Children love experiments and indeed that’s just the prefect way to keep your little scientists busy while building their sense of wonder. And when it comes to stuff you can create with baking soda, the list is really entertaining!
The fizz, the bubbles, the eruption and that excitement of watching a chemical reaction — while following child safety rules — in front of your eyes is nothing short of exhilarating.
(Check out the Screaming Cup science experiment we wrote about some time ago.)
And that’s why all baking soda experiments are a big hit with children across age groups.
Now before we get started on this amazing list of cool stuff to make with baking soda, here is a little bit of a science behind the lovely chemical reaction all experiments use.
The Science Behind Baking Soda Eruptions
Baking Soda, chemically speaking, is a base. When mixed with an acid like vinegar, the two reacts to create a rather spectacular show of erupting carbon dioxide. Though water is also a byproduct of the reaction, it presents a far less impressive show than bubbling carbon dioxide, which is a gas.
Technically, this is what happens:
Sodium Bicarbonate + Acetic Acid -> Sodium Acetate + Carbon Dioxide + Water
C2H4O2 + NaHCO3 -> NaC2H3O2 + CO2 + H2O
Now that we know the science behind baking soda and vinegar reaction, lets dive in straight to the list of insanely cool stuff to do with baking soda.
Fun & Easy Baking Soda Experiments for Kids
1. Erupting Volcano
This is one of our all time favourites and we have done it almost a zillion times with kids. It is a great baking soda experiment to team up with geology units. Besides baking soda and vinegar, you would need:
- Dish soap
- Orange food colouring
- Old plastic bottle
- Plaster of Paris/ Play dough
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.
Step 4: Pour the vinegar, dish soap and colouring solution into the bottle to see your very own erupting volcano.
2. Hatching Eggs
This is a great experiment to do with younger kids and keep them busy for hours. Let your children hatch their favourite animal eggs with this fun activity.
3. Oozing Blood Potion
Now this experiment sounds both gross and yucky, making it a sure shot hit with kids. It is one of the most fantastic stuffs to make with baking soda.
All you need to do is replace vinegar with tomato puree.
Step 1: Take a cauldron (or a beaker) and add tomato puree to it.
Step 2: Using a spoon, add baking soda to the beaker and mix it.
Your gross, oozing bloody potion is ready!!
This potion will be oozing and not erupting like the volcano. Can you guess why?
4. Baking Soda & Vinegar Rocket
Looking for really cool and fun thing to make with baking soda? Try baking soda and vinegar rocket. This self-propelling rocket will surely thrill you and your kids.
5. Acid Scientists
Since we are engaging in STEM fun, why not turn your kids into little scientists! The task at hand is to find out which all liquids are acidic out of the given liquids. Tell your kids that they don’t have litmus paper (indicator strips) but they can raid your pantry. Here is how to go through this scientific exploration.
You will need:
- Oil
- Lemon Juice
- Glycerin
- Orange juice
- Ice cube tray
- Baking soda
- Pipettes
- Paper & pencil
Step 1: Add 1tsp baking soda in ice-cube tray slots.
Step 2: Test the liquid by adding few drops from it, using pipette, to baking soda.
Note down the liquids, which reacted and which did not. The ones that reacted with baking soda are acidic in nature.
6. Baking Soda Powered Car
Notch up the fun by clubbing this amazing engineering project for kids with baking soda & vinegar to make a baking soda powered car.
7. Wizard Potions
Got a potter head at home? How about brewing colour changing, bubbling potion? What you will need:
- Red Cabbage
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Dish soap
- Beaker/Cauldron
Step 1: Make red cabbage juice by blending it with water in a mixer.
Step 2: Sieve the mixture to get lump free red cabbage juice.
Step 3: Pour the red cabbage juice in your cauldron. Add dish soap to the juice and stir.
Step 4: Add baking soda to the cabbage juice and stir. Does it change colour?
Step 5: Now, after you have observed the colour change, add vinegar to the concoction and stir.
Your colour changing wizard potion is ready! Watch out for the colour change! The bubbling, fizzy concoction is nothing short of spectacular!
8. Make Fizzy Paint
Another cool thing to make with baking soda is fizzy paint.
