Cue the spooky music and gather all your potions to fully immerse your learners in our collection of Halloween science activities! With an abundance of critical thinking and hands-on STEM activities to sensory experiments, your kiddos won’t want the Halloween season to end. Get ready to explore 31 thrilling science experiments that are sure to educate and delight all August long!
1. Pumpkin Volcano
Ready for a volcanic eruption like no other? Put those giant pumpkins to the test and have your kiddos create a chemical reaction using baking soda and vinegar! Not only is this the perfect activity to bring about hands-on learning, but it’s also fantastic for helping your students develop an understanding of the fundamental aspects of chemistry.
Learn More: YouTube
2. Ghostly Balloons
Make sure you’ve got those safety goggles at the ready for this one! Crafting ghostly balloons is the ideal experiment for discussing the principles of gases and reactions. To begin, have your students fill balloons with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Then, stand back to watch the reaction inflate the balloon and create a ghostly fizz!
Learn More: Mom Brite
3. Spooky Slime
Delve into sensory learning with some glow-in-the-dark slime! Your learners can combine glue, borax, and fluorescent paint for a tactile experience that lights up under black light. What a fun way to discuss phosphorescence!
Learn More: YouTube
4. Candy Experiments
No child will ever think they have too much Halloween candy! Parents on the other hand might disagree. If those cupboards are still overflowing at the end of the season, get your kiddos to explore how different candies dissolve in various liquids. A tasty lesson in solubility and density awaits!
Learn More: A Little Pinch Of Perfect
5. Erupting Monster Eyes
Add a dash of drama to chemistry by creating a bubbling reaction! Have your learners drop candy eyeballs into a water and baking soda mixture- resulting in an eye-opening lesson about chemical reactions!
Learn More: Merriment Design
6. Frankenworms
Bring gummy worms to life with the magic of chemistry- a great introduction to acid-base reactions and movement! After soaking them in a baking soda and water solution, have your students transfer them into a cup of vinegar and observe as they wiggle and squirm.
Learn More: Scholastic
7. Glow Stick Reactions
With this science activity, you can shed light on the mysteries of chemical reactions and energy transfer! By combining glow sticks with different substances like hydrogen peroxide or salt water, your students can learn more about luminescence.
Learn More: RSC Education
8. Bubbling Cauldron
Bring those witch’s brews to the bubble with this hands-on chemistry lesson! Combine hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and food coloring in a cauldron to create a frothing potion- an exciting way to demonstrate the role of catalysts in speeding up reactions.
Learn More: Messy Little Monster
9. Candy Corn Catapults
Launch young scientists into the world of physics as you explore projectile motion and Newton’s laws! Have them construct mini catapults from craft sticks and rubber bands before sending candy corn hurtling through the air.
Learn More: YouTube
10. Ghost Rockets
Ready to give your students a thrilling lesson in propulsion and chemical reactions? 3, 2, 1, blastoff! With film canisters filled with vinegar and baking soda, your students can create miniature rockets. For a spooky twist, attach ghost-shaped cutouts!
Learn More: Mom Brite
11. Fizzing Frankenhands
Invite your kiddos to play around with a concoction of water, vinegar, baking soda, a rubber glove, and plastic spiders. By carefully following the given prompts, they’ll marvel at the reaction that ensues!
Learn More: National Geographic Kids
12. Halloween Lava Lamps
Let’s explore the concepts of density and immiscible liquids! To do so, your learners can combine oil, water, food coloring, and effervescent tablets to create their very own mesmerizing Halloween-themed lava lamp.
Learn More: Science Sparks
13. Ghostly Sound Effects
Turn your classroom into a space fit for symphony with this next activity! Have your students use different materials to create a variety of eerie sounds- teaching them about sound generation and vibration in the process.
Learn More: Our Family Code
14. Skeleton Science
What better time than Halloween to learn about the human body? Have your learners assemble a model skeleton puzzle or explore bone structure using clay and toothpick; introducing them to basic anatomy in a fun, hands-on way!
Learn More: eHow
15. Pumpkin Rot Investigation
We bet your learners have never investigated the life cycle of a vegetable before! With this activity, they will observe the decomposition process of a carved pumpkin over several days. As the days go by, encourage them to take note of changes in texture, color, and odor; facilitating a more comprehensive understanding of the natural decay process.
