Welcome to Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab! Your source for free science experiments for parents, teachers, and children of all ages. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, make yourself comfortable, Oh yeah. Did we mention that protective goggles are required? As you'll soon find out - nothing is ordinary around here. Be curious, explore (place your cursor over objects and click everywhere), and above all - HAVE FUN because as we all know - Science rocks!

If you are wondering why the layout and colors of Reeko’s Mad Scientist Lab suddenly changed, don’t despair.  The results of Reeko's latest science escapades left him with a little free time on his hands.  So while the government radiation teams worked on the lab cleanup, Reeko settled down to work on upgrades to the lab.  And if you're wondering about colors in general, check out Reeko's article on colors and the color wheel.

Reeko stays pretty busy around the lab - experimentation can be hard work. To ease the burden, Reeko created a robot to assist. Once the last wires were hooked up and Reeko was able to talk with his new creation, it was easy to decide what to name it – Ego. Ego is massively intelligent, great with his hands (he has three), and cooks a mean pot roast. Ego also has quite an attitude. When not helping Reeko with an experiment, Ego likes to pull up a chair and chat with the lab visitors. You think we’re kidding? Sit down, stay a while, and chat with Ego.

Teachers throw numbers at the little scientists all the time. Most of the time you memorize the number for a science exam, your eyes gloss over, and then you throw the number right out of your head once the test is done. Well Reeko proposes a new take on these crazy numbers. Our newest lab addition, the Real Time World Statistics counter, gives you a minute by minute view of the numbers that affect all of us. Watch the numbers change in real time as the world’s population grows, billions on insects are added to the planet each second, and meteorites enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Fascinating, funny, and in some cases, sobering…

Ever wonder why a really heavy boat floats while a small rock sinks like a... uhhh, rock? Have you noticed that while in the pool, if you stretch out flat you will float but if you curl up in a ball you will sink? Grab your lab coats and head for the kitchen sink - our first science experiment demonstrates those puzzling flotation principles.

How would you like to have your very own hovercraft. You know - the futuristic vehicle that travels on air hovering inches above the ground. We'll grab your coats and head for the door. In this lab exercise we're fixing to create a real, working hovercraft ... OK, so it's only big enough for a mouse but then again, you don't have a driver's license so what'd you expect?

What if I were to tell you that I could make water flow uphill? Now wait, don't leave yet - this is serious. This lab experiment will show you that what goes up doesn't always have to come back down.

A chemical reaction is a process where one type of substance is chemically converted to another substance. That fizzling toilet bowl cleaner is a chemical reaction. The fire in your fireplace is another type of chemical reaction. The smoke that comes out of Dad's ears when you break one of his favorite golf clubs is a result of a chemical reaction. OK, so maybe Reeko's stretching it a little with that explanation. This experiment demonstrates a chemical reaction that's fairly common all around us (and we don't have to go anywhere near Dad's golf clubs).

This just in. Reeko has received word that a massive battle between elephants and local dentists is on the verge of erupting. As you may know, elephants replace their teeth up to six times during their lifetime making the “brushing your teeth” routine a non event for them. Reports have been received of elephants making faces and shaking their backsides while passing local dentist offices. You may also know that once the elephant teeth are replaced six times, no new teeth grow in after that. As part of the normal elephant life cycle, this means they cannot chew food and hence they die a natural death from starvation. Reeko has received reports of dentists passing by elephant graveyards and making “nah, nah, nah” sounds while sticking out their tongues. For Pete’s sake, conduct this Elephant Toothpaste experiment and stop the madness before a full scale war breaks out!

Remember the old soda-in-the-straw trick. You know, the one where you put a straw into a glass of soda and then cover the end of the straw with your finger. When you remove the straw from the glass the water stays inside until you remove your finger. In this little scientist experiment we apply this same principal to learn about something called pressure.

Here's a popular experiment that's been around for years and has left many kitchens in ruin (just kidding of course). In the volcano experiment we build a real working volcano that actually mimics the properties of the real thing.

Dazzle your friends. Impress your buddies. Confuse your Dad. Here we create an optical illusion with a very basic scientific explanation.

Does you family head to the kitchen table every time they hear a fire siren? Do you get even with the neighborhood bully by inviting him over to dinner? Does Dad refer to the fire detector as the “oven timer”? It sounds like your family might need cooking lessons. Well Reeko can’t (or won’t) provide cooking lessons but he sure knows how to make a cool little oven – out of a pizza box! And while we’re at it we’ll learn how thermal collectors are able to collect sunlight and convert the solar radiation into heat.

Now we get to learn about a little principle called momentum... Sometimes interesting things happen when a totally motionless object gets in the way of a moving one. To demonstrate - the next time dad finds out you've been in his toolbox again and he's coming at you with that crazed look on his face. Rather than running, flinching, or ducking in terror try freezing like a statue and see how it freaks him out. Or better yet, try this experiment and see for yourself.

Did you work your way through all of the experiments? Did you find all of the hidden tips and science facts? Take our Pop Quiz and find out how 'science savvy' you are. And we promise, no matter how you score - we won't send Mom or Dad a report card.

That wasn't enough cranial stimulation for one session? You need more experiments?!?! OK... You asked for it - through this door you can enter the top secret, select little scientists only section of Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab (Section F).

What is quicksand anyway?  How come I can see through glass? Do LifeSavers really spark when you chew them?  Chimp, the lab monkey, is back and available to answer all those weird science questions that have been driving us crazy...

Now come on kids, no whining or making faces at the teacher while she's not looking (although it's a well-known fact that the teacher makes faces at you when you're not looking).  Reeko would like to wish all the kids the best of luck this year.  Study hard and be sure and let Reeko know if there's anything he can do to help.

Reeko has been receiving rave reviews on the new Pot of Gold contest so he tore himself away from his latest genetic experimentation and sprinkled more pots of gold around the lab! Join us on our search for the hidden Pots of Gold and get your name added to the Pot of Gold Hall of Fame page!

It's back by popular demand - the Mystery Puzzle of the Month game.  Get ready to roam this site gathering the clues needed to solve this month's puzzle...