The Experiment

Say: Let’s recreate a terrifying force in nature to see how it works.

Fill one bottle two-thirds full with water. Add food coloring and glitter to the water. Put the metal washer on the bottle mouth, then place the second bottle upside down on the first bottle so the mouths are connected by the washer. Tightly wrap several layers of duct tape around the bottle mouths to secure them, creating a tornado tube. Test the tube to ensure no water leaks. Turn the bottle over, start the tornado by swirling the top bottle, and watch the water simulate a tornado as it swirls down.

Scientific Facts

Water swirling in the tube is similar to the vortex of a tornado. The water spirals down, moving the glitter with it — just like a tornado moves objects in its path. The largest tornado recorded to date: May 22, 2004, in Wilber, Nebraska at 2.5 miles wide!

Talk About It

Have kids talk about how they’d feel if they were in a tornado and then describe a situation when they were afraid. Ask:

What made that situation scary?
What did you do?

Read the Scripture. Ask:

Have you ever felt like the disciples did?
How easy or difficult is it to trust God when you’re afraid? Why?
What’s a good way to remember we can trust God the next time we feel afraid?

Science Experiment #2: Dancing Raisins

Remind kids how fun it is to praise God.

Bible Connect: Psalm 149:3-4 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff Per Group: Raisins, clear plastic cups, and carbonated water.

Can raisins dance?

Fill a cup with carbonated water and drop in several raisins. Ask kids to hypothesize about what’ll happen. Watch for a few minutes to see what the raisins do. Then enjoy a raisin snack.

Carbonated beverages are pressurized by carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide bubbles attach to the wrinkled raisins and cause them to float and bounce. They’ll continue to “dance” up and down until they get soggy or the carbonated water goes flat.

Was your guess correct?
Why did the raisins dance?
Are the bubbles like or unlike how God wants us to praise him?
How can we praise God with enthusiasm every day?

Science Experiment #3: Wonder Clouds

This experiment reminds kids that Jesus will return to earth.

Bible Connect: Revelation 1:7-8 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff Per Group: One wide-mouth glass jar with a metal lid, water, ice cubes, flashlight.

Do you think it’s possible to create a cloud right in this room? Let’s find out.

Pour 3 inches of hot water into the jar and quickly put on the lid. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes, then place several ice cubes on top of the lid. Turn off the light and ask kids to hypothesize about what they’ll see. Shine a flashlight behind the jar to reveal the cloud.

Clouds form when warm air rises and begins to cool. As air cools, it can’t hold as much water, so it forms tiny water droplets that become a cloud. Fair weather clouds (cirrus clouds) move with the jet stream, sometimes faster than 100 miles per hour!

What surprised you about this experiment?
What surprises you about what the Bible says about Jesus in the clouds?
Do you think Jesus will return in your lifetime? Why or why not?
If Jesus came back today, what would you do?

Science Experiment #4: Impossible Possibility

Help kids remember that God is always with us, even if we can’t see him.

Bible Connect: 1 Timothy 1:15-17 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff Per Group: A balloon, yeast, sugar, water, a glass jar, a funnel, and an empty glass drink bottle.

Say: Can something invisible have visible results?

Mix 1 tablespoon of yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 cup warm (not hot) water in the glass jar. Use a funnel to pour the mixture into the bottle. Ask kids to hypothesize about what’ll happen to the balloon when you stretch it over the bottleneck. Then watch as the balloon inflates.

The yeast converts the solid sugars and liquid water into carbon dioxide gas. Since the gas takes up more space than the solid and the liquid, the pressure in the bottle increases and the balloon expands.

Is it easy or difficult to understand something you can’t see, such as the carbon dioxide? Explain.
How would you explain how carbon dioxide works?
How would you explain our invisible God to someone?
Is it easy or difficult to have faith in a God you can’t see? Why or why not?
How can you explain your faith in God so others understand?

Science Experiment #5: Shine

Kids create a starry sky while discovering that they can be a light in the world.

