11 Fizzy Fun Baking Soda Experiments
Ignite your child’s curiosity. Let them touch, smell, hear, and taste with simple and safe science adventures.
Did you know you can teach your kids simple science with household ingredients? With baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and food coloring, you can introduce your kids to fizzing fun as they learn about chemical reactions.
Not only will they learn about how baking soda and vinegar react with each other, but you can introduce new concepts and vocabulary. Aside from the educational benefits, baking soda experiments are messy and fun.
What Makes Baking Soda Fizz?
Most baking soda experiments use vinegar or lemon juice. This is because the sodium bicarbonate in baking soda reacts with the mild acetic acid in vinegar and the citric acid in lemon juice.
The fizz is actually created by two reactions. The first is an acid-based reaction where the hydrogen ions in the vinegar react with sodium and the bicarbonate ions in the baking soda. This forms carbonic acid and sodium acetate.
The second part of the fizzing action is decomposing carbonic acid into water and carbon dioxide gas. Like the bubbles in fizzy carbonated drinks, the carbon dioxide bubbles cause fizzing in the baking soda and vinegar experiment.
Science Experiments with Baking Soda
Baking soda and water don’t produce the same effects as baking soda and vinegar or lemon juice. Luckily, both ingredients can be found in your pantry and are easy to get from the store.
To add an extra element of fun to your baking soda experiments, use food coloring, toys, scoops, and pipettes.
1. Glitter Explosion
A glitter explosion is a fun take on a classic baking soda science experiment.
Add two tablespoons of baking soda to a glass jar with a generous amount of glitter and a squirt of dish soap. Mix everything together until well combined.
Now for the fun part. Your child can use a pipette, spoon, or a small jug to slowly add vinegar to the mixture in the jar.
The vinegar and baking soda will react, causing a bubbly, fizzy, glittery eruption from the top of the jar. This is similar to the classic volcano science experiment.
- Glass jar
- Pipette
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Glitter
- Dish soap
Add-On Activity
Use this glitter explosion activity in small-world play. Create a mixture in jars that you can dot around a sensory bin. Add food coloring to each jar with fun glitter elements. You can use these glitter jars for different themed sensory bins .
2. Frozen Baking Soda Dough
For this baking soda experiment, mix a little water with baking soda until it forms a dough. Add the water slowly until you get the right consistency.
Once you are happy with your dough, add the color and glitter of your choice and press it into one of the containers. Leave the containers in the freezer overnight.
The frozen dough will have an interesting texture as it begins to thaw, which your kids will enjoy.
- Water
- Food coloring
- Different sizes and shapes of containers
Let them play and explore for a few minutes before giving them pipettes/syringes and a bowl of vinegar. Let them add vinegar to the frozen dough and watch as it bubbles and fizzes.
3. Electric Eels
Snacking on gummy worms while watching them jump around a glass will amuse your kids.
Cut each gummy worm into 4 pieces and then soak them in a glass of water and baking soda for 10 to 15 minutes. Pour vinegar into another glass and add the worms one at a time.
The worms should move and wiggle around the glass.
- 4-6 gummy worms
- 3 tablespoons baking soda
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1 cup water
Include this activity in a bug sensory bin or put it in a tub with water beads and pond critters.
4. Fizzy Sand
This simple mix of ingredients will keep your kids busy for hours.
Mix Kool-aid and baking soda and place them in a tray. It is ideal for fine motor skills development as your children use spoons and scoops to play with the sand mix.
The fact that they can add vinegar with pipettes will only add to the magic of this fizzy sand.
- Kool-Aid
Use the “sand” mix as the base for a dinosaur or underwater sensory bin. Let your kids play with the sand first and when they start to lose interest, give them vinegar.
5. Stalagmites and Stalactites
This baking soda experiment takes time and patience but is pretty magical.
Add warm water to two glass jars and add baking soda until no more will dissolve. Tie wool onto safety pins and place each one in a jar. The wool will soak up the solution, and as the water dissolves, the baking soda creates stalactites.
- Baking Soda
- Safety Pins
- 2 Glass jars
Pair this prehistoric activity with a baking soda dino egg. Simply make baking soda dough and pack it around a dinosaur before freezing it. Then your kids can dissolve the egg in vinegar to reveal the dinosaur.
6. Invisible Ink
This is a fun chemical reaction that will amaze your kids.
Add 5 tablespoons of baking soda to a glass of water and mix. Next, dip your Q-tip into the solution and write your message or create a picture. Once it has dried, use a paintbrush and the grape concentrate to reveal your message.
- Grape juice concentrate
- Q-tips
- Paintbrush
If you are teaching your child the alphabet , write the letters on index cards and let your child reveal and identify each one.
This chemical reaction looks like magic, and your kids will be amazed as they feel the “ice” that is actually hot.
By boiling baking soda and vinegar, you create a concentrated substance that allows you to build an ice tower like magic.
- 4 cups of white vinegar
- 4 tablespoons of baking soda
- A heatproof glass measuring cup
Scrape some of the residue from the pot onto a wooden skewer and place it in a glass jar filled with the solution and watch as it grows and solidifies.
8. Melting Apples
Combine the baking soda, water, food coloring, and water to form a dough. Mold the dough into balls and use the pipe cleaner to create stems.
Once you have made your “apples,” let your kids spray them with vinegar and watch as they dissolve.
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon food coloring
- 3 squirts of liquid soap
- Pipe cleaners
This is a cool activity to use with apple stamping and making apple pies when learning about the letter ”A”.
9. Baking Soda Exploration
This baking soda and vinegar experiment is a great open-ended exploration that allows your kids to get curious about the fizzy reaction.
Using pipettes also helps them develop fine motor and pre-writing skills. Cover a tray in baking soda and make colored vinegar jars for them to experiment with.
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Pipettes (optional)
- Liquid watercolors or food coloring
Only give your children the primary colors and allow them to explore color mixing with this fun, fizzy medium.
10. Baking Soda Bubbles
This baking soda and vinegar experiment is a simple way for your kids to see the effects of carbon dioxide gas released from the chemical reaction.
Using the funnel, add the baking soda to the bottle. Next, mix the water and dishwashing liquid together and soak the washcloth. Then, wring out the excess liquid and place the cloth over the top of the plastic bottle.
Lift the cloth and pour vinegar inside before replacing it over the bottle. The carbon dioxide gas will cause bubbles to form on the cloth.
- Plastic bottle
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons dishwashing liquid
- 1 Cup water
- 1/4 Cup vinegar
Add watercolor paint to the water and soap mix to create colored bubbles. Use a piece of paper to make prints from the bubbles as they form by pressing the paper to the bubbles.
11. Magic Colors
You can create a color surprise for your kids by layering your baking soda.
Mix some food coloring and baking soda in a muffin tray. Cover the colored baking soda with a layer of white baking soda.
That way, when your kids add the vinegar, the colors revealed will be a surprise.
- Muffin tin
- Turkey baster/spoon
- Food coloring
Use this experiment as an indoor scavenger hunt . Once your kids have revealed a color, they have to try and find something in the house that matches.
Using Household Ingredients for Fizzy Science Fun
Baking soda and vinegar are great ingredients to use when you are looking for spontaneous activity.
Not only will fun experiments keep your kids engaged, but they will also be learning. These easy activities are worth a try if you are looking for no-fuss fun options for your children.
Top 16 Baking Soda Science Experiments
Are you looking for a fun and educational activity to do with your kids or students? Look no further than baking soda experiments!
Baking soda is a versatile substance that can be used for a variety of scientific experiments. Its ability to react, dissolve, and transform provides a rich ground for understanding fundamental chemical concepts.
From witnessing a homemade volcano erupt to observing the intriguing process of crystallization, baking soda makes science both accessible and exciting.
These hands-on experiments are perfect for both kids and adults and will provide hours of entertainment and learning. So, grab your baking soda, and let’s get started.
Baking Soda Science Experiments with Vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar are two common household items that can be combined in a variety of experiments to create exciting reactions.
