Salt is a brilliant, versatile and inexpensive ingredient for home science. It can be used to cool a drink or make ice cream quickly, for a lava lamp, and to make colored salt crystals. Salt is an interesting substance because it lowers the freezing point of water, which leads to many interesting scientific experiments.
Salt can also be used to preserve food and is believed to have been used by humans since 6050 BC*.
Curious facts about salt
The salt we eat has the chemical formula NaCl (sodium chloride).
A mixture of salt and water can conduct electricity.
Salt can preserve food as it slows the growth of microorganisms.
Salt is used to treat roads in winter as it reduces the temperature at which water freezes.
Science Experiments for Kids Using Salt
Raise a piece of thread with ice and salt.
Use salt to lift a piece of ice with a rope. In this clever trick, the salt melts the ice around the thread. The ice then refreezes on the rope, allowing the ice cube to be lifted.
Chill a drink with ice and salt.
Find out how chill a drink with ice and salt. This is a great activity for a sunny day and a fantastic visual science demonstration as you can watch the temperature drop in seconds.
salt lava lamp
TO salt lava lamp is a fun version of the more traditional lava lamp activity. It's easy to set up and looks great.
colored salt crystals
Creating colored salt crystals It's a brilliant way to learn about evaporation. You will need a warm day, food coloring, water and salt.
ice cream in a bag
Salt and ice are used to make ice cream in a bag. This traditional science activity tastes amazing and only uses basic ingredients. We like to use chocolate milk to make chocolate ice cream!
Salt and water density trick
Another simple science experiment using salt is this density trick. If you add salt to water, its density increases. This means that you can create a colorful density demonstration with a layer of salt and water and a layer of food coloring and water.
Melting ice cubes
Find out if a Ice cube melts faster in salt water. or fresh water with another simple scientific activity.
Instant slushy drink
This works the same way as the ice cream in a bag activity. We use fruit juice instead of milk to make a instant slushy drink! Hmm!
float an egg
Use salt to increase the density of the water and float an egg!
Frost in a can
Use the cooling power of ice and salt to make frost appear on the outside of a can.
More salty science experiments
Little Bins for Little Hands has a nice salt painting activity.
Live Well Mom has some beautiful salt snowflakes.
do your thing making plasticine using salt!
You can think of something else scientific experiments using salt for us?
Reference
Last updated on May 27, 2024 by Emma Vanstone
