Science is one of the most important subjects for students at all educational levels. To promote engagement, hands-on experiments can provide a 'realistic and exciting experience of the content' (Holstermann, Grube and Bögeholz, 2010: 744) and hopefully facilitate motivation. In this article, George Stylos and Konstantinos T. Kotsis present four experiments to teach about heat that require only everyday materials. The four activities can easily be performed by students aged 10-12. The approach adopted in the article gives students the opportunity to use everyday materials, makes them easy to carry out and offers clarity of understanding. The activities have been tested successfully and can be integrated into any STEM project. The authors integrated activities focusing on heat conduction and contraction in solids and gases and thermal equilibrium with everyday materials in the training and teaching curriculum of pre-service elementary teachers. They also undertook the experiments in a pre-service student laboratory course as well as a grades 5-6 (ages 10-12) primary school classroom in Greece to show their effectiveness.