1. Baking Soda Volcano
The baking soda volcano experiment is a popular scientific experiment that has long been the pick of kids as well as adults.
This experiment resembles a volcanic eruption while explaining the chemical reaction that takes place when vinegar and baking soda are mixed.
2. Baking Soda and Vinegar-Balloon Experiment
This experiment is perfect for kids of all ages, from preschoolers to middle schoolers, and can be easily modified to suit different age groups and learning levels.
So, if you’re looking for a fun and educational activity that will spark your child’s curiosity in science, give the baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment a try!
3. Lava Lamp
The Lava Lamp Experiment is a fun and engaging activity that allows students to learn about the science of density and buoyancy while also creating a groovy decoration for their room.
This activity encourages creativity, critical thinking, and scientific exploration in a fun and accessible way.
4. Baking Soda and Vinegar Car
An exclusive experiment that blends science, engineering, and imagination is the Baking Soda and Vinegar Steam Car Experiment.
Students can create their own small steam car using common household items that is powered by the chemical reaction between vinegar and baking soda.
5. Bright as a New Penny
Through this experiment, students will learn about the chemical reactions that occur between the copper in the penny and the substances in the solution, and how these reactions can cause the penny to change color.
6. The Exploding Lunch Bag
Through this experiment, students will learn about the principles of gas production, pressure, and chemical reactions, while also having fun and engaging in hands-on learning.
7. Hidden Colors
In this experiment, students will create a solution using baking soda, water, and food coloring, then use vinegar to reveal the hidden colors in the solution.
Learn more: Hidden Colors
8. Rainbow Eruption
Through this experiment, students will learn about the principles of chemical reactions, gas production, and acid-base interactions.
Rainbow Eruption is a simple and exciting experiment that can be enjoyed by students of all ages and can help them develop a love for science and learning.
Learn more: Rainbow Eruption
9. Baking Soda and Vinegar Fireworks
While Baking Soda and Vinegar Fireworks may not create an actual fireworks display, it is still a fascinating and exciting experiment that can help students understand the science behind chemical reactions.
10. Baking Soda & Vinegar Rocket
In this experiment, students will create a simple rocket using a plastic bottle, baking soda, vinegar, and some optional materials such as fins or decorations.
11. Make Fizzy Surprise Dinosaur Eggs
In this experiment, students will create “dinosaur eggs” using baking soda, food coloring, and water, and then hide a small toy or object inside.
They will then cover the eggs with vinegar, causing a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas and causes the eggs to fizz and dissolve, revealing the hidden object inside.
12. Fizzy Painting
This activity can be easily adapted to challenge students of different ages and skill levels, from experimenting with different colors and textures to exploring the effects of adding different amounts of baking soda or vinegar.
More Baking Soda Experiments
13. colorful lemon experiment.
By mixing lemon juice and baking soda together, students can observe a bubbling reaction that produces carbon colorful-lemony solution.
14. Honeycomb Chemistry Candy
In this experiment, students will create their honeycomb candy using sugar, honey, and baking soda.
Learn More: Honeycomb Chemistry Candy Recipe
15. Crystal Growing Experiment
The crystal growing experiment using baking soda is an engaging and educational activity that allows students to learn about the science of crystal formation.
16. Super Glue and Baking Soda
Important scientific concepts, such chemical reactions and the characteristics of various materials, can be taught through the use of these experiments.
The baking soda and super glue experiments can be interesting and educational and might even be useful in real life.
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10 AMAZING Baking Soda Experiments
July 18, 2020 By Emma Vanstone 6 Comments
Baking soda experiments or activities are a great, safe and easy way to introduce the concept of a chemical reaction to children. Baking soda is alkaline and reacts with acids such as vinegar, releasing carbon dioxide ( a gas ) and water. The fizz produced is brilliant fun for children to watch, especially if you combine it with washing up liquid ( dish soap ) to make even more bubbles or add a bit of food colouring, ice or a theme.
Note: This is an old post that I have updated, so there are now more than ten ideas!
Baking Soda Reactions
Make honeycomb.
Did you know honeycomb has lots of holes due to the addition of baking soda? Making honeycomb is a delicious way to see the bubbles made when baking soda reacts.
Baking Soda Rocket
This rocket is my favourite baking soda experiment, but it does shoot up with a bang, so take extra special care and stand well back! You’ll need to wrap the baking soda in a small piece of kitchen towel to slow the reaction down for long enough to push the cork securely into place.
Baking Soda Powered Boat
We loved making our baking soda boat , although it was tricky to get the mechanism to work correctly. It’s worth persevering with, though. It’s fun to try making several different size boats and investigate how they move when you add different amounts of baking soda and vinegar.
Monster Tea Party and witchy potions
Our monster tea party was filled with fun fizzy potions and an excellent opportunity to try baking soda as well as bicarbonate of soda. Which do you think worked the best?
If monsters aren’t your thing, how about making witchy or fairy potions?
Baking Soda Volcano
A baking soda volcano is a staple science activity for kids. Try asking children to investigate using different amounts of vinegar but keeping the amount of washing-up liquid and baking soda the same. Can they create the perfect recipe for an eruption?
Volcanos can be made using snow, sand, papier mache, LEGO or anything else you can make a basic volcano shape with.
Baking Soda Popper
My children loved these baking soda poppers . Please be careful and stand back, as these can shoot up with a little warning and a lot of force.
We experimented to discover the best baking soda and vinegar combination for a launch.
What reacts with baking soda?
This fun investigation is great for children to start thinking scientifically. We tested lots of different liquids to discover what reacts with baking soda and what doesn’t.
Remember to keep the amount of baking soda and the test substance the same.
Fizzing rocks with baking soda
Make baking soda rocks and watch them fizz! Can you hide something inside them?
Blow up a balloon with baking soda
Did you know you can blow up a balloon with baking soda and vinegar or another acid?
Baking Soda Ice Cubes
Make some colourful baking soda ice cubes and watch them fizz as you add vinegar.
Frozen Vinegar
Inspiration Laboratories froze the vinegar instead of the baking soda, which also worked brilliantly.
Dancing Raisins
Watch raisins dance around a glass due to bubbles of carbon dioxide.
Fizzy Paint
We did this many years ago but loved our fizzy paint afternoon .
Exploding Sandwich Bag
Exploding sandwich bags are always fun too! Simply pop a bit of vinegar and baking soda in a sealable plastic bag, fasten it quickly and stand back to watch!
Colour Changing Baking Soda Potions
These colour-changing potions made with red cabbage indicator are fantastic fun and easy to make too!
These change colour as the acid and then alkali is added.
Christmas Elf Lab
We very much enjoyed our magical fizzy elf lab for Christmas time too!
Do you have any more baking soda experiments to tell us about?
What is a baking soda and vinegar reaction?
If you combine an acid and an alkali, they react together to neutralise each other. Vinegar is an acid, and bicarbonate of soda is an alkali.
The reaction releases carbon dioxide gas, which is the bubbles you see. If you add washing-up liquid ( dish soap ) to your eruption, mix the bubbles making the washing-up liquid bubble up, giving you an extra bubbly mix.
Don’t forget we’ve got 100s more easy science experiments for you to try at home or school!
Last Updated on April 9, 2024 by Emma Vanstone
Safety Notice
Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.
These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.
Reader Interactions
May 03, 2014 at 5:05 pm
We love the baking soda experiments – and there are several here we haven’t tried! These will keep us busy for awhile!
May 05, 2014 at 7:02 am
Loving the baking soda ideas – we’ve tried a volcano before. Will have to try some more.
May 06, 2014 at 12:49 pm
Thanks Erica 🙂
September 08, 2016 at 8:17 pm
this was so helpful in help of finding fun and new experiments thank you to the creators of this.
June 10, 2017 at 5:30 pm
We have done every single one of these experiments before we even looked at this website and they were really cool.
March 05, 2018 at 9:24 pm
i found a science project but it calls for 80% vinegar. where can i find it
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10+ Fun and Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments
They explode, they erupt, they are messy and boy are they fun! What could cause so much excitement? That’s right, baking soda and vinegar experiments. Go beyond the old baking soda and vinegar volcanoes and discover a world of new experiments to thrill your kids!
Chemistry for Kids – Sodium Bicarbonate and Vinegar Reactions
What you will discover in this article!
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We love science experiments around here, but, often for my own sanity, we keep things easy, by just playing with variations of our favourite physics or chemistry reactions. One of our all time favourites is the simple baking soda and vinegar experiments.
Immediately, I am sure you are thinking of the old fashion Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcanoes we all built as children. We love that experiment too, but you can do lots of other things with this awesome reaction that don’t involve a whole lot of paper mache construction.
A quick note for those not in North American. Baking Soda is also known as Sodium Bicarbonate in many parts of the world.
The Science
These activities explore the popular baking soda and vinegar reaction, which is a simple acid-base chemical reaction. Vinegar or Acetic Acid has the chemical formula CH 3 COOH. Baking Soda, is a base also known as Sodium Bicarbonate or Sodium Bicarb, has the chemical formula NaHCO 3 . During this reaction the products are sodium acetate (CH 3 COONa). Sodium acetate is made of 1 sodium ion, 2 carbon atoms, 3 hydrogen atoms, and 2 oxygen atoms. The other products are water (H 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Carbon dioxide is the gas that causes the bubbling during the reaction.
Here is the chemical formula of this reaction
CH 3 COOH (l) + NaHCO 3 (s) → CH 3 COONa (aq) + H 2 O (l) + CO 2 (g) acetic acid (vinegar) + sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) -> sodium acetate + water + carbon dioxide
Is the reaction endothermic or exothermic?
It takes energy to break the chemical bonds in baking soda and vinegar. When this happens energy is released when the carbon dioxide, sodium acetate, and water are formed. Since more energy was needed to break the baking soda and vinegar apart, the temperature goes down . This is called an endothermic reaction. That means Baking Soda and Vinegar reactions are endothermic.
Now we know the science, let’s dig into some fun experiments!
Here are our top 10 favourite baking soda and vinegar experiments that the kids love doing over and over and over again! The best part, most of these are super easy science experiments. Great for those afternoons when you need a quick, fun project that will appeal to any age.
Measuring Chemical Reactions – Fireworks Experiment
Baking soda and vinegar is the perfect reaction to start learning some basic chemistry principles including how to measure a chemical reaction. In this experiment we have a fun Fireworks inspired reaction (great for July 4th), followed by a deep dive into chemistry as kids learn how to measure a chemical reaction with simple kitchen supplies.
Bottle Rockets
Building Bottle Rockets is such a fun activity for all ages, but especially as a year end celebration or summer camp activity. With this activity we are exploring the pressure and physics caused by a contained baking soda and vinegar reaction. And the results are spectacular!!
Greenhouse Effect Experiment
This powerful experiment demonstrates the heat capturing properties of greenhouse gases. An excellent project to do for Earth Day or as part of a unit study on environmental sciences and climate change. Create the Greenhouse Effect in a jar .
Hatching Dino Eggs
One of our most popular activities with everyone from the very young to the young at heart are these little Dino Eggs. Everyone dreams of hatching their very own dinosaur baby and in this fun activity you make it happen with a fizzy, fun and gorgeous chemical reaction.
Erupting Rainbow Rocks
Erupting rainbow rocks are a gorgeous, colourful science experiment that is so easy to do. Be prepared for lots of squeals of excitement and gasps of wonder as the rainbow of colours magically appear in the fizz!
Erupting Black Hole Science
We love studying space around here, and this is a fantastic activity for your star gazers and aspiring space travelers. Inspired by the first photographs of a black hole, we created this fun and interactive Space STEM Activity – Erupting Black Holes !
Magic Color Changing Oobleck
Imagine changing the colour of something, simply with chemistry. This Colour Changing Oobleck activity was not originally meant to be a baking soda and vinegar reaction, in fact we were simply setting out to test pH. Then we saw those fizzy little reactions as our Oobleck changed colour. Accidental discoveries in science are so much fun!
Baking Soda vs Baking Powder
Got a budding scientist on your hands that wants to run their very own science lab? This is a fantastic activity for kids to put their investigation skills to the test. Make sure you use test tubes and beakers for the best lab experience. Don’t forget the lab coat. Your young scientists will love this investigative activity exploring the differences between baking soda and baking powder .
Balloon Science
Like our bottle rockets, in this activity we are capturing the CO2 gases that result from a baking soda and vinegar reaction. Using our STEM skills we tested different ratios to see how it affects the inflating of our balloons. We have done this experiment for Groundhog Day and Halloween . It is great fun and can be easily adapted for any theme and is super easy to do.
Volcano Slime
After years of failure we finally found success making slime with contact lens solution and baking soda. Well it didn’t take long for the kids to start asking… what would happen if we added vinegar? And our Erupting Volcano Slime was born!
Puking Pumpkin Volcano
Take your fall Halloween celebrations to a new level of “EEEWWWW” with Puking Pumpkin Volcanoes ! This simple activity always delights the kids.
Apple Volcano Experiment
This Apple Volcano is perfect for Back to School and Fall Science. Kids love Apple Science Experiments, and this colorful one is always popular.
Christmas Tree Chemistry
This is a great Christmas STEAM activity , but if you need something for a different time of year, simply switch out your Silicone Molds to change the theme of this activity for any holiday or event. We’ve done it for Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Dinosaur themed and more. Kids get to decorate their Christmas Tree then make it erupt in a colourful chemical reaction.
Invisible Ink
Another fun use of acids and bases is to make invisible ink . This is such a fun experiment with big wow moments for kids!
Art from Science Galaxy Project
Combine these incredible chemical reactions with a fun art project in this easy activity that is perfect for STEAM club or to celebrate the night skies. We had so much fun making these Galaxy art prints .
Have a great time exploring the amazing reaction between baking soda and vinegar! Your kids are going to have a blast!
Ready to dig into more Chemistry learning in a fun, interactive way? Try our Periodic Table of Elements BINGO game!
Have fun learning and exploring with chemistry!
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Hands On As We Grow®
Hands on kids activities for hands on moms. Focusing on kids activities perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.
35 Exploding Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments for Kids of All Ages
Science Toddlers Grade School Kindergartners Preschoolers Experiment Kitchen Resources 3 Comments
Try one of these 35 science experiments that you can do with two simple ingredients you probably already have at home – baking soda and vinegar.
Simple science experiments are great for all ages.
They don’t always go as planned.
But that’s part of experimenting and learning.
Adjust accordingly and try again.
I am more likely to do science experiments that use basic household supplies.
After all, who wants to wait to go shopping before doing a science experiment?
Don’t let the excitement of doing an experiment fizzle away.
Mixing baking soda and vinegar is a blast, so you are sure to enjoy these 35 science experiments for kids.
Before even starting, figure out the best baking soda to vinegar ratio.
We did it and discovered that using 12 parts vinegar to 1 part baking soda resulted in the biggest fizziest explosions.
See the details here: Mega Baking Soda to Vinegar Ratio Experiment
Erupting Volcanoes with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Go with the flow with these erupting baking soda and vinegar volcano experiments.
I hope you lava them as much as I do!
Keep the mess to a minimum by going outside or keeping the volcanoes contained in a baking dish.
- Create an erupting apple volcano as seen on Little Bins for Little Hands. Then check out these 40 easy apple activities for kids to experiment, create, and learn for more apple themed learning.
- Scoop out the insides of a watermelon for a watermelon volcano shown on Natural Beach Living. And then enjoy a yummy snack when done.
- Fill a tray with plastic egg volcanoes found on Little Bins for Little Hands.
- Repurpose a salt shaker for a salt shaker volcano as seen on Science Kiddo. Wrap the baking soda in tissue paper, toss it in the vinegar, and quickly put the lid on to create a geyser of baking soda and vinegar.
- Practice colors with a color changing volcano shown on Preschool Inspirations. A video is available to watch this active volcano.
