Homeschool Friendly Thanksgiving Science Experiments
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I love to incorporate science experiments into my homeschool, especially if they have a theme, like a holiday. Sometimes it is hard to find science experiments that can take place at home. We just don’t have access to the same resources as public school science labs. However, I rounded up a group of nine homeschool-friendly Thanksgiving science experiments.
You might be wondering what makes a science experiment homeschool-friendly. Well, it:
- Doesn’t require hard-to-find equipment (especially if we will only use it once!)
- Uses simple materials that we likely already have at home
- Can be done with just a few people
Science experiments are a fun hands-on way to teach a variety of skills. Kids of course learn scientific principles and methodology, but they also practice math skills and reading comprehension.
These Thanksgiving stem challenges are a perfect addition to Thanksgiving lesson plans because they are all focused on materials commonly found at the grocery store during the month of November. Many of these supplies frequently show up on a Thanksgiving table!
You don’t have to do these Thanksgiving STEM challenges just around Thanksgiving. You can add them to your November activities all month long! These hands-on experiments would be great in a Thanksgiving theme science center!
Homeschool-Friendly Thanksgiving Science Experiments
Dancing Corn
This basic chemistry experiment is a fun and simple way to teach the concept of chemical reactions to young kids. The moving, a.k.a. dancing, corn will feel magical to little ones until you explain the science behind it.
Corn dance is a Thanksgiving experiment that even little hands can do.
Turkey Egg Drop
This experiment kicks the classic egg drop experiment up a notch by giving it a Thanksgiving flair.
Kids can use their artistic talents to decorate the raw egg as a turkey using paint, craft feathers, and glue. It is a fun way to combine art and STEM (aka STEAM). Then they will create a few different protective environments before testing physics by dropping the egg from various heights.
Sprouting Sweet Potatoes
I tend to think of growing vegetables with my kids in the spring, but fall is a good time too.
Kids can start small by sprouting a sweet potato right on the kitchen counter. A clear glass will allow them to see the entire process – sprouts from the bottom and new growth (green leaves) from the top.
Children can eventually transfer the sweet potato sprout to the garden and continue the growing process. Eventually, if all goes well, they can eat a sweet potato that they grew themselves!
Cranberry Sink or Float
This is one of the easiest Thanksgiving science experiments. Even the littlest ones can get in on the fun cranberry science! It is so simple that you can put the kids in charge of designing the experiment. Begin by asking your kids if they think cranberries sink or float. They can form their hypothesis and then create an experiment to see if they are correct.
Make sure to cut a cranberry in half afterward so they can observe the interior chambers that are responsible for the experiment result.
Time for Cranberries, by Lisl H. Detlefsen, is a great book to read after conducting the experiment. It explains why cranberries’ ability to float in cranberry bogs is helpful in the harvesting process.
After trying the experiment with fresh whole cranberries, give it a try with dried cranberries and see if there are any differences.
This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving experiments for young kids because we make homemade cranberry sauce as part of our holiday season traditions. It is an easy way to connect science with a familiar tradition.
Last update on 2026-09-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Want more cranberry fun Thanksgiving science activities? Try using cranberry juice to write spy juice secret messages. Kids might also enjoy making an edible cranberry slime!
Bending Turkey Bones
This is an experiment to do with your kids after Thanksgiving when you have leftover turkey bones. Kids can soak a few turkey bones in vinegar and observe the changes as the vinegar dissolves the calcium in the bones.
Don’t want to wait until after your Thanksgiving meal? Try this science experiment after a roast chicken dinner any time of year.
Make a Potato Battery
This fun science project will definitely require parental support. It is a bit more involved than the previously mentioned Thanksgiving science experiments; however, that might make it even more appealing for older kids.
Children (and their parents) will explore electricity and circuits by creating a working battery with potatoes, wires, pennies, and nails.
I think this is the experiment that my son is the most excited about trying.
Science of Bread Baking
Baking bread is a classic homeschool-friendly Thanksgiving science experiment. Check science off of your lesson plans while also preparing Thanksgiving dinner.
This is an excellent activity for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving – the day that we commonly want to treat as a school day despite our crazy to-do list. This can accomplish both tasks at once!
Pie Crust Experiment
I love when books are combined with learning activities. This science experiment accompanies the picture book Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie.
Last update on 2026-09-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This experiment is all about manipulating a variable to determine the best pie crust. Manipulating variables is an important process of the scientific method. Follow the directions in the linked post or try a few different pie crust recipes. You can make the perfect pie crust with your favorite pie. Pumpkin pie would be perfect for Thanksgiving!
Pumpkin Decomposition
Right now grocery stores are full of cute mini pumpkins that are perfect for this Thanksgiving science experiment. You might even have a few lying around your house as fall decor.
Kids can observe the decomposition process as they watch several pieces of a pumpkin in a variety of environments. This is a perfect way to teach the function of a control variable.
I hope these simple science experiments are helpful!
Keep reading . . .
- Thanksgiving Homeschool Ideas
- Thanksgiving Lesson Plans
- Favorite Thanksgiving Books for Kids
- Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
- Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Activities
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