For the family that loves to experiment, this Do It Yourself series is sure to inspire your inner scientist.
We’ve got hands-on games and activities that range from getting your hands slimy to crafting gravity-defying chutes to exploring the nature in your backyard.
These easy-to-follow guides are simple, fun, and appropriate for most ages (with adult supervision).
Pick an activity below to get started.
Create a winter wonderland indoors by making your own snow using common household supplies. Easy to make, this packable, rollable and buildable snow keeps for up to a week.
Homemade SnowMake an origami finger game that reveals snowy science facts--from the coldest temperature to the biggest snowfall.
Fold The Facts Ice And SnowPlay with chemistry as you measure, mix and knead ingredients to create play dough you can pull, squeeze, twist and poke!
Homemade Play DoughCollect as many different types of leaves as you can find for this leaf rubbing activity. How many trees can you identify based on their leaves?
Create Colourful Leaf ArtFrom monarch butterflies to raccoons, animals have different strategies for surviving the winter. Find out about the most common strategies and then test your knowledge.
Wildlife in WInterSimulate the crashing and smashing of a meteor impact at home using flour, cocoa and marbles to learn how craters are made—from rim to rays.
Make an ImpactUse your design and engineering skills to create a headpiece for this year’s virtual Toronto Caribbean Carnival.
Carnival HeadpieceMake vegetarian (gelatin-free) marshmallows in time for camping season.
Soft Sweet and Spongy SciencePlay with primary colours to create a rainbow using the forces of cohesion, adhesion and gravity.
Walking WaterEnjoy a serving of fruits and vegetables in puzzle format.
Fruit and Vegetable CrosswordDo other senses affect your ability to taste? Find out by conducting an experiment- blindfolded!
Taste Test Your Taste BudsMake a percussion instrument out of ordinary glass containers. It’s as simple as Do, Re, Mi!
CrystallophoneChart the passage of time using a homemade sundial, and observe how the shadows change their length.
Make a SundialMake two simple paper objects and explore their aerodynamics--how they move through the air.
Make a Flying Fish and HelicopterHave a whale of a time as you unscramble the letter jumbles to reveal words related to ocean life.
Word JumbleExplore the densities of different liquids through an easy layering experiment. Try creating a five-layer rainbow in honour of Pride Month.
Rainbow in a JarFrom top to tail, how much do you know about snakes? Try your hand at this puzzle.
Snake Crossword PuzzleUpcycle a plastic bag to create your own pet jellyfish and learn about the dangers ocean plastic poses to sea turtles.
Make a Pet JellyfishTurn up the bass! Use music vibrations to make your flame groove to the beat.
Make a Flame DanceChange a material’s performance by rearranging its atoms, creating a magnet.
Move Atoms to Make MagnetsSolve general science clues to complete this playful puzzle.
Science is Everywhere CrosswordUse ketchup to conduct an electrical current in this easy, overnight experiment. It’s not just for fries!
Electrify Your KetchupExplore gravity and air resistance by making and testing different shaped parachutes.
Parachute ShapesHow can you put ice-cream in the oven without having it melt? Conduct this edible experiment to find out!
Bake Ice CreamRepurpose a plastic pop bottle to create your very own indoor or outdoor bottle garden. It’s a perfect springtime activity for both big and little hands!
CreateyourownbottlegardenReady to get goopy? Make your own slime using our tried, tested and true recipe.
Make Your Own SlimeWe’ve taken the classic game HedBanz and added a science twist! Introducing Cranium Qs. This game is a great way to review-and pick up!-science vocabulary.
Cranium QsWhat do you get when you combine Pictionary with science? Science Doodle! This fun, family game gives players a chance to sharpen their drawing skills while reviewing—and picking up!—science vocabulary.
Science DoodleLearn about the variety of plant and animal life in your area with a game of Backyard Biodiversity Bingo! Using your curiosity and powers of observation, look for a variety of living and non-living things that contribute to a healthy habitat, crossing them off your bingo card as you find them.
Backyard BiodiversityUse the fundamentals of physics to create a dinosaur that can "walk" down ramps.
Download instructions here.
Find out how to harvest honey—from capping to extracting—from our friends at the Toronto Beekeepers Collective.
Plus, learn why geometry is essential to the strength and space-efficiency of honeycombs here.
Surprise your eyes with a structure that seems to defy gravity and learn how to use tension to create structural integrity in your own tensegrity build.
Find out how to create—and stick to!—a routine, and learn to make a squishy, sensory stress ball.
Experiment with immiscible liquids to create a colourful, slow-mo show in a jar.
Explore how heat affects chemicals in the sweetest of ways.
Harness the power of fermentation to make a simple sourdough starter from scratch.
Find the instructions here.
Make an easy, unlikely-looking paper plane that really soars.
Explore the densities of different liquids through an easy layering experiment. Try creating a six-layer rainbow in honour of Pride Month.
Explore the best way to remove stains through a series of controlled experiments.
Try this tongue-based experiment to determine where you’re most sensitive to the five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.
Make delicious, creamy vanilla ice-cream using five ingredients--and science, of course!
Weave Popsicle sticks together and release them to unleash a burst of kinetic energy, sending the sticks flying.
Extract pigment from fruits and vegetables to create a palette of beautiful, natural watercolours.
Combine milk, food coloring and dish soap create a colourful chemical reaction that results in rainbow explosions.
Learn how to start seeding indoors using recycled materials like egg cartons, take-out containers and pop bottles.
Test your memory and math skills all in one game! Easy to create at home, this game can be adapted to any math level. The goal is to match equivalent math expressions.
Simon shows you how to bring your favourite constellation to life at home in this fun and easy activity.
Learn to marble paper with Fotini and Zoe and create beautiful art using shaving cream and food colouring.
Slime might be popular, but Oobleck is even better. Catherine and Morgan demonstrate how easy it is to make this non-Newtonian fluid at home, using three ingredients.
Rachel explains how we can all be citizen scientists—even from balconies and backyards—by gathering much-needed cloud data for scientists around the world.