- Use small containers for a rainbow volcano found on Messy Little Monster. Pair this activity with a frozen rainbow science experiment for kids .
- Be wowed with a colorful volcano as seen on Hello Wonderful. Making a sensory bin with this erupting volcano is a hands-on creative idea.
- Build a homemade volcano shown on Fun With Mama. A plastic or glass bottle and some sand work great.
- Construct a ketchup volcano found on Kindergarten Worksheets and Games. Ketchup has vinegar in it, so technically, this is another vinegar and baking soda experiment. Plus it’s red like lava!
Dancing with Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments
You put a little boogie in a tissue to make it dance.
But how do you make apple seeds , popcorn seeds, raisins, rice, gummy worms, and candy dance?
Try these baking soda and vinegar experiments! What else can you make dance?
- Use the apple seeds from the erupting apple volcano experiment for dancing apple seeds as seen on J Daniel 4’s Mom.
- Become a magician with dancing popcorn seeds found on Little Bins for Little Hands. Abracadabra!
- Experiment with dancing raisins shown on Science Sparks. Do raisins sink or float?
- Add color to a dancing rice experiment as seen on Green Kid Crafts. Do all kinds of rice dance?
- Cut gummy worms in quarters and soak them in baking soda for this dancing worms experiment as seen on Playdough to Plato. Does it matter how long you soak the worms in baking soda?
- Start a conversation with these dancing candy hearts found on Kindergarten Worksheets and Games. What other candy can you make dance?
FREE Science Experiments Download!
Creating Art with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Don’t draw the line with baking soda and vinegar experiments just yet. Create some fizzy, popping art work!
- Mix together some baking soda paint as seen on Housing a Forest. Spread this thick, goopy paint on to cardboard or thick paper with a spatula.
- Create some fizzy art found on Typically Simple. No pipette, no problem! Try using a medicine syringe or a turkey baster.
- Explore space with fizzy galaxy art shown on The Pinterested Parent. It’s a beautiful out-of-this world creation.
- Play with a fizzy painting as seen on Rainy Day Mum. Messy but fun!
- Make rainbow art found on The Best Ideas for Kids. The colors might all mix together in the process, but that’s okay!
- Build a textured fizzling volcano as seen on The Craft at Home Family. A free template is available.
Experimenting More with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Who knew you could do so many experiments with baking soda and vinegar? Here are even more simple baking soda and vinegar experiments to try at home with kids.
- Assemble a fizzy sensory bin found on Wild Flower Ramblings. Add shells, little rocks, and toy underwater creatures for an ocean theme.
- Experiment with color reaction using baking soda and vinegar! What color does blue and yellow make? Green!
- Learn what ratio of vinegar and baking soda creates the best chemical reaction with a ratio experiment . Chart your results.
- Become a mad scientist in a fizzy potion lab found on Little Passports. Any cup should work.
- Blow up a balloon without using your mouth. Will the filled balloons fall to the ground or rise in the air once they are tied shut?
- Uncover a magic treasure rock shown on Growing a Jeweled Rose. What treasure will you find?
- Compare frozen vinegar with frozen baking soda as seen on Play of the Wild. This is a great hands-on chemistry experiment.
- Build a chemical reaction car found on Left Brain Craft Brain. Does the amount of baking soda and vinegar affect the speed?
- Blast off with a launching rocket as seen on Babble Dabble Do. Does the weight of the rocket affect the distance it travels?
- Play in water with a STEAM boat shown on Tiny Beans. Anchors away!
- Decorate a STEAM sailboat found on 123 Homeschool 4 Me. Does the design of the boat matter?
- Investigate clean and green pennies as seen on Mom Brite. Make pennies sparkle and turn them green with this experiment.
- See a disappearing egg shell shown on Premeditated Leftovers. Simply put an egg in a jar of vinegar and wait a couple of days.
- Watch all of the bubbles form with this disappearing sea shells activity found on Little Bins for Little Hands. A shell in vinegar for a little bit is a clean shell. But left in vinegar for too long, it may disappear!
What is your favorite baking soda and vinegar activity?
About Brigitte Brulz
Brigitte Brulz is a homeschooling mom of two daughters, wife of her high school sweetheart, and author of Jobs of a Preschooler and Pickles, Pickles, I Like Pickles. She offers free coloring pages and activity ideas on her website at BrigitteBrulz.com .
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How To Make a Baking Soda Volcano With Free Observation Sheet
This experiment will have kids erupting with applause!
The classic baking soda volcano experiment has been entertaining kids (and adults) of all ages for decades. But it’s more than just a lot of fun. This experiment also teaches kids about simple chemical reactions and physical properties. The best part? It’s easy to do and uses only a few basic ingredients. Read on to see how to conduct the baking soda volcano experiment, and fill out the form on this page to grab your free recording sheet!
How does the baking soda volcano experiment work?
This experiment involves pouring vinegar mixed with dish soap into a small amount of baking soda. The baking soda acts as a base while the vinegar is an acid. When the base and the acid come together, they create an endothermic reaction that produces carbon dioxide. The dish soap helps to create the foaming effect as the “lava” pours out of the volcano.
What does the baking soda volcano teach?
The baking soda volcano experiment is a great way to demonstrate a chemical reaction between an acid and a carbonate. When the carbonate (found in the baking soda) is exposed to the acids (found in the vinegar), it creates a decomposition reaction that releases carbon dioxide as gas. While this experiment is an example of an acid-base reaction, it’s also a great simulation of a real volcanic eruption.
Is there a baking soda volcano video?
This video shows how to make a volcano erupt using ingredients you can probably find in your kitchen.
Materials needed
To do the baking soda volcano experiment, you will need:
- Baking soda
- Food coloring
- Mini Paper Cups
- Plastic Volcano Form
Our free recording sheet is also helpful—fill out the form on this page to grab it.
Baking soda volcano experiment steps:
1. to start, place a tiny paper cup into the hole at the top of the plastic volcano mold..
2. Once your volcano is set up, pour 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda into the paper cup.
3. Next, add about a half cup of vinegar into a plastic measuring cup.
4. Add a few squirts of dish soap to the vinegar solution.
5. Add some squirts of red and yellow food coloring to the vinegar mixture.
6. Use a plastic spoon to mix all the ingredients in the plastic measuring cup together.
7. Pour the vinegar solution into the small paper cup at the top of the volcano.
8. Finally, watch and enjoy the eruption!
Grab our free baking soda volcano experiment worksheet
Fill out the form on this page to get your free worksheet. The worksheet asks kids to guess the correct order of the steps in the experiment. Next, kids must make a prediction about what they think will happen. They can use the provided spaces to draw what happens before and after they add the ingredients. Did their predictions come true?
Additional reflection questions
- What role does the dish soap play in the reaction that occurs?
- How would it be different if you added baking soda to the vinegar instead of the other way around?
- What do you think would happen if you added a different liquid than vinegar?
- What do you think would happen if you added more baking soda?
Can the baking soda volcano experiment be done for a science fair?
Yes! If you want to do this experiment for a science fair, we recommend switching up some of the variables. For example: Does the amount of baking soda matter? Does the type of dish soap? Form a hypothesis about how changing the variables will impact the experiment. Good luck!
Looking for more experiment ideas? Check out our big list of experiment ideas here.
Plus, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters for more articles like this., you might also like.
16 Red-Hot Volcano Science Experiments and Kits For Classrooms or Science Fairs
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If you have baking soda , you have the prime ingredient for a slew of science experiments ! Here's a look at some of the projects you can try, including the classic baking soda volcano and growing baking soda crystals.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano
If you only try one baking soda science project, make a baking soda and vinegar volcano. You can color the liquid to make the volcano erupt "lava" or go with the original white eruption. The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) reacts with vinegar (dilute acetic acid, a weak acid), to form water and carbon dioxide gas. If you add a small amount of detergent to the volcano, the gas gets trapped to make a thick foam.
