How to Recreate your own Expanding Magic Stars in minutes
We recently brought Riley out on a night walk around the estate and started teaching him about stars. So I thought it might be fun to try this experiment that I saw on youtube sometime back.
This activity is not only easy to prep but also teaches your toddler fine motor skills in using fingers to squeeze the pipette to drop the liquid in the middle of the star.
We also used liquids in the 3 primary colours of red, yellow and blue. Toddlers can learn how mixing different colours produces a new colour.
You will need:
- one eager toddler ready to exercise some fine finger motor skills
- one packet of toothpicks
- one clean plate
- a cup of water
- a small pipette
- food colouring (optional but highly recommended!)
Instructions:
Break 5 toothpicks down the middle so that they bend but not totally break into half. It should look like a V shape when you are done. Arrange them on the plate in the shape of a star, leaving a slight gap in between each stick so that they do not touch. Your finished product should look like this:
Then its time to create some expanding magic stars! Instruct your toddler to use the pipette to drop a few drops of water (or coloured water) on the center of the star.
Watch the magic happen!
Important tip: you will get the best results by dropping the liquid right at the center of the star, this ensures the star will expand out evenly.
But toddlers being toddlers, let them experiment dropping the liquid anywhere to see what happens!
I’ve been recently obsessed with simple science experiments and crafts to occupy my active toddler. Read and watch how my 3 year old created magic flowers and magic cards here as part of our mother’s day projects in the past week.
HAPPY STAR GAZING!
So what fun stuff do you have lined up with your toddlers and babies this weekend?
