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Concoctions Gone Wild!

This is the story of how a little baking soda and vinegar science experiment went a bit crazy…all because this Mom can’t leave well enough alone.

Baking Soda and Vinegar
It started off so simple.  I found this fun idea from Mom to 2 Posh Lil’ Divas and thought it might be fun for J to do.  I filled up four glass jars with vinegar and a drop or two of food coloring.

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I then loaded up four spoons with baking soda.

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J picked up each spoon and poured in the baking soda.  The reaction was really cool!  Bubbles fizzled up and over the top of the cups!  J thought it was pretty awesome and wanted to do it over and over again.

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The problem is that the reaction got less bubbly every time.  But, J really wanted to mix, pour, and stir.  So….I added some cups of flour, water, and the artificial sweetener, Splenda (sucralose).  I added the Splenda because we just don’t use it anymore and it kind of fizzes when mixed with water.

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J loved the added ingredients and spent the longest time mixing and and pouring everything together.

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But it did get a bit messy!

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This could have been just a simple 5 minute activity of just baking soda and vinegar.  The problem was that J wasn’t finished playing yet.  So, by adding a few ingredients I turned it into a messy concoction making activity that J LOVED!

The things we learned today:

  • J practiced pouring which is great for hand eye coordination and motor skills.
  • He learned about how different ingredients react with each other.
  • We practiced words (mix, pour, bubble, fizz, ect.)
  • He worked on color identification.
  • This was a wonderful sensory experience where he experienced different textures, smells, and tastes.

Have you made any messy concoctions with your kids?

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by Amanda Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Play Tagged With: Invitations to Play, messy play, Preschool, Sensory Play, Toddler

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. hippymama

    April 25, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    we did this last week!!!! totally awesome and loved doing it!! my 2 are older they are 5 and 6 we made swamps it did stink the house out with the vinegar but sooooo worth it!!!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Amanda

      April 25, 2012 at 4:59 pm

      Yay for messy play! Swamps sound like fun! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  2. PlainVanillaMom

    April 25, 2012 at 1:01 pm

    You are a brave Mom lol 🙂 Far better with messes than I am but I am working on it! Can you believe we have never done the baking soda and vinegar experiment in this house? It’s actually on our to-do list for this weeks vacation activities along with a mentos and coke (hopefully) eruption 🙂

    Reply
    • Amanda

      April 25, 2012 at 5:01 pm

      Trust me, it’s not always easy to let him make messes! My heart still jumps when I see him making a huge mess. The baking soda and vinegar was really fun and something every child should do. I haven’t tried Mentos and coke yet…let me know how it goes.

      Reply
  3. Deborah@Teach Preschool

    April 25, 2012 at 3:19 pm

    You’re just AWESOME! It would be wonderful if all parents thought of the benefits of messy play. I might add the vocabulary aspect to the experiment since I’m sure you both had lots to talk about! How fun:)

    Reply
    • Amanda

      April 25, 2012 at 5:04 pm

      Awe…thanks! It would be wonderful if messy play was more accepted, the learning experiences are huge. But, it’s so hard for parents to just let go and remember that most things are able to be cleaned. Plus, J learns that cleaning up after yourself is important too!

      Reply
  4. Tiffanie A

    April 25, 2012 at 4:24 pm

    This is great!!!!! Thanks for the wonderful idea!

    Reply
  5. Jenn

    April 25, 2012 at 6:15 pm

    Add a drop or two of dishsoap to the vinegar and you get more bubbles (really frothy fun)! My kids like cornstarch and water too.

    Reply
    • Amanda

      April 25, 2012 at 6:16 pm

      Thanks for the pointers Jenn! I’ll have to remember that for next time.

      Reply
  6. Growing a Jeweled Rose

    April 25, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    Fantastic! I love this!

    Reply
  7. Ms. Liz

    April 25, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    Oooh we love, love concoctions! Isn’t that how some of the most famous discoveries were made?! Someone just stumbled across them while mixing in a little something extra. Fun! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Having Fun

    April 25, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    Our favorite was cornstarch, food coloring, and water. It started simply enough till they were up to their elbow in this goop. And then down their arms and on the floor. But oh so much fun.

    Reply
  9. Julie @ Creekside Learning

    April 27, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    I love this! Messy=fun. Proof that kids learn from play. 🙂

    Reply
  10. debra92691

    April 28, 2012 at 12:16 am

    OMG! I love it. We actually had a similar thing happen, vinegar and baking soda can get out of hand fast! You know how everyone has been doing those lava lamps with the oil and water and you add alka seltzer. Well being the brilliant Mama I am, I thought why not make bigger bubbles. So instead of water I filled a bottle 2/3 with vinegar and the other 1/3 with oil. then gave the kids bowls of baking soda to add. Needless to say there were no bubbles but some pretty exciting explosive eruptions as the vinegar tried to escape the bottle. There was oil, vinegar and baking soda everywhere. The kids loved it but I was so embarrassed when my husband came home and asked why everything smelled like vinegar. Definitely not one of my brightest moments.

    Reply

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