Baking Soda Stalagmites and Stalactites
Baking soda is a good material for growing homemade stalagmites and stalactites. The non-toxic crystals form quickly and show up well against a dark-colored yarn. It's easiest to use gravity to get crystals to grow downward (stalactites), but constant dripping from the center of the yard will produce upward growing crystals (stalagmites), too. All you need for this project is baking soda, water, and some yarn.
Dancing Gummy Worms
Use baking soda and vinegar to make gummy worms dance in a glass. This is a fun project that demonstrates how vinegar and baking soda produce carbon dioxide gas bubbles. The bubbles get trapped by the ridges on the candy worms, causing parts of them to float. When the bubbles get big enough, they detach from the candy and the worm sinks.
Baking Soda Invisible Ink
Baking soda is one of many common household ingredients you can use to make invisible ink. All you need is baking soda and a bit of water to write a secret message. Baking soda weakens the cellulose fibers in paper. The damage is invisible under ordinary conditions but can be revealed by apply heat.
Make Black Snakes
Justin Smith / Getty Images
Black snakes are a type of non-exploding firework that pushes out a snake-like column of black ash. They are one of the safest and easiest fireworks to make, plus the homemade ones smell like burnt sugar.
Test Baking Soda for Freshness
jordachelr / Getty Images
Baking soda loses its effectiveness over time. It's easy to test whether or not your baking soda is still good, so you'll know if it will work for science projects or baking. It's also possible to recharge baking soda to get it to work again.
Ketchup and Baking Soda Volcano
There's more than one way to make a baking soda chemical volcano. The advantage of reacting ketchup with baking soda is that you get a thick, red eruption without having to add any dye or colorant.
Baking Soda Crystals
Baking soda forms delicate white crystals. Typically, you'll get small crystals, but they grow quickly and form interesting shapes. If you want to get larger crystals, take one of these small seed crystals and add it to a saturated solution of baking soda and water.
Make Sodium Carbonate
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It's simple to use it to make a related non-toxic chemical, sodium carbonate, which can be used for a host of other science projects.
Homemade Fire Extinguisher
The carbon dioxide you can make from baking soda can be used as a homemade fire extinguisher. While you won't have enough CO 2 to put out a serious blaze, you can fill a glass with the gas to extinguish candles and other small flames.
Honeycomb Candy Recipe
Baking soda produces bubbles that cause baked goods to rise. You can also cause it to produce bubbles in other foods, such as this candy. The bubbles get trapped inside a matrix of sugar, producing an interesting texture.
Make Hot Ice
Baking soda is a key ingredient to make sodium acetate or hot ice . Hot ice is a supersaturated solution that remains liquid until you touch it or disturb it. Once crystallization is initiated, hot ice evolves heat as it forms icy shapes.
Make Baking Powder
Baking powder and baking soda are two different products used to make baked goods rise. You can use baking powder in place of baking soda in a recipe, although the result may taste a bit different. However, you have to add another ingredient to baking soda in order to make baking powder.
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5 Easy Baking Soda Science Projects Your Kids Will Love
August 3, 2020 by Ana Dziengel Leave a Comment
I love science experiments that feature simple materials and baking soda science projects are full of surprising, fizzing, bubbling, educational fun!
This post is sponsored by Arm & Hammer. All opinions are my own.
I hope you had a blast in Arm & Hammer Summer Camp ! And if you think that the 5 science projects we did featuring baking soda are all there is, think again…Being science counselor in camp opened my eyes to the endless project possibilities with this humble ingredient and I cannot wait to try more of them with my kids and students.
5 Easy Baking Soda Science Projects
I am gathering up all 5 projects in this post for your convenience. Watch the videos here and click the project title for complete instructions . Also be sure to check out the science section in each post to learn all about the chemical reactions that make these experiments possible!
1. Tie Dyed Slime
Learn about non-Newtonian fluids and color mixing in this summer themed slime activity!
Downloadable directions here
2. diy lava lamps.
Try this mess-free chemical reaction and learn about acid, bases, and polarity.
3. Fizzing Hands
Turn the classic baking soda volcano experiment and turn it on it’s head…I mean hand! This project uses the carbon dioxide produced in a chemical reaction for some hilarious fun!
4. Blast Off Bottle Rockets
These fly HIGH! If you have never made a bottle rocket before, this summer is the perfect time to do it!
5. Fizzing Hatching Dino Eggs
Another variation on the classic acid base reaction with a surprising dinosaur twist!
If you enjoyed these b aking soda science projects project be sure to hop over to Arm & Hammer’s YouTube channel for more ideas!
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Science Experiments with Baking Soda
Looking for interesting science experiments for their kids? These Science Experiments with Baking Soda offer a great opportunity to explore chemistry. Baking soda is not only an inexpensive pantry staple, but its properties make it perfect for simple and safe science experiments that your kids can do inside the home.
If your kids love these science activities, check out more Fun STEM Activities for Kids !
Your kids will love seeing the reactions made by doing these activities. This list of experiments made with baking soda will have your homeschoolers seeing the chemical world in action in no time!
This post may contain affiliate links meaning I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Read my disclosure policy here.
See a list of my favorite Amazon Deals for your home and homeschool.
What happens when baking soda mixes with acids?
Baking soda is a really versatile ingredient and it can be used for all kinds of science experiments at home – especially for kids! When you combine baking soda with an acid, it produces a chemical reaction that releases gas, making bubbles and even inflating balloons.
As kids explore this reaction, they get to understand what happens when the two substances mix. This is not only fun to observe but helps them learn about basic chemistry concepts in a hands-on manner.
A great experiment for young scientists is mixing baking soda with vinegar in sealed jars or balloons – the pressure created releases a gas that causes the balloon to expand just like when you blow it up!
Try other acids like lemon juice or orange juice too and watch how your children’s faces light up as they explore these fascinating reactions. It will be an experience they won’t forget soon!
Recommended Science Experiment Books for Kids
Reading is one of the foundational skills that kids need to build in order to become successful adults. Luckily, reading can be exciting and fun, as well as educational!
Use these science experiment books to have a better understanding of science and what amazing experiments they can do!
Recommended Science Experiment Books
Looking to add more ‘wow’ to your science explorations? Well, look no further! I’ve handpicked a whole library of the most amazing Science Experiment Books that are perfect for inquisitive kiddos like yours!
Recommended Science Experiment Kits
With all the time kids are spending in front of screens nowadays, it is more important than ever to introduce them to fun learning activities to get their creative juices flowing.
These science kits will get the kids to love learning science while still having fun!
One of the best things you can do for your kids is to introduce them to science experiments early on in their lives. Baking soda is a cheap and harmless fun way to show your children the wonders of science.
Fizzy Rainbow Science
This awesome activity will surely get your kids to love science experiments and learning how it happens!
Fizzy Baking Soda Christmas Tree Experiment
Learning during the holidays can be the best kind of learning. This Fizzy Baking Soda Christmas Tree Experiment is a great activity during this Christmas season!
Dancing Worms Activity
Take a look at this fun Science experiment and activity that kids will really enjoy. This Dancing Worms Activity will integrate both Science and hands-on activities!
Fizzy Pumpkin Science Experiment
This Fizzy Pumpkin Science Experiment is great for the entire season from fall to Halloween to Thanksgiving.
Easy 4-Ingredient Dancing Hearts Experiment
The Dancing Hearts experiment is a long-standing project favorite for kids. Not only is it completed with one of the sweetest Valentine’s Day treats of the season, but it’s also a hands-on experiment that makes learning fun.
Fizzy Heart Science Experiment
The kids are certain to love this Fizzy Heart Science Experiment! It’s a great way to get them excited and engaged in the learning process!
Fizzy St. Patrick’s Day Science
The kids are going to love this Fizzy St. Patrick’s Day Science activity! It’s a fun sensory activity with a little bit of messy play, too!
Fun Fizzy Apple Volcano Science Experiment
You can talk about apples, chemistry, colors, and sensory explorations all in one simple yet enormously educational activity.
Fizzy Snowman Science Experiment
This Fizzy Snowman Science Experiment is the perfect way to kick off the winter season! Bundle it, it’s going to be a long and educational winter!
