Ok, it’s turning into Mumsnet here but here but hit me up with some negligible budget kitchen experiments with which to entertain youngsters. Here’s a few for starters:
Copper plating!
Put 15-20 2p’s in a jam jar and just cover with vinegar. Shake gently for a couple of minutes or so.
Remove shiny coins!
Retain vinegar in jar
Find a steel nail or similar object and thoroughly buff it up with some steel wool. Rinse in clean water and add to the jar of coppery vinegar and give it a quick swill round.
Put the kettle on and eat some cake.
Have some more cake.
Remove nail from jar and allow to dry.
Behold its very slightly coppery magnificence and attempt to explain to your non-plussed offspring.
Finding the hard boiled egg (NSFVegans)
Hard boil an egg and cool in water.
Dry the egg off and place alongside an uncooked egg.
Fetch the kids and ask them to tell which is hard boiled without breaking the shell.
Once they give up, grab an egg and whilst it is laying on its side spin it rapidly (like you would with a coin) on a flat surface. If it remains laying down it’s raw. The hard boiled one will shortly stand up and spin effectively on its point. I got one to spin for two minutes the other day.
Other suggestions:
Make a compass using a needle, magnet and bowl of water - floating the magnetised needle on the surface tension.
Make a small battery using coins, cardboard, aluminium foil and vinegar. (About 10 x clean 2p’s) should deliver around 1.5 V.
What are your favourite kitchen prestidigitations to impress the small folk? Apart from “Making cake disappear”.