Bible Connect: Philippians 2:14-16 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff for Each Child: A cardboard oatmeal container, a nail, a hammer, scrap wood, and a flashlight.

Say: Let’s see if we can recreate God’s fantastic nighttime sky right here.

Place oatmeal containers on scrap wood to protect floors. Have adults help kids use a hammer and nail to gently punch holes in the bottoms of the oatmeal containers. Turn out the lights. Kids can put their flashlights inside their containers and enjoy the planetarium they’ve created on the ceiling or wall.

Stars are large balls of gas that produce color, heat, and light. A star changes over time, but it takes millions — even billions — of years for it to live out its life span. The eye can typically see 2,000 stars on a clear night.

What would night be like without stars?
Why do you think God wants us to be lights on earth?
How would our world be without God’s faithful people?
How can you be a light for God?

Science Experiment #6: What Lies Beneath

Remind kids that God looks at the heart.

Bible Connect: 1 Samuel 16:7 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff Per Child: A large coffee filter, scissors, a black nonpermanent marker, and water.

Can you find a rainbow in a black marker?

Cut out the center bottom of a coffee filter and color a coin-size black dot in the center. Have kids hypothesize about what’ll happen when they add water to the dot. Drop 10 drops of water onto the black dot and watch as a rainbow of colors spreads.

Black marker ink is made of colored pigments and water. When water’s added, the pigments dissolve and spread through the filter, revealing the colors that mix to create black.

What happened when you added water?
Were you surprised by what you saw?
How is this experiment like or unlike you?
Do you have qualities others don’t see? Explain.
Do you think God sees those qualities? Explain.
How does it feel to know God looks at your heart rather than outward appearance?

Science Experiment #7: Sticky Friends

This sticky activity helps kids appreciate the gift of friends.

Bible Connect: Proverbs 18:24 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff for Each Child: A balloon and small scraps of paper or threads.

Can an invisible bond make everyday objects stick together?

Inflate a balloon and tie it. Rub it on your clothing, and stick it to a wall. Rub the balloon more, and hold it over small pieces of paper or thread. The objects will stick to the balloon.

The balloons stick to objects because when two objects are rubbed together, one becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged, forming static electricity. The balloon is positively charged and will attract objects that are negatively charged.

Why did some things stick and others didn’t?
How was this experiment like or unlike our friendships?
What qualities do you look for in a friend?
Have you experienced friendships that didn’t stick? Explain.
What qualities form lasting friendships?
What makes Jesus our forever friend?
How can you be a friend who, like Jesus, sticks with someone no matter what?

Science Experiment #8: Stay Afloat

Explore why objects float — and how faith makes the impossible possible.

Bible Connect: Matthew 17:14-20 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff Per Group: Two glass pint jars, an egg, a spoon, 4 ounces of salt, small objects, and water.

Do you think a single ingredient, such as salt, can totally change a situation?

Fill one jar with water and carefully place an egg in the water. What happens? Fill a second jar with water and mix in 4 ounces of salt to simulate the salt concentration in the Dead Sea. Ask kids to hypothesize about whether the egg will float in the second jar. Remove the egg from the first jar and place it in the saltwater. Then experiment with other objects, placing some in tap water and some in saltwater to see what floats in each. Carefully retrieve the eggs so they’re not wasted.

Salt water weighs more than tap water because it’s denser. An egg floats in saltwater because the water weighs more than the egg. The Dead Sea is almost 10 times as salty as the world’s oceans, with salt content at 26 to 35 percent.

What differences did you observe when you placed the objects in the saltwater and tap water?
Before this experiment, did you think it was possible for an egg to float in water? Why or why not?
How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus said faith could move a mountain?
When have you had to have faith in something that seemed impossible?

Science Experiment #9: Oil and Water

Explore the importance of relationships.

Bible Connect: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff Per Group: A clear jar with a lid, vegetable oil, food coloring, and water.

Do you think liquids always mix? Let’s find out.

Fill the jar halfway with water. Put in two drops of food coloring. Ask kids to guess what’ll happen when oil is added. Add oil and screw on the lid tightly. Shake the jar, turn it upside down, and observe how the oil and water react.