Fizzy Frozen Hearts Experiment
During the season of love, it is a great opportunity to make this fun Fizzy Frozen Hearts Experiment with your kids!
Fizzy Bat Experiment Your Kids Will Love
If you are searching for a fun way to introduce bats to your child, give this fizzy bat experiment a try!
Fizzy Treasure Rocks
This Fizzy Treasure Rocks activity will make your kids love celebrating St. Patrick's Day so try it out now!
Bubbling Pumpkin Experiment
This Bubbling Pumpkin Experiment is a fun science experiment that will have the kids interested and engaged, and ready for more!
How to Make a Baking Soda Vinegar Powered Steam Boat
If your kids love playing with water, they'll love this Baking Soda Vinegar Powered Steam Boat to play with!
Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment with Color Fun
This simple Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment is a great way to teach your kids about colors in a fun way!
Fizzy Frozen Stars
Your kids will love doing science experiments with this Fizzy Frozen Stars activity!
Salt Shaker Volcano | Exciting Kitchen Science for Kids
Searching for a simple activity to do with your kids? This salt-shaker volcano is just for you! You can teach them all about chemistry with a simple activity.
Easy Outdoor Color Changing Volcano with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Do this Color Changing Volcano with your kids now! They will be amazed by how it changes color.
Ketchup Volcano Science Experiment
Teach your kids more about volcanoes and chemistry with this Ketchup Volcano Science Experiment!
How to Clean Pennies with Vinegar
If you are looking for an amazing science activity to teach your kids, this is the activity just for them! Your pennies will be dirty no more!
Balloon Science Experiment
Make this fun Balloon Science Experiment with your kids now and teach them how this balloon inflates itself!
Science for Kids: Magic Dancing Rice Experiment
Your little kids will love this Magic Dancing Rice Experiment! You can make it with just the simple materials you have at home.
Baking Soda And Vinegar Rainbow Easter Eggs
If your kids love the rainbow, they'll love this Baking Soda And Vinegar Rainbow Easter Eggs!
How To Make Baking Soda Rockets
Kids love rockets! This science experiment will teach them how to make their own Baking Soda Rocket.
How To Make Baking Soda Paint
This is a unique way for the kids to make their beautiful masterpieces and show off their art skills!
Not only can your kids get a hands-on experience with chemical reactions, but they’ll also find it incredibly enjoyable to watch what happens when you mix baking soda with other household ingredients.
There are countless experiments you can do with baking soda, from creating rainbows and volcanoes to exploding balloons and investigating food coloring.
So why not look up an easy list of science experiments with baking soda for kids and make a fun afternoon out of it?
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Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments
Kids love easy science experiments you can do with baking soda and vinegar. When baking soda and vinegar combine, you get an incredible chemical reaction everyone will want to try. Check out our top baking soda and vinegar science experiments for preschool through middle school.
Take a look at how we give this classic science experiment a twist with the activities below. These are our favorite ways to explore a fizzing reaction. Use this safe experiment as an easy way to introduce a chemical reaction to younger kids.
See our list of preschool science experiments and elementary science experiments .
All you need are a few simple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen! Baking soda, vinegar, and a little food coloring will keep your kids busy for quite a while. We have also included a few other ingredients that react with baking soda to make it fizz. Find unique ways to enjoy this fun experiment any day of the year!
💡 You can easily try this experiment at home or in a classroom, making it easy to do!
Free Printable Fizzy Reactions Guide
If you love mixing baking soda and vinegar, look through the experiments below and grab the free printable baking soda and vinegar fizzy reactions guide !
Apple Volcano
Grab an apple that’s ready to be composted and try this fall theme baking soda and vinegar activity!
Baking Soda and Cranberry Juice
What happens when you add cranberry juice to baking soda? Fizzing cranberries ! What about lemon juice or lime juice like this Lemon Volcano ? Find out with these citric acid experiments.
Baking Soda Fizzy Paint
Try fizzy painting! Make your own cool fizzy art with baking soda and vinegar paint for a fun and easy art meets science activity. Try this fizzy heart !
Baking Soda Moon Rocks
Here we made our own DIY moon rocks for a cool space theme activity for kids.
Balloon Experiment
Can you blow up a balloon using only baking soda and vinegar?
Baking Soda Bottle Rocket
Combine physics and chemistry with this unique baking soda and vinegar science experiment! Kids will love blasting off a bottle rocket .
Bubbling Slime
This is by far one of the coolest slime recipes we have to date because it combines two things we love: slime making and baking soda and vinegar reactions.
Classic Baking Soda Volcano
Vinegar volcanoes are always a hit, and you can make them in several ways. We are using the classic baking soda volcano to test our science skills! Learn how to make a batch of salt dough and craft a volcano fit for this science experiment.
Cookie Cutter Baking Soda Experiments
Grab your cookie cutters for a fun and easy baking soda project. Try different themes with your holiday cookie cutters. Try these fizzing snowflakes!
Dancing Corn
Dancing corn is usually a favorite baking soda and vinegar experiment around Thanksgiving for us! The alternative to this type of science project is done with a carbonated liquid, such as this dancing raisins science experiment.
Dinosaur Volcano
What’s more fun than combining dinosaur play and a baking soda and vinegar reaction! This dinosaur volcano activity provides an opportunity for younger kids to learn about dinosaurs, volcanoes, and the natural world in a hands-on way.
Fizzing Dinosaur Eggs
The coolest dinosaur activity EVER!! A fun variation on a baking soda and vinegar reaction where kids can hatch out their own dinosaurs.
Fizzing Sidewalk Paint
This is an awesome way to take science outside and turn it into STEAM! Get outdoors, paint pictures, and enjoy a kid-favorite fizzing chemical reaction.
LEGO Volcano
Build your own volcano with basic LEGO bricks and watch it erupt over and over again.
Popping Bags
Another unique way to try a baking soda experiment outside! How to make an exploding plastic bag.
Sandbox Eruption
Take your baking soda project outdoors and build a baking soda and vinegar bottle rocket in your sandbox.
Snow Volcano
This makes for a great winter science experiment! Take the baking soda and vinegar fun outdoors and create your very own erupting snow-cano!
Watermelon-Cano
We love to make anything erupt… Also check out our apple volcano , pumpkin volcano and even a puking pumpkin .
Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Fair Project
Set this up as a Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Fair Project! Learn more about Science Fair Projects here and grab the free pack.
- Try using different baking soda and vinegar ratios to see how they affect the reaction.
- Add food coloring to the vinegar to create a colorful eruption.
- Test other household substances, such as lemon juice , orange juice, or cranberry juice , to compare their reaction with baking soda.
- Add dish soap and compare the eruptions.
- Try using containers with different size openings to observe the pressure the gas exerts, causing the eruption.
💡 Read more about the Scientific Method for Kids here!
What Makes Baking Soda Fizz?
Baking soda is made up of tiny particles called molecules. Each molecule has three different elements: sodium, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen.
Something exciting happens when baking soda comes into contact with an acid, like vinegar! The acid (vinegar) and the base (baking soda) react. The vinegar donates a hydrogen ion to the baking soda during this reaction.
The hydrogen ion combines with the bicarbonate ion in baking soda to form carbonic acid. This is unstable and quickly breaks into water and carbon dioxide gas.
The carbon dioxide gas is why baking soda starts to fizz and bubble. The gas tries to escape from the mixture, creating bubbles that rise to the surface. These bubbles make a fizzing sound and give the impression of a mini volcano eruption!
So, when you mix baking soda with an acid like vinegar, you get a fantastic fizzy reaction due to the production of carbon dioxide gas. It’s truly an exciting and visually appealing demonstration of a chemical reaction!
You might also like: Cool Chemistry Projects for Kids
Endothermic Reaction
The reaction between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid) is endothermic because it absorbs heat from the surroundings, causing a slight drop in temperature.
This process of taking in energy is what makes the reaction endothermic. And as it takes energy, it produces carbon dioxide gas, which creates all the exciting fizz and bubbles you see! It’s like a bit of science magic happening right before our eyes!
