Fine Motor
SciencePreschoolersToddlers38 Comments
Any baking soda and vinegar experiment I’ve ever done with the kids has always been a success. The fizz just makes it so much fun!
This is one of our favorite activities that we do, and my kids’ too!
Below you’ll find Henry’s version we did from a few years ago. I recently did it with the younger two boys again and thought I’d update this post (kind of for my own personal scrapbooking, if nothing else).
I brought out my roasting pan, because it never gets used for anything else, and sprinkled some baking soda to generously over the bottom.
By the way, we’ve tested out the best way to get the best reactions from baking soda and vinegar experiments. Check out the results we had!
I then poured vinegar into three small dishes and added food coloring (yellow, blue and green), looking back, I would have just stuck with blue and yellow to make green.
The boys each had their tool of choice, and eye dropper and a turkey baster. I always think the eye dropper would be more fun, but the kids like more volume at once, so they always choose the turkey baster. They swapped several times throughout the activity.
Watching the baking soda fizz up as the vinegar hit is is so exciting to kids!
I love seeing their faces when it happens!
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And watching them drop yellow on top of blue, or vice versa to mix colors and make green was exciting for them to see as well.
There was always the question of what color will it make?
I just wish I didn’t have green in the mix. But it was still fun and the concept was learned.
Plus, the fine motor skills of squeezing the eye droppers and turkey basters were a good bonus!
I had to refill the dishes of vinegar several times to keep the fun going! (I like keeping the amounts small in the dishes in case of a spill, which happens a lot with a toddler.)
Below is Henry’s version from a few years ago.
Henry was fascinated by the reactions the colored vinegar made when it hit the baking soda in this activity.
Just spread out some baking soda on a cookie sheet and add color to some vinegar!
While I was coloring the vinegar, I let Henry have some experimental play of his own with the baking soda first.
He liked to see the prints his hammer made when he hit it.
I suggested dropping a golf ball in the mound of baking soda, hoping to make moon craters. He didn’t find that as fascinating as the hammer though.
During his experimenting, I simply poured vinegar into three small dishes. And added a few drops of food coloring to each.
I handed Henry a few different choices for droppers: an old medicine syringe, a dropper and a large turkey baster. That’s what I had on hand to use.
I loved seeing what those little fingers were doing as he sucked up and squirted the vinegar in each of the droppers. They’re all great for fine motor skills.
We also tried to reverse the science experiment by adding baking soda to the vinegar.
We experimented to find the perfect ratio of baking soda to vinegar for the best reactions, find out what it is!
Henry wasn’t thrilled with this because it didn’t work nearly as well.
Watching the baking soda fizz as the vinegar hit was exciting! Seeing the colors mix together was pretty neat too.
Henry continued until every last drop of colored vinegar was used.
Even then he started sucking up vinegar from the cookie sheet to squirt it again!
Even though it looks like there may have been some sensory play going on, I don’t believe a finger even touched the pan! I was amazed that Henry could keep his hands off. I think the designs were made by dragging the dropper through the baking soda.
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Business Model says
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find this matter to be really something which Ӏ
feel I migһt never understand.It sort of feels too ϲomplex and very
extensibe for me. I aam having а lkok forward on ypur nxt puƄlіsh, I
wilⅼ attempt to get the hang of it!
Rachel says
Give it a try – it really is that easy!
Parveen rani says
I want colour back from yellow to blue reaction from backing soda
Denise says
I tried this activity just a few days ago with a group of young and older toddlers and they had a wonderful time. I know that the younger toddlers are more prone to taste, which I did have one young toddler do so, but I like that I didn’t have to worry about poisoning. I would definitely do it again; actually, I’m planning on doing it with my four year old granddaughter this week. Thank you for the experiment.
Cathie says
I have drawn faces on three clear sol0 cups filled 1/3 full of vinegar. Then I told a story of a child deciding whether she should cross the street, wait or stop. I indicated which light she was pondering by putting a tsp. of soda and food coloring into the cup. My children loved the activity! It included stories about their moms or dads not waiting at a yellow light and of course a street light art activity.
Larissa says
i had my daughter make one caelld jumping raisins you get two plastic clear cups eight raisings on each cup then in one you put a can of sprite soda and on the other you add one tbs of baking soda and on the rest fill it up with vinigar so the idea is that the raisins will jump more with sprite but its cool to watch
Helena Alkhas says
Great activity Jamie and I know even my 10 year old twins would love to play with it. We have a hands-on science program in their school and they always love it. We think they grow and won’t be into something anymore just to see their big smiles when they’re hands-on on an activity. Awesome site, too! Cheers, Helena.
Sarah@How We Learn says
Love this idea! I haven’t done much in the way of baking soda and vinegar with my little guys – but they would love this one. Thanks for the inspiration !
libby says
i loved the experiment. i will pass this idea on.
i am 71 years old. i was excited to see the fizz in a jar as the two combined when i was a kid.
i cannot remember how i used to make a moth ball bounce up and down, but i bet it involved vinegar.
i now follow the idea a little differently in the sink drain. i put the baking powder in first, then the vinegar. it is supposed to clean where we don’t want our hands to go. perhaps i will put colored vinegar in the sink. will the bubbles be colored? try it and see.
white vinegar is safer to use to clean with rather than bleach and sterilizes too.
you can go to the [email protected] site for other uses for vinegar.
thank you for passing your ideas on. grandmother libby and good neighbor
Georgina says
I’ve featured this activity in my latest blog post on Larder Crafts for Toddlers. You’re welcome to see it here http://craftulate.blogspot.com/2013/02/30-larder-crafts-for-toddlers.html – please grab a Featured Button if you’d like to. Thanks for the inspiration!
Anonymous says
This kept my two day care kids busy for over 30 min!! Ages 3 & 4.
Anonymous says
Very interesting. nice pictures and good idea too.
Congratulations.
Anonymous says
We did this today with two no-napping somewhat sick 3 year olds and had a wonderful time. Great idea!
Mrs. McLennan says
Wow! We can't wait to try this in our classroom, especially as the children love anything that involves colour mixing with the primary colours!
rumpydog says
That's a great activity! Kids LOVE hands-on the best!
Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas says
Jaime – this is such hands-on science fun – love it!
I featured it on this week's Sunday Showcase!
Bernadette
cathy @ NurtureStore says
What a great experiment – that hammer looks fun!
Thanks for linking up with the Play Academy :)
Anonymous says
Did this today. Fun and easy! My picky 2 1/2-year-old loved it, thanks!
Kirstie in AZ
Brooke @ Let Kids Create says
This really looks fun, will have to give it a try.
Mandi says
This is such a cool experiment! I have a little scientist here who would LOVE to do this, and I have vinegar and baking soda in my cupboard, so we might do this today! :)
Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says
Very cool! Love the different eye droppers and colored vinegar!
Jenny @ Adventures of the Smith Family says
It looks like Henry had a great time! Thanks for the shout out!