Fizzy Bubbles
Learn about basic chemical reactions with this easy and entertaining science experiment. Three simple ingredients combine to create a surprising and colorful bubbly reaction your kids will want to do again and again.
What You’ll Need
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Food coloring
- Baking dish or rimmed baking sheet (Parent Tip! Use a disposable baking pan for easy cleanup)
- Small syringe or medicine dropper
What You’ll Do
- Sprinkle the baking soda in an even layer over the bottom of the baking dish.
- Drip drops of food coloring all over the baking soda.
- Using the dropper or syringe, squirt the vinegar over the food coloring and watch the bubbles come to life!
Take the Fun Further
- Mix different drops of food coloring to see what colors you can create. Or drop the food coloring in a pattern.
- Listen to the sound of the bubbles and try to recreate it using your mouth.
- Pretend you are the bubbly reaction and move your body like the bubbles erupting.
- Once all of the food coloring drops have fizzed, pour the remaining vinegar into the pan to make one giant bubble eruption.
What Kids Learn
How to Support the Play
- When providing guidance, offer up suggestions framed as questions. “What do you think would happen if you combined these colors?” “What kind of patterns can you make?” etc.
- If your child is struggling with handling the medicine dropper/syringe or getting the colors and patterns they want, give them time to figure it out themselves before stepping in.
- Always remember that there’s no one right way of doing things.
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