You might also like: Elephant Toothpaste (Exothermic Reaction)
Helpful Science Resources To Get You Started
Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.
- Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
- Science Vocabulary
- All About Scientists
- Free Science Worksheets
- DIY Science Kits
- Science Tools for Kids
- Scientific Method for Kids
- Citizen Science Guide
- Join us in the Club
Printable Science Projects For Kids
If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!
- 90+ classic science activities with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information. NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
- Best science practices posters and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
- Be a Collector activities pack introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
- Know the Words Science vocabulary pack includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
- My science journal writing prompts explore what it means to be a scientist!!
- Bonus STEAM Project Pack: Art meets science with doable projects!
- Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics
One Comment
I am a regular visitor of your website. Thanks for the great article. By following this article I created youtube video of my son showing step by step tutorial of Magic Balloon Science Experiment for Kids using Baking Soda and Vinegar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl_OMitc150
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7 Baking Soda and Vinegar STEM Activities for Kids
by Sarah | Activities , Learning , Science | 0 comments
Do you need some fun STEM activities for kids? Here are 7 baking soda and vinegar STEM activities to help teach kids about chemistry and chemical reactions!
I loved chemistry as a kid. I was the kid who asked for a chemistry set for Christmas and played with it up in my room all the time.
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If you don’t want your kids to have a free reign on producing [potentially dangerous] chemical reactions, you can give them the same satisfaction with baking soda and vinegar!
Baking soda and vinegar is pretty safe to work with and can be a great learning tool for kids from toddlers on up to tweens and even teens.
The Science Behind the Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction
Baking soda and vinegar are simple ingredients that when put together create a chemical reaction.
Baking soda is a bicarbonate(or NaHCO3) and it is a base. Vinegar is acetic acid (or HCH3COO), which of course is an acid.
When these 2 combine a chemical reaction occurs and a a result of this chemical reaction, carbon dioxide gas is produced. (Here’s a more exact description of what happens during the reaction )
That carbon dioxide gas is what causes the bubbles and the “volcanic” explosions kids love.
Follow up the discussion with this fun Acids and Bases Experiment to help kids determine what are acids and what are bases.
Looking for some fun ways to explore baking soda and vinegar? Here are 7 fun baking soda and vinegar activities for kids of all ages.
7 Fun and Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar STEM Activities for Kids
Most of these activities are fairly easy to put together and you probably have all of the ingredients to create them sitting in your kitchen right now!
Baking Soda Paint
This easy STEAM activity is a wonderful combination of Science and Art that your kids will love!
Baking soda paints are easily mixed together with just a few ingredients. Then once your art creation is complete you add in some vinegar to create a fizzing reaction to the paints!
This activity is suitable for all ages.
Learn more: How to Make Baking Soda Paints
Dancing Popcorn Science Experiment
Dancing popcorn is one of my younger kids’ absolute favorite experiments.
It’s simple enough for them to do themselves (with supervision) and it has a fun visual outcome!
All you need is baking soda, vinegar, and popcorn!
Learn more: How to Make Dancing Popcorn
Make a Volcano
Volcanoes are a time tested STEM activity that has lasted for generations.
All you need is a few supplies like baking soda, vinegar, and a little soap or food coloring.
You can make this as fancy as you wish. I know my kids love to take a plastic bottle and some dirt and mud and build up something that looks like a real volcanic mountain. Then add some baking soda to the bottle and pour some soap and vinegar on top and see it erupt!
Blow up a Balloon
Blowing up balloons is so much fun for kids. What makes it even better? Blow up a balloon without using your mouth!
I like this baking soda and vinegar activity because it’s a great visual representation of the gas produced when you mix the 2 ingredients. Baking soda and vinegar don’t just make things explode, but it produces carbon dioxide gas!
This is a simple activity. All you need is:
- a bottle or test tube
- baking soda and vinegar
Place vinegar in the test tube and baking soda in the balloon. Fit the balloon over the top of the test tube and then tip the balloon up so that the baking soda spills into the vinegar below.
Be sure to hold on to the balloon so it doesn’t shoot off!
Then watch the balloon inflate!
Fizzing Dinosaur Eggs
These fun baking soda dinosaur eggs combine everyone’s favorites for a fun STEM activity for kids that everyone will love!
Make a dough out of baking soda and mold it around tiny dinosaurs to create eggs. Let them harden and use vinegar to hatch out the dinosaurs! What’s more fun that that?!
Learn More: How to Make Baking Soda Dinosaur Eggs
Baking Soda and Vinegar Sensory Station
Sometimes the best way to learn is through free play.
Kids of all ages will love the freedom of playing with baking soda and vinegar however they wish.
This baking soda and vinegar sensory tub is all about free play with materials to learn and experiment. All you need is baking soda, vinegar, and a few fun extras.
Learn More: How to Set Up a Baking Soda and Vinegar Sensory Tub
Exploding Bags
This exploding bags activity is very similar to the blowing up balloons activity.
Baking soda and vinegar and combined in a closed Ziploc bag and the reaction causes the bag to inflate and eventually burst. Plus you can do all sorts of variations to turn this into a true experiment.
Learn More: How to Make Exploding Baking Soda and Vinegar Bags
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Fun & Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments
Published: July 5, 2022
Contributor: Jeannette Tuionetoa
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.
If you have baking soda and vinegar at home, it is all you need for super science fun. These baking soda and vinegar science experiments are easy to do and your kids will love them!
Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments
What is the best thing about vinegar and baking soda science experiments? You have everything you need right in your pantry! These fun and cheap science experiments may be super easy, yet they will still add excitement to your science lessons.
Basic Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments
If you are looking for a simple baking soda and vinegar experiment, try this classic.
Classic Vinegar and Baking Soda Science Experiment
Here are the materials needed for this classic science experiment:
- Baking soda
- Tall and narrow plastic container
- Rimmed tray to make sure it captures any overflows
- Food coloring
Vinegar and Baking Soda Experiment Directions
- Pour baking soda into the plastic container and add a few drops of the food coloring.
- Pour vinegar over the baking soda and drops of food coloring with a medicine dropper.
- Watch in awe as the reaction bubbles up and fizzles over the edge of the container. Add props like Legos or toys to make a whole scene of bubbly, fizzy fun.
Homemade Fizzy Sidewalk Paint
Here are the materials needed for the Homemade Fizzy Sidewalk Chalk Paint science experiment:
- 2 cups of baking soda
- 1 cup of cornstarch
Fizzy Sidewalk Paint Directions
- Grab a squirt or squeeze bottle, muffin tins, and paint brushes.
- Mix the ingredients all together and pour them into the muffin tins. Of course, do this a few times with different colors.
- Grab paint brushes, get outdoors and start your creations.
Baking Soda Vinegar Volcano
I am sure you have seen a baking and soda and vinegar volcano, right? This easy baking soda and vinegar volcano eruption is fun and your kids can do it independently.
This experiment only takes about three minutes to prep . Here are the materials needed for easy baking soda and vinegar volcano eruption for kids:
- Plastic cup
- 4 tbs of baking soda
- 1 tsp of dish soap
- ½ oz to 2 oz of washable paint
- 1 cup of vinegar (8 oz of vinegar that will start your eruption)
How to Make Your Volcano Erupt
- Have your young children make a mound of gravel and place the cup on top of it with gravel developing it into a mountain shape.
- Combine all the ingredients together.
- Pour the mixture into the cup and then the vinegar when you are ready for eruption.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment for Kids
This is a fun take on a simple experiment. Check out this baking soda and vinegar powered boat .
Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat
Here are the materials needed for Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat experiment:
- Small empty plastic water bottle
- Kitchen paper roll
- Straw vinegar
- Bath or large tub/container
Directions for Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat Experiment
- Pierce a hole in the water bottle for the star to go through it. Tape up the gap to prevent any air from escaping the water bottle.
- Pour vinegar into the plastic bottle and then replace the lid.
- Tap some baking soda on a small piece of kitchen roll.
