3 Fun Holiday-Themed STEM Experiments 

Create a mini snowstorm right in your kitchen using simple ingredients. This fun, easy experiment demonstrates how oil and water don’t mix while also creating a beautiful, wintry scene. 

What You Need: 

• Clear jar or bottle 
• Baby oil (or vegetable oil) 
• White glitter (for snow effect) 
• Alka-Seltzer tablets 
• Water 
• Blue food coloring (optional) 

Instructions: 

1. Fill the jar or bottle about three-quarters full with baby oil.
2. In a separate cup, mix a small amount of water with blue food coloring (if desired) and stir well.
3. Slowly pour the water mixture into the jar with the oil. Notice how the oil and water stay separated. 
4. Sprinkle white glitter into the jar to mimic sparkling snow. 
5. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into pieces and drop one in at a time. Watch the snowstorm begin as the bubbles make the glitter “snow” swirl around the jar. 

This experiment teaches kids about the differences in density between oil and water, and how chemical reactions (like the fizzing Alka-Seltzer) create movement. Ask your child: 

• What do you think will happen when we drop the tablet in? 

•  Why do you think the water and oil don’t mix? 

This experiment encourages kids to think about the properties of liquids and chemical reactions. 

This experiment is a holiday twist on the classic baking soda and vinegar eruption. By using candy canes, kids get to learn about chemical reactions and explore the scientific properties of acids and bases. 

What You Need: 

• Baking soda 
• Vinegar 
• Red food coloring 
• Small container (like a plastic cup) 
• Candy canes 
• Tray to catch the mess 

Instructions: 

1. Break candy canes into small pieces and place them in the bottom of a small container. 
2. Cover the candy canes with a thick layer of baking soda. 
3. Add a few drops of red food coloring for a festive look. 
4. Slowly pour vinegar over the mixture and watch the holiday eruption take place! 
5. After the reaction slows, you can add more baking soda and vinegar to keep the eruption going. 

This experiment teaches kids about chemical reactions between baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid), creating carbon dioxide gas, which causes the bubbling eruption. Before starting, ask your child: 

• What do you think will happen when we add the vinegar? 

• Why do you think the mixture bubbles and fizzes?” 

This encourages critical thinking about the nature of chemical reactions. 

This experiment lets kids grow their own crystal snowflakes, turning a simple pipe cleaner into a sparkly decoration. It teaches kids about how crystals form and the process of evaporation. 

What You Need: 

• White pipe cleaners
•  String 
• Pencil 
• Borax (found in the laundry section of stores) 
• Boiling water 
• Glass jar 
• Food coloring (optional) 

Instructions: 

1. Twist the white pipe cleaners into a snowflake shape (you can make any shape you like!). 
2. Tie a piece of string to the top of your pipe cleaner snowflake and the other end to a pencil. 
3. Boil water and carefully pour it into the glass jar. 
4. Add Borax, one tablespoon at a time, stirring until it dissolves. Keep adding until the water is saturated (about 3 tablespoons per cup of water). 
5. If you want colored crystals, add a few drops of food coloring. 
6. Lower your pipe cleaner snowflake into the jar so it hangs freely, not touching the sides. 
7. Let it sit overnight. In the morning, you’ll have sparkling crystal snowflakes! 

This experiment teaches kids about crystallization and how supersaturated solutions work. Ask your child: 

• What do you think will happen to the pipe cleaner in the water? 

• Why do you think crystals form on the snowflake? 

This hands-on activity sparks curiosity about how materials change when mixed and left to settle.