There’s nothing quite like combining sensory play with a bit of science to captivate kids’ attention.
The fizzy watermelon sensory bin is an easy and engaging activity that brings the magic of science to life with a fun, summery twist.
Why You’ll Love This Activity
You’ll love this fizzy watermelon sensory bin because it’s a great mix of art, science, and sensory exploration.
Kids will be fascinated by the fizzing reaction, and the watermelon theme adds a fun, summery twist.
This activity works on fine motor skills as kids use eye droppers to apply vinegar and stimulates their curiosity in STEM through the chemical reactions.
Finally, not only is this activity fun, but it’s also super easy to set up with common household items.
Materials Needed
- Sensory bin
- Red and green food coloring
- Baking soda
- Flour
- Black beans
- Bowl for mixing
- Vinegar
- Eye droppers
How to Set Up Fizzy Watermelon Sensory Bin
- Mix the Fizzy Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of flour and a few drops of green food coloring. Mix well until the color is evenly distributed. Repeat this process with red food coloring in a separate bowl to create two different colored mixtures.
- Create the Watermelon Shape: In the sensory bin, start by placing the red mixture in the center to form the “flesh” of the watermelon. Then, surround the red area with the green mixture to create the “rind.” Make sure to spread the mixtures evenly to form a clear, distinct watermelon shape.
- Add the “Seeds”: Sprinkle black beans onto the red part of the watermelon to represent the seeds. This adds a fun, tactile element to the sensory bin.
- Prepare the Vinegar: Fill a small container such a bowl with vinegar and provide the kids with eye droppers. The eye droppers will allow them to control the amount of vinegar they use and direct it precisely onto the watermelon.
- Let the Fun Begin: Invite the kids to squeeze vinegar over the watermelon and watch as it fizzes and bubbles. Encourage them to experiment with different amounts and areas to see how the reaction changes.
Science Behind the Fizzy Watermelon Sensory Bin
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.
The release of this gas causes the eruption and fizzy sound that comes from the watermelon dough.
More Fizzy Experiments for Summer
Loving how easy and engaging baking soda fizzy experiments are for kids especially during the summer months? Me too, that’s why we have done so many of them! Here are a few of our favorites!
Fizzy Lemon Volcanoes
Awesome Fizzy Ice Cream Shop Sensory Bin
Fizzy Sun Sensory Bin: Summer STEAM
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
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.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
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.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
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.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
