In the 1890s, the Clow family made lots of butter—over 2,000 pounds by 1880. Want to try it yourself? Shake heavy whipping cream in a sealed jar until it thickens and forms butter, leaving buttermilk behind. Cream has fat molecules suspended in liquid. Shaking smashes them together to form solid butter. Add seasonings and enjoy your homemade treat.

Create a leaf skeleton to explore the hidden “skeleton” inside plants! Simmer sturdy leaves in water with Super Washing Soda, then gently brush away the soft parts to reveal the veins. This mimics how decomposers break down leaves in nature, leaving behind lacy structures. Let it dry flat, then use your leaf as a bookmark, suncatcher, or gift. It’s a fun way to learn how nature recycles and reveals its hidden beauty!

The Clow kids may have played with thaumatropes, 19th-century spinning toys that create optical illusions. You can make one with two drawings on circles of card stock, a straw or string, and some tape. When spun, the images appear to merge due to how our eyes retain images briefly. It’s a fun mix of art and science.

Red wiggler worms are quiet, low-maintenance pets that help turn food scraps into nutrient-rich compost. Make a vermicompost bin using two plastic totes, bedding like shredded paper, food scraps, and worms. Keep the bin moist like a wrung-out sponge, feed small amounts at a time, and cover the food with bedding. Once established, share worms and castings with others to help reduce waste and improve soil.

Rainbows form when sunlight hits water and bends, splitting into colors. You can make your own rainbow with a bowl of water, a mirror, and sunlight. Place the mirror in the water at an angle, face it toward the sun, and catch the rainbow on white paper. Sunlight must shine through the water for it to work. Rainbows don’t appear if the sun is blocked. Try changing the water level or mirror to see what happens.

Tree roots absorb water, which then moves to the leaves and evaporates through a process called transpiration. You can observe this by sealing leaves in a plastic bag for a few days—water will collect as it transpires. This process cools the plant and releases moisture into the atmosphere. Different plants may transpire at different rates, and in a survival situation, transpired water is safe to drink, though it may taste bitter.

You float more easily in saltwater because it’s denser than freshwater. In this experiment, an egg sinks in plain water but floats in saltwater. Adding salt increases the water’s density, making the egg more buoyant. Try adjusting salt or water levels to see if you can make the egg float in the middle.

Explore density with a fun liquid layering experiment. Carefully pour honey, corn syrup, milk, colored water, and oil into a clear jar in order. Then drop in small objects like paper clips or grapes to see where they float or sink. Each liquid has a different density, so they form layers. Objects float above liquids denser than they are and sink below less dense ones. Try shaking the jar or adding new liquids to see what changes.