A series of videos demonstrating various simple, fun practicals and demonstrations that you can use to teach about gases

Each video shows how to carry out the demonstration and explains the science behind it. You don’t need any specialist equipment – all of the demonstrations use things you can buy in a supermarket.

Carbon from a candle demonstration video

Collect carbon soot from a candle to investigate changing materials with your primary students.

Fire extinguisher demonstration video

Investigate this topic with your learners

Use this demonstration as part of a class investigation on irreversible changes and the ‘fire extinguisher’, with accompanying classroom slides and teacher notes.

Put out a fire with a jug of carbon dioxide to demonstrate changing materials, irreversible reactions, and gases to primary students.

Leaky bottle demonstration video

Investigate this topic with your learners

Use this demonstration as part of a class investigation on air pressure, gases and the ‘leaky bottle’, with accompanying classroom slides and teacher notes.

Investigate gases and atmospheric pressure with the Leaky Bottle experiment.

Lava lamp demonstration video

Investigate this topic with your learners

Use this demonstration as part of a class investigation on liquids, gases and the ‘lava lamp’, with accompanying classroom slides and teacher notes.

Make a lava lamp to explore mixing liquids and more concepts in primary science.

Freaky hand demonstration video

Investigate this topic with your learners

Use this demonstration as part of a class investigation on irreversible changes and the ‘freaky hand’, with accompanying classroom slides and teacher notes.

Make a freaky inflatable hand to demonstrate irreversible reactions to primary students.

Anti gravity bottle demonstration video

Investigate this topic with your learners

Use this demonstration as part of a class investigation on air pressure and the ‘anti gravity bottle’, with accompanying classroom slides and teacher notes.

Demonstrate the power of atmospheric pressure to make an anti-gravity bottle with primary students.

Sticky cups demonstration video

Investigate this topic with your learners

Use this demonstration as part of a class investigation on gases, air pressure and ‘sticky cups’, with accompanying classroom slides and teacher notes.

Demonstrate the expansion and contraction of gases and make a pair of cups stick together.

 

Additional information

From the Catalyst Primary Science series. Presenters: Sue Halliday & Lorelly Wilson.

For more information, you can watch our introduction to the video series. Or you can watch Alan Heaton introduce the background to series, and thank the presenters.

Primary science video demonstrations