- Stuff the tissue-wrapped baking soda in the bottle and swiftly cover it with the lid.
- Place the plastic bottle in the water and just watch it zoom away.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction
So, what exactly happens with a baking soda and vinegar reaction? Mixing vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) together cause a chemical reaction that makes salt (sodium acetate), water, and carbon dioxide gas. These experiments are exciting for students to do.
There are two separate reactions when baking soda and vinegar mix. There is an acid base reaction and a decomposition reaction.
Acid-based reaction – Hydrogen ions and vinegar react with the sodium and bicarbonate ions that are in baking soda. The result is two chemicals called carbonic acid and sodium acetate.
Decomposition reaction – The carbonic acid and sodium acetate from the acid-based reaction decompose into water (H2O) and carbon dioxide gas.
Baking Soda And Vinegar Science Experiments FAQ
Here are some common questions people ask when mixing baking soda and vinegar.
What happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar and water?
Mixing baking soda and vinegar and water produces carbon dioxide gas which forms bubbles in the foaming mixture. It forms a fizzing reaction of carbon dioxide that consequently is awesome for cleaning and freshening sinks and drains.
What happens if you mix baking soda vinegar and food coloring?
It is important to listen in when mixing the baking soda vinegar and food coloring to hear the fizz. Mixing these three items develops a fizzy foam full of food coloring colors. Make a rainbow or use your young scientist’s favorite colors for a super cool colourful chemical reaction science experiment.
What science experiments can you do with baking soda?
Here is a list of experiments that can be done with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).
- Baking soda paint
- Blow-up balloon science
- Fizzing Dinosaur Eggs
- Fizzing Sidewalk Paint
- Sandbox Eruption
- Slime Volcano
What science experiments can I do with vinegar?
Here is a list of experiments that can be done with vinegar (acetic acid).
- Vinegar and Milk Shapes
- Color Mixing Science Activity
- Vinegar Penny Magic
- Nails, Wire, and Vinegar
- Gas, bubbles, eruption!
- Fizzing Rubber Band Snap Art
In Conclusion
Big kids and even a busy toddler will have a great time enjoying these exciting experiments that are super easy, but loads of learning fun.
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Jeannette Tuionetoa
Jeannette is a wife, mother and homeschooling mom. She has been mightily, saved by grace and is grateful for God’s sovereignty throughout her life’s journey. She has a Bachelor in English Education and her MBA. Jeannette is bi-lingual and currently lives in the Tongan Islands of the South Pacific. She posts daily freebies for homeschoolers!
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Step 1: Take an old plastic bottle and cover it with play dough or plaster of paris to give it an appearance of a mountain. Let it dry! Step 2: Mix food colouring and dish soap with vinegar. Keep it aside! Step 3: For the final part, add handful of baking soda into your volcanic mountain.
1. Glitter Explosion. A glitter explosion is a fun take on a classic baking soda science experiment. Add two tablespoons of baking soda to a glass jar with a generous amount of glitter and a squirt of dish soap. Mix everything together until well combined. Now for the fun part.
The baking soda volcano experiment is a popular scientific experiment that has long been the pick of kids as well as adults. This experiment resembles a volcanic eruption while explaining the chemical reaction that takes place when vinegar and baking soda are mixed. 2. Baking Soda and Vinegar-Balloon Experiment.
And now for those baking soda science experiments…. 1. Inflating a Balloon with Baking Soda and Vinegar (Coupons Are Great) 2. Dancing Worms (Playdough to Plato) 3. Volcano Experiment (Love Play Learn) 4. Exploding Milk (Mess for Less)
Baking soda experiments or activities are a great, safe and easy way to introduce the concept of a chemical reaction to children. Baking soda is alkaline and reacts with acids such as vinegar, releasing carbon dioxide ( a gas ) and water. The fizz produced is brilliant fun for children to watch, especially if you combine it with washing up liquid ( dish soap ) to make even more bubbles or add ...
Vinegar or Acetic Acid has the chemical formula CH 3 COOH. Baking Soda, is a base also known as Sodium Bicarbonate or Sodium Bicarb, has the chemical formula NaHCO 3. During this reaction the products are sodium acetate (CH 3 COONa). Sodium acetate is made of 1 sodium ion, 2 carbon atoms, 3 hydrogen atoms, and 2 oxygen atoms.
Repurpose a salt shaker for a salt shaker volcano as seen on Science Kiddo. Wrap the baking soda in tissue paper, toss it in the vinegar, and quickly put the lid on to create a geyser of baking soda and vinegar. Practice colors with a color changing volcano shown on Preschool Inspirations. A video is available to watch this active volcano.
2k. SHARES. When you think of science experiments for kids, some of the first that probably come to mind are the classic reaction experiments that fizz, bubble, and even sometimes erupt. These simple experiments are perfect for introducing kids to chemical reactions, are a whole lot of fun to watch, and the possibilities are endless.
1. To start, place a tiny paper cup into the hole at the top of the plastic volcano mold. 2. Once your volcano is set up, pour 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda into the paper cup. 3. Next, add about a half cup of vinegar into a plastic measuring cup. 4. Add a few squirts of dish soap to the vinegar solution. 5.
Baking Soda Experiment. First mix the white vinegar and liquid watercolors in clear jars, then add pipettes. Next, spread a layer of baking soda on a tray or cake pan. You might also want to put it in a jar or a container that will erupt as it reacts. Squeeze, let go, squirt!
The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) reacts with vinegar (dilute acetic acid, a weak acid), to form water and carbon dioxide gas. If you add a small amount of detergent to the volcano, the gas gets trapped to make a thick foam. It's easy to simulate the growth of stalactites and stalagmites using household ingredients.
Allow to dry completely. Paint or decorate volcano as desired. Mix vinegar, dish soap, a few drops of water, and a few drops of red food coloring in a plastic cup. Using a funnel, add the 2 tablespoons ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda to the plastic bottle in the center of your volcano.
5 Easy Baking Soda Science Projects. I am gathering up all 5 projects in this post for your convenience. Watch the videos here and click the project title for complete instructions . Also be sure to check out the science section in each post to learn all about the chemical reactions that make these experiments possible! 1.
These baking soda experiments are sure to keep kids entertained. With winter break just around the corner, I am on the hunt for inspiration to keep my kiddos engaged and entertained, so I searched for things we could make/do with household items. There are tons of great ideas, but I rounded up my top 10 ideas that include baking soda ...
When you combine baking soda with an acid, it produces a chemical reaction that releases gas, making bubbles and even inflating balloons. As kids explore this reaction, they get to understand what happens when the two substances mix. This is not only fun to observe but helps them learn about basic chemistry concepts in a hands-on manner.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of baking soda into a large glass with a 1/2 cup of water in it. Add apple seeds from a couple apples into the liquid. Then add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and stir the mixture. The bubbles will carry the seeds up and down. It is really neat to watch! Here's a short video of the seeds jumping! 3.
The acid (vinegar) and the base (baking soda) react. The vinegar donates a hydrogen ion to the baking soda during this reaction. The hydrogen ion combines with the bicarbonate ion in baking soda to form carbonic acid. This is unstable and quickly breaks into water and carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas is why baking soda starts to fizz ...
How to Do a Fizzy Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment. 1. Start by placing 1 cup of baking soda into a bowl. 2. In a pouring cup, add 3 tablespoons of water. Mix in 1-2 drops of red food coloring into the water. If using regular food coloring, you may need to add more drops to make it more vibrant. 3.
a balloon. a bottle or test tube. baking soda and vinegar. Place vinegar in the test tube and baking soda in the balloon. Fit the balloon over the top of the test tube and then tip the balloon up so that the baking soda spills into the vinegar below. Be sure to hold on to the balloon so it doesn't shoot off!
Directions for Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat Experiment. Pierce a hole in the water bottle for the star to go through it. Tape up the gap to prevent any air from escaping the water bottle. Pour vinegar into the plastic bottle and then replace the lid. Tap some baking soda on a small piece of kitchen roll.