Learn More: Share It Science
16. Hovercraft Hijinks
Get your learners hands-on with physics by building mini hovercrafts using old CDs, bottle caps, and balloons. Apart from being super fun, this project offers an exciting introduction to the concepts of air pressure and friction.
Learn More: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
17. Candy Wrapper Insulation
Unwrap the science behind insulation with a simple candy wrapper! Your learners can test different wrappers to see which ones provide the best insulation. By wrapping them around ice cubes and measuring how long they take to melt, they’ll get a firsthand glimpse of heat transfer and insulation.
Learn More: BJU Press
18. Ghostly Density Tower
Explore density with a ghoulish twist! Create a tower using liquids of different densities and float Halloween-themed goodies at various levels. In the process, your kiddos will learn about the density properties of different liquids in a way that is both fun and visually engaging.
Learn More: YouTube
19. Dancing Corn
Here’s a Halloween twist on a classic science experiment! Ignite the curiosity of your learners by having them observe corn kernels dancing in a solution of baking soda and vinegar. The experiment provides an engaging way to teach your kiddos about density and buoyancy- helping these complex concepts bind to memory with ease!
Learn More: Hi Mama
20. Vampire’s Vein
How about turning your classroom into a miniature circulatory system? To do so, get your pupils to craft a model of a blood vessel using straws and clay. As they simulate the flow of blood they’ll unveil the wonders of the human circulatory system!
Learn More: YouTube
21. Shadow Monsters
Unravel the mysterious world of light and shadows with an activity that depicts how light travels and shadows are formed. Involve your learners in a classroom transformation like no other by having them create eerie shadows with simple objects and a flashlight. What a practical yet easy method for providing insight into optics!
Learn More: Inventors of Tomorrow
22. Pumpkin Power
Is it possible to power a small light bulb using a pumpkin? Challenge your students to explore this question with a quick experiment. As they delve into the processes involved in energy production, they’ll come to understand the concept of bioelectricity!
Learn More: Instructables
23. Spooky Spectral Spectrometers
Ready to turn an old CD into a homemade spectrometer? Let’s go! Invite your learners to examine different light sources and observe their spectrum to introduce the principles of light, color, and spectroscopy.
Learn More: YouTube
24. Osmosis Eye-Opener
Bring the science of osmosis to life with an eerie twist. Using peeled grapes as “eyeballs”, your students can watch the magic of osmosis as it occurs in real time. What a fantastic way to help them understand how water molecules move across cell membranes.
Learn More: Guiding Stars
25. Phantom Flames
Here’s a dazzling introduction to the concept of atomic emission and the study of how electrons behave. Your learners will witness how various salts produce flames of different colors by doing the following: sprinkling salt into small aluminum cups, adding ethyl alcohol, and lighting it!
Learn More: MEL Science
26. Monster Crystals
Give your students an opportunity to grow their own “monster” crystals using borax and pipe cleaners. This activity is all you need to illustrate the process of crystallization and the formation of geometric structures- combining chemistry and artistry in a spooky way!
Learn More: Kids Kubby
27. Creepy Crawly Studies
Let’s investigate the creepy crawly side of Halloween science with real creepy crawlies! Task your learners with studying the behavior of earthworms to observe how they respond to light and moisture. This enlightening project is sure to give them first-hand experience with the study of animal behavior.
Learn More: Life At The Zoo
28. Spellbound Water Bending
Demonstrate the marvel of static electricity by having your kiddos “bend” water. After creating static electricity using a balloon and hair or wool, they’ll observe its influence on a stream of water. What a cool way to explore the principles of electric charge.
Learn More: YouTube
29. Fossil Fun
Why not turn Halloween into a paleontology adventure? If this tickles your fancy, guide your students in making their own spooky fossils using coffee grounds, flour, and cold coffee. Perfect for providing a tactile understanding of how fossils are formed over millions of years!
Learn More: Crafts By Amanda
30. Sizzling Smoke Rings
This fascinating experiment helps demonstrate the properties of air pressure and the principles behind fluid dynamics in an entertaining way. Simply have your learners create eerie smoke rings with a homemade smoke machine!
Learn More: YouTube
31. Dry Ice Delights
For a cool and educational experience, incorporate dry ice into your Halloween science experiments. From making ‘smoke’ pour out of a jack-o-lantern to creating a ghostly bubble, this is a great way to introduce the concept of states of matter and sublimation.
Learn More: YouTube