Kids love to make concoctions from leftover food and cleaning supplies, but their explorations might not always be safe. If you want to guide your children toward more purposeful kitchen chemistry projects, here are a few suggestions:

Sugar water for brighter chalk: Mix together ½ cup water and 2 Tablespoons sugar until sugar is dissolved. Dip chalk into the mixture and you’ll find that it is brighter and less smudgy. Try making pictures and hopscotch courts on the sidewalk.

Goop or puffy paint: Add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup salt, and 1 cup water to a few tablespoons of your favorite color of tempera paint. Mix and place in squeeze bottles. Paint will puff up when dry. You can experiment with more or less of the paint in the mixture to see how the color and texture changes.

Soap: Use a few bars of glycerin bar soap (available on-line, or at a craft store). Melt the soaps in a microwave or a double boiler. Then add an essential oil with a fragrance you like. Next add a color. You can use natural colors, like cinnamon or orange juice. For added zip, you can add a leaf, a flower or a small plastic trinket. Then pour the mixture into a mold, like a paper cup, or Tupperware container, and wait for it to harden.