Oil and water won’t mix because their molecules have different charges or polarity. The two stay separate with a very clear boundary because they’re “polar opposites.” They’ll never mix. That’s why it’s impossible to put out a grease fire with water.

What did you observe about the oil and the water when you tried to mix them?
Do you think there’s ever a situation when water and oil will mix? Explain.
How is this experiment like or unlike what happens when we hang out with people who don’t believe in Jesus?
Do you think it’s okay to hang out with people who have different beliefs than you? Why or why not?
What do you think God would tell us about being friends with people who have different beliefs?

Science Experiment #10: Explosive Power

Help kids understand God’s power. This activity is messy, so do it outdoors.

Bible Connect: Romans 1:20 Best for: Ages 6 to 12 Stuff Per Group: Red modeling clay , one 15×15-inch piece of cardboard, aluminum foil, one 20-ounce plastic bottle, baking soda, dishwashing liquid, water, red food coloring, bowls, a funnel, and white vinegar.

Say: Let’s find out what kind of power is possible with this experiment! Cover one side of the cardboard with aluminum foil. Place the plastic bottle in the center of the cardboard, then form a volcano with clay around the bottle.

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 cup of water, 5 drops of dishwashing liquid, and 3 drops of red food coloring. Use a funnel to pour the mixture into the bottle. Have kids develop a hypothesis about what will happen in this experiment. Then pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the bottle, and stand back!

The red “lava” that spews from your volcano is the chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar. Mixing the two ingredients produces carbon dioxide, the same gas that bubbles in a real volcano.

Have kids describe what they know about volcanoes. Read the Scripture, then ask:

How are those powerful forces like or unlike God?
How do you think nature’s power compares with God’s power?
In what ways do you experience God’s power in your life?
When has God’s power surprised you?

Sue Kahawaii is children’s executive pastor at the Champions Centre in Tacoma, Washington.

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16 thoughts on “ 10 Science Experiments for Children’s Ministry ”

Setting aside the fact that the bible is complete nonsense, carbon dioxide is not lighter than the other gases in the air, it is considerably heavier. It does not rise into the balloon to inflate it. The yeast converts the solid sugars and liquid water into carbon dioxide has. Since the gas takes up more space than the solid and the liquid, the pressure in the bottle increases and the balloon expands. If you’re going to hijack science to promote your fairytales, at least get the science right.

Zepher, thanks for this information! We appreciate you helping us understand the science of this better. We’ll check this out and make appropriate changes.

Zepher, I’m confused as to why you’re on a Children’s Ministries site seeing as you believe the Bible is complete nonsense.

Complete nonsense? Who hurt you in the past to make you feel this way?

Just curious, but have you read the Bible? I challenge you to read the book of Mark (easily done in one setting, especially for someone of your obvious intelligence).

But beware … The Scripture has an efficacy all of its’ own …

I love these experiments!! I really look forward to using them in my classroom! God bless you for providing this awesome tool to show children the amazing world God created for us 💕😁🙌

these experiments really help my students to understand the lessons more clearly. thank you and may the Lord continue to bless and keep you.

We’re so glad these experiments have been a blessing for you church! Thank you for all that you do.

My Sunday school boys love science experiments. This has their attention immediately and makes the lesson easy to teach.

That’s great, Nancy! Thank you for sharing!

Thanks so much for these experiments. They’re so helpful in explaining faith to kids at my church. This material is a blessing.

You’re very welcome, Joy!

Good morning! I tried the cloud one today, but never really got a cloud look. Are there any trouble shooting ideas to make it work? Thanks!

Wonderful Site. I do ‘Pastor Roger’s Neighborhood’ every Sunday before I preach for the children. I do many science experiments with a Christian message for them and they love it. They come up and we do the experiment with them and the congregation learns also. Don’t be ever discouraged that anti-christian’s will post here which means you are causing some problems for satan (I will never capitalize his name). Continue what you are doing and keep up the great work of Christ.

Thanks Roger, God bless!

Thanks for what you do!!!

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