Looking for a quick way to entertain your child at home? Try this baking soda and vinegar colour experiment! And get set for amazing explosions of colour!

Science Behind the Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

What happens when you combine baking soda with vinegar? Fizz! But why does this happen with two seemingly common ingredients. Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid. When an acid and a base mix they produce a gas called carbon dioxide.

How to Set Up a Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

First off, grab your sensory bin or large tray. I like using a sensory bin because it contains the vinegar that starts to collect makes clean up super easy!

Fill it with a thin layer baking soda. I used an entire box. A box of baking soda is fairly cheap (less than $2) and worth it in my opinion for almost an hour of entertainment!

Next, add several drops of liquid watercolors to several different jars or bowl. If you are using food coloring you will only need a drop or two. Fill the containers 1/3 of the way with water and then fill the rest with vinegar. I added a bit of water to help make the vinegar go a little further. Mix the contents together. Finally, add the eye droppers.

If this is the first time they are using eye droppers they may need to practice this action before hand. Hand them a bowl of water to practice first.

Invite your child to squeeze up the coloured vinegar mixture and then squeeze it out on the baking soda. Watch as it fizzes and explodes with colour!!

This was such a fun activity for my little guy! He loves baking soda and vinegar activities. I swear he could do then everyday! This one did not disappoint!

For these activities I like to use liquid watercolors largely because they are washable but also because they come in a larger container than food colouring. But food coloring will work beautifully with this activity as well!

Age Suitability

This activity is good for kids 3 years and up. My kids are 4, 4, and 8 year old.

Mess Level

This is a mess level is Medium.

Difficulty to Create Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment for Kids

Easy.

Skills Developed in Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

Sensory play, language development, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Supplies for Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

• Sensory Bin
• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Liquid watercolors or food colouring
• Water
• Jars or bowls
• Eye droppers

Check out My Books, TV Show & Play Kits!

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon. 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids – coming out September 27, 2022

Book: STEAM Crafts for Kids – coming out November 29, 2022

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to finally share my new crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched July 1 at on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube!

This show is all about fun and easy crafts for toddlers and preschoolers. 

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create. 

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids

Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.

Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!

Shop our ready made play kits here.

WILL YOU TRY THIS BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER!