I don’t know about you, but when the weather isn’t agreeable for outdoor play, my toddler gets bored inside pretty quickly. She has plenty of toys, but without the novelty of something new, she tires of them after a few minutes. So I’m constantly looking for an easy craft project that will occupy her.
This one is great because it uses stuff you already have in your cupboards. It’s easy to do and easy to clean up. And it’s a great opportunity to teach young kids about science, reactions, and fine motor skills.
Easy Science Craft Project
To do this, you’ll need:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- 2 cups or small containers
- A tray, to contain the experiment (optional)
- Food coloring (optional)
You all know where I’m going with this. Who hasn’t mixed baking soda and vinegar to elicit the frothy chemical reaction? We’ve all done it as kids. At home or school, in all types of containers–cups, bottles, miniature volcanoes, balloons–this is a fun experiment.
The Set Up
In one cup, I just added baking soda. In the other, I added baking soda and some food coloring. As a side note, you may want to be a little heavy-handed with the food coloring if you choose to use it. I only added a few drops of food coloring to a few tablespoons of baking soda and the color was only barely noticeable.
I placed the baking soda cups in the tray and had Lyra sit in front of it with the cup of vinegar. She listened carefully as I explained that she should only pour a little bit at a time and that she should be very careful. Then, I stood back and watched her have fun.
Lyra’s Reaction to the Chemical Reaction
As soon as the vinegar touched the soda, a wave of foam bubbled over the containers, spilling into the tray. Lyra was so excited. She poured again and again, creating wave after wave of froth. I had to refill her vinegar cup five times before the reaction had finally petered out.
Lyra loved our little at-home science experiment and I hope that science continues to pique her interest as she gets older and starts going to school.
