4th of July Science Projects

It's easy and inexpensive to make firecrackers yourself. This is a great pyrotechnics project, perfect for do-it-yourself types or persons who can't find firecrackers where they live.

Sparklers are small hand-held fireworks that don't explode. They are among the safest and easiest fireworks to make yourself.

This is a project that involves making red and blue food coloring 'fireworks' in a glass of water. It's a project that is safe and easy enough for younger kids to do, though adults will probably get a kick out of it too.

Black snakes are another type of firework that doesn't explode. Once you light these pyrotechnic devices they push out columns of black 'snakes'. This is an easy and safe fireworks project.

This is a fun project that only requires a couple of ingredients. When you light the smoke bomb, you'll get lots of white smoke, plus violet flames.

This is the non-cook version of the smoke bomb recipe. Since the ingredients don't need to be heated, you don't need to worry about spilling some on the stove and setting off your smoke alarm.

Colored smoke is easy to make, but you will almost certainly need to order the dye used to make the color from a pyrotechnic hobby shop. The color is produced by vaporizing the dye, not by burning it.

You can adapt the homemade smoke bomb recipe to make a long-lasting fountain firework that shoots purple flames, plus a lot of smoke.

Fuses are handy to have around for firecrackers and smoke bombs. These fuses use common household materials.

You can layer red, white, and blue liquids according to their density. This project is easy and educational.