Step 1: Mix equal parts of baking soda and water.
Step 2: Add food colouring to the mixture to make fizzy paint.
Step 3: Using a brush, paint a picture on a sheet with the fizzy paint.
Step 4: Using a pipette, add vinegar to the painting to watch it fizz.
Viola! Your painting is fizzing! Let the art work dry before you put it for display.
9. Baking Soda Poppers
One of the most fun things to do with baking soda is to make loud poppers. They are so easy to make and extreme fun. What you will need:
- Vinegar
- Baking Soda
- Kitchen Towel
- Zip Lock Bag
Step 1: Take a zip lock bag and add vinegar to fill one-fourth of the bag and seal it.
Step 2: Take a kitchen towel and add 4tbs of baking soda to it. Fold it neatly to keep baking soda secure.
Step 3: This is a tricky part and has to be done outdoors in an open, safe place. Open the zip-pouch just a little to drop in the wrapped baking soda. Quickly seal the pouch back and move away.
BANG!!! Zip pouch will burst to let carbon dioxide escape making a loud popping noise.
10. Bubbling Ice
Ever seen ice bubble? Here is a cool baking soda experiment that will delight your toddlers and keep them busy for hours. You will need:
- Ice Tray
- Vinegar
- Food Colouring
- Baking Soda
Step 1: Pour vinegar in the ice tray.
Step 2: Add food colouring to the vinegar. We used red, blue and green.
Step 3: Let it freeze overnight.
Step 4: Place the coloured vinegar ice in a tray and let your little one add baking soda to it for some fizzy fun.
11. Lemon Volcano
One of the coolest things to make with baking soda is volcano. Kids never get bored of them and they are always fun.
12. Blow up a Balloon
The stuff you can do with baking soda is endless. While there are lots of pure fun experiments, you can use the chemical reaction to work for you – Blow balloons!
All you need is a plastic bottle with a small mouth, baking soda, vinegar and of course a balloon.
Step 1: Pour vinegar in the plastic bottle and keep aside
Step 2: Open the mouth of the balloon and carefully add baking soda, nearly 3-5 tsp, to it.
Step 3: Twist the neck of the balloon so as to keep the baking soda from falling out as you secure the balloon on the mouth of the bottle.
Untwist the balloon and watch carbon dioxide from the chemical reaction blowing up your balloon.
13. Rainbow Volcano
Now, who wouldn’t like watching a bubbling rainbow volcano? This one is a sure hit with children as well as adults.
14. Fizzing Craters
This is a great experiment for any space geek kid. All you need is baking soda, vinegar and food colouring to make your very own mysterious, fizzing craters.
Step 1: Spread baking soda in a dish.
Step 2: Add different food colours to baking soda to make coloured spots.
Step 3: Using a spray bottle or a pipette, add vinegar to the coloured patches to create bubbling craters.
15. Fizzing Sidewalk Paint
Have a child who loves outdoors? Then is one baking soda experiment you cannot miss. Add some art to the outdoor fun with fizzing sidewalk paint.
16. Melting Castles Baking Soda Experiment
Here is an activity for a construction crazy child to inspire the little engineer inside her/him.
17. Erupting Volcano Slime
Another crazy thing you can do with baking soda is creating an Erupting Volcano Slime. Yes!! Sounds amazing and weird? But that’s what science is all about!
18. Jumping Seeds
How about making seeds jump and dance to your command. Here is what you need:
- Water
- Baking Soda
- Seeds (Cumin, flannel etc)
- Vinegar
- Beaker
Step 1: Fill the beaker half way up with water.
Step 2: Dissolve 2-3 tsp of baking soda in water.
Step 3: Add seeds to the solution.
Step 4: Add 1 tsp of vinegar to the solution.
That’s it! The carbon dioxide emerging from the reaction will rise up and in the process push the seeds up and down, making them almost dancing to your command.
19. Fizzing Treasure Rocks
Excite your kids with these fizzing treasure rocks. Each rock packs a treasure but find out what it is, kids need to have some fizzing fun first.
20. Make Your Own Honeycomb Candy
Craving for a sweet tooth? A honeycomb candy is a perfect thing to make with baking soda. Easy to make, this candy will have your children asking for more.
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