Do you think your child spends too much free time in the computer room? Or is it simply not separated from the smartphone, social networks and video clips of different content?

If these scenarios are well known to you, and you want to motivate them to use part of their free time in activities that will be productive, you are in the right place! Let's improve their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) knowledge through play and fun! We decided to help all parents who are looking for ideas for spending time with children, and therefore we bring you a mini-series of texts, the first of which focuses on experiments that you can safely perform at home with children.

From measuring the weight of air to

tornado in a bottle

One of the more fun aspects of science is that there are experiments that can be done at home. On the other hand, this is also a great idea when you need to fill the last days of summer vacation. Below, learn more about experiments that you can perform at home and for which you will not need any additional equipment.

#1: Test the air weight

Does air have weight? Perhaps this is a strange question, considering that the air seems to float so weightlessly all around us. However, science says that a large volume of air can be very heavy. You can talk about this with your child and actually use one of the easy ways to test air weight together.

What is needed to perform this experiment:

• An empty can
• Cooker

Instruction:

Get an empty soft drink can (say an empty Coca-Cola can) and then fill a quarter of the can with water. Once you've done this, put a few inches of water in a sink or large bowl. Place the can on the stove and let the water boil for about a minute. When you see a lot of steam, use tongs to remove the can from the stove (don't touch the can with your fingers because it will be hot!), and then place it upside down in a sink or bowl of cold water. The can should be broken immediately.

If you're wondering why, here's the answer:

When the water boils, the steam pushes the air out of the can. When the can is placed in cold water, the steam turns back into water, which leaves a partial vacuum in the can. The can breaks due to the weight of the air outside the can. The total weight of air is so great because we live at the bottom of the atmosphere, which rises many kilometers. All that air is very heavy and presses on us all the time, even though we don't feel it. Interesting, isn't it? :)

#2: Instant ice

There are many experiments with ice and all of them are very interesting, and this time we have chosen one that is very easy to perform. First of all, did you know that water is full of particles and impurities that allow ice to form, but purified water is not? Because of this, purified water can reach an even colder temperature before it becomes solid!

What is needed to perform this experiment:

• Unopened bottled water
• ice

Instruction:

If you put an unopened bottle of purified water in the freezer for less than three hours, the bottle will cool well below the temperature at which ordinary water freezes. When you pour the cooled water on a piece of ice, you will see that the water turns into crystals, causing it to freeze instantly.

#3: Tornado in a bottle

By now, your children have probably encountered a tornado in one of the movies or series. This powerful natural phenomenon must have tickled their imagination and at least once they wondered how it comes about. We have a proposal for you on how to bring it closer to them! Well of course, making a tornado in a plastic bottle.

What is needed to perform this experiment:

• two bottles,
• tube to connect the bottles and
• some water.

Instruction:

When you swirl the liquid in the top bottle, it creates a vortex as it flows into the bottom bottle. The reason is that, as the water flows down, the air has to go up, creating a spiral torrent, i.e. tornado. If you want to take your experimentation a step further, you can add glitter, food coloring or lamp oil to the bottle to make the tornado even cooler.

#4: Lava lamp

Do you know that the first so-called lava lamp created by a British inventor in 1963? Real lava lamps use wax and heat to create a "lava" effect. Since they are very colorful and dynamic, children love them very much and often ask their parents for gifts. However, today we want to show you how to make a lava lamp at home in a very simple way, using a few things that you probably already have in your kitchen.

What is needed to perform this experiment:

• Bottle (ordinary plastic bottle, glass bottle or jar).
• Vitamin C effervescent tablets
• Food coloring
• Oil

Instruction:

Pour water halfway up the bottle and add a few drops of the food coloring you want the lava lamp to be. Mix or shake these ingredients to combine. After that, you should add oil, but so that the bottle is not completely full, but that it is filled no more than three quarters. For a science show that will not leave your child indifferent, add one effervescent vitamin C tablet (do not close the bottle when you insert the tablet, because the pressure in the bottle increases and the bottle may burst). As the end result of this experiment, you will get a lamp that reflects unique colored lava!

If you are wondering how it happened, here is the answer - oil is lighter than water, so when it is added to the bottle, it is at the top, and the water is at the bottom. When you add an effervescent tablet, it falls to the bottom due to its weight and begins to react with water. Large colored bubbles move to the oil, after which they fall to the bottom and so on in a circle. Really fantastic!

#5: The Coca-Cola Experiment

We assume that at least once you have found yourself in a situation where you had to explain to your child why he should not drink this drink. It's true that even us seniors don't always manage to resist this refreshing drink. In order to alleviate potential unpleasant situations of arguing with the child (and maybe learn something yourself), we suggest that you perform the following experiment together with the child.

What is needed to perform this experiment:

• A bottle of coca-cola drink
• A bottle of coca-cola zero drink

Instruction:

The first step is to turn on the stove and put a pot on the stove into which you will pour regular Coca-Cola, which you will then boil with constant stirring, until the water evaporates by boiling. What will be left in the end is sugar. Leave that pot aside and repeat the same process with Coca-Cola Zero. What you end up with in both containers is the caramelized sugar that remains after boiling the soda on high. At the end, when you take the pans and compare the amounts of sugar left, you will see that in the first case a large amount of sugar remained, while in the second case a slightly smaller amount of sugar stuck to the bottom of the pan.

These are just some of the interesting and fairly simple experiments that will entertain children, but also have a positive effect on their understanding of science and, hopefully, awaken additional curiosity for research in this area.

This article is part of the socially responsible business of the doMEn company, which for years has been making efforts to bring the Internet and new technologies closer to Montenegrin society, especially to young people. During 2019, the company launched the www.stemedukacija.me portal, where you can find out about all the free opportunities for young people that the doMEn company creates in Montenegro.