Are you looking for a simple science activity for preschoolers? This penny cleaning science project was so fun and easy. SCIENCE for Preschoolers – Cleaning Pennies steps you through how to clean pennies as a science project or experiment to engage your preschoolers in a hands on science activity.
We have been loving our easy science activities…week before last we learned how to make butter and that was a hit…until we pulled out the money this week!
SCIENCE for Preschoolers – Cleaning Pennies
Try This! Cleaning Pennies:
Some chemical reactions can take dirty objects and make them clean! Think of detergent doing this when we wash dishes or our clothes…or when you take a bath. But what about metals? They can be harder to clean.
So our Science experiment was – How do you clean a penny?
In our school time every morning she’s been using pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters as an activity to count and do basic math with. So money has been intriguing to her…so I thought well let’s use this and turn it into a simple STEAM activity incorporating Science! My preschooler LOVED it and I did too because it was so easy to pull together for a simple science experiment!
Materials Needed:
Vinegar
Glass Jar
Dirty Pennies
1 tsp Salt
Paper Towel
Science Procedure:
- Pour vinegar into the jar – about half way or so!
- Stir in salt until it dissolves.
- Drop several dirty pennies into the vinegar.
- After a few minutes, take out half of the pennies and lay them on a paper towel to dry.
- Remove the other pennies and rinse them with water before letting them dry.
Observation:
- Note the differences between the two groups of pennies after they have been out of the vinegar/salt solution for awhile.
So you might be wondering what exactly is happening!
- The vinegar/salt solution is able to loosen the residue on the pennies, which is called copper oxide. With this residue removed, the pennies are shiny once more. When you rinse them off, the cleaning stops and they remain shiny. The un-rinsed pennies still have some of the solution on them, and when oxygen in the air hits them, a new reaction occurs, turning the pennies a blueish-green color.
VARIATION IDEAS
Our next Science Experiment for preschool learning is we want to try this with nickels, dimes and quarters— I know the result will be different but we’re curious…isn’t that what learning is about especially SCIENCE?!?!
I love how Playground Parkbench tried four different liquids to see which cleaned the BEST! I think for a bit older kids (elementary age) this would be a PERFECT addition to add to this easy science experiment for preschoolers.
STEAM ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOLERS
Go here for more STEAM Activities
We are a husband and wife team, pairing our strengths together to teach our preschooler in the most fun and engaging way we possibly can. The mister is a high school educator at Northlake Christian school in Covington Louisiana and over the Innovation Center, which is all things STEAM. I am a SAHM that blogs pretty much everything we do in our little paradise, from what we eat, to where we travel to how we teach our little one. We hope you are inspired to incorporate STEAM into learning with your children. Follow us: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST
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