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It has rained a lot here lately, and on one of those grey days Emma asked if she could play with vinegar and baking soda. Actually, she said vinegar and flour, but she mean baking soda (she wanted to see the fizz effect of mixing an acid and base). She was pretty excited to show Lily how it works, and all three kids enjoyed this sensory play experience!
Johnny was very methodical, starting off with little bits, and then pouring the entire cup of vinegar on, and admiring the fizz!
I’m not sure why he pulled his arm out of his sleeve and through the top of his shirt…
The girls saw Johnny pour out his entire cup, and decided to follow suit! They noticed that, when baking soda and vinegar mix together, putting your hands in the solution makes them feel kind of slippery!
Cost-benefit analysis:
- Prep: Getting out vinegar, baking soda, and trays – less than one minute
- Initial entertainment: about 10 minutes
- Clean-up: 2 minutes or less. Since we put a thin layer of baking soda on the trays and there is only a little vinegar in a cup, this is not a very messy experiment with my kids. Even if it gets on the floor, both vinegar and baking soda are cleaning agents, and so very easy to clean up!
- Cost: Less than $2
- Lasting value: experiential learning about (safe!) household chemicals, and the reaction between acids and bases
Sharing this post with Science Sunday at Adventures in Mommydom and Link & Learn at No Time For Flashcards
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I love that first picture of the two girls working together: Emma’s smile and Lily’s intent look.
Hm, maybe I should have my kids do this in the bathroom, where any spillage would go towards cleaning up the floor. :)
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We just used a large bottle of vinegar to clean bathrooms. It was great!
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maryanne Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:19 am
I buy both vinegar and baking soda in bulk for cleaning (and educational) purposes!
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I just love the last picture – it looks that all three were having a lot of fun with this activity. Emma looks so grown up in comparison to Lily.
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maryanne Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Every once in a while Lily still looks like one-year-old that she is =)
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Love it! And it much easier to clean-up than shaving cream and paint!
I shared this on my facebook page, too!
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maryanne Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:38 am
Thanks, Candace! =)
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Always a fun project to do… My kids love playing with vinegar and bakingsoda also.
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maryanne Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
It’s an activity my kids can never get enough of!
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I should start a card file with ideas like this to pull out on rainy days!
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maryanne Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
I try to keep a list on a sheet of paper – but you could include more information in a card file!
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I did this with a book club group I run and it was a super big success! I like how you did it in a tray. We did ours in paper cups and added food coloring…we were sort of replicating volcano’s (dinosaur unit). However, for my preschool I think in the trays is a much better idea! Thanks for sharing :]
Lisa
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maryanne Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
I love trays for preschoolers!
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I have to try this with my kids. You should come link up with us @ Fun for Kids Friday (www.localfunforkids.com).
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A little fizz action is fun to watch. It’s been really wet here, too! Love how all the kids look like they’re working together and having fun.
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Wow, I’ve never thought of just handing it over to them like this. I think I might do this tomorrow.
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maryanne Reply:
May 27th, 2011 at 8:46 am
I bet your girls would love this!
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How old do you recommend This activity for? What if one of the kids put in their mouth?
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maryanne Reply:
May 27th, 2011 at 8:46 am
As long as they aren’t stuffing huge quantities into their mouth (which they probably wouldn’t do since it doesn’t taste very good), it’s safe for pretty much any age. But baking soda and vinegar are safe to eat (although neither is recommended in large quantities), and when combined they produce sodium acetate, which you find in various foods (cheese in particular) as an ingredient.
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I am impressed with the concentration the kids are having during the experiment.they are completely into it. A great sensory experience.
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Nice idea to use a little bit on the trays, I think my girls would love it.
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maryanne Reply:
May 27th, 2011 at 8:50 am
I think they would have a blast with this!
Did your snow melt okay, or did you have a lot of flooding?
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No flooding, the ice broke & it started flowing away later that day.
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maryanne Reply:
May 27th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Glad you didn’t have to deal with flooding!
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What a great idea to put the baking soda on the tray like that for a sensory activity! The fizz factor of baking soda and vinegar is always fun :)
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maryanne Reply:
May 29th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Thanks! I love the many ways to have fun with vinegar and baking soda!
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Oh this is neat! Our kids at school have been experimenting with this, this month, mostly via volcanoes. Thanks so much for sharing!
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maryanne Reply:
May 29th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
The volcano experiment is always fun! My kids haven’t seen that one – yet! We will do it soon =)
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Stopping by from Link & Learn. I love this idea! Will have to do it this week. Do you just use a cookie sheet to keep it from making a big mess?
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maryanne Reply:
May 29th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
We use food trays from IKEA, but a cookie sheet would work well, too! Or a cake pan, since higher walls are better for mess containment =)
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LOL at Johnny with his arm out of his sleeve. Abby hates vinegar!
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I love your blog, thank you for sharing your fantastic ideas. Greetings from my creative activities blog. http://tocreatemoments.blogspot.com/
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That is a pretty neat idea!
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I love this! I would have never thought of putting it on a tray! I’ll have to try this (maybe today!) Thanks so much!
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Try it with food coloring in the vinegar.
Maybe use a dropper.
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I love that you gave them only a little bit of each. I bet that made for a lot less stress on your part.
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maryanne Reply:
May 29th, 2012 at 7:19 am
Exactly! They love seeing so many mini reactions, too!
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[...] Sensory play is also a great way to introduce kids to scientific investigations! I don’t think my kids will ever tire of mixing baking soda and vinegar! [...]