This post was contributed by Sarah of Little Bins For Little Hands.
Preschool science can be so much fun and so exciting for little ones. We have really taken to baking soda
and vinegar science experiments for their visual appeal. If you have a child who is particularly visually stimulated, as my child is, this Valentine’s Day science experiment is a cool way to show what a chemical reaction is and have them exploring their senses at the same time.
Fizzing Valentine’s Day Science for Kids!
You can experiment with baking soda and vinegar in super simple ways, and I bet you have both in your pantry right now. Add some food coloring
and it is even more fun. For the holidays, we have been using our cookie cutters to make our science fun more festive! This time we chose to use our heart-shaped cookie cutters to do some Valentine’s Day science. Use any cookie cutters, a muffin tin
, or simply fill a baking dish
with baking soda.
This is a must-try science experiment for Valentine’s Day!
Fizzy Hearts Valentine’s Day Science for Kids – The Setup
So easy! Start with a cookie sheet
to trap the mess. Then I have my son place the cookie cutters
on the sheet and then give him a spoon to fill each cookie cutter with baking soda. You could also do this ahead of time, and leave it out as an invitation to play. Since Liam is growing up, I like to try to have him help with the process. It makes the activity last a bit longer and involves him in the discussion process of the science experiment a bit more. This also helps with fine motor development and practical life skills.
Sprinkle some glitter
on top for a little sparkle. Then, place a bowl of vinegar
(already colored with a couple of drops of food coloring) and add an eyedropper
nearby for experimenting.
Our simple fizzy hearts Valentine’s Day experiment is now ready!
Fizzy Hearts Science for Kids – Experimenting & Observing
Have your child fill the eyedropper with vinegar and squeeze it on a heart. Ask: Take a look! What’s happening? What do you hear? What do you see?
Explain that baking soda and vinegar together make a chemical reaction that you can see, hear, feel, and even smell (vinegar)!
My son is still a little too young to get into the exact science, but we talk about our observations, what we are experiencing, and how we enjoy the visual stimulation and hands-on science fun. We hear the fizzing, and we feel the bubbles popping. We see the bubbly fizzy foam that happens, and yes, there is a smell to the vinegar, too. We are engaging our senses!
So our Valentines science experiment doubles as sensory play!
After we had fun making all the hearts fizz, I decided to pull out a quick little foaming, fizzing, and bubbling volcano activity.
I simply put a small plastic container
in the center of the cookie sheet. Then, I added some warm water, a squirt of dish soap, and a spoonful of baking soda.
He was excited to see the eruption as he poured some vinegar on top. A mini glittery pink volcano!
We played and erupted more volcanoes for quite a while and made quite a big mess though it was no problem since it was contained within the cookie sheet.
If your kids don’t mind the mess on their hands, let them dig in at the end and feel the baking soda mixture and play with it. Liam is a bit squeamish yet about those kinds of things.
This is great sensory science for kids of all ages and pretty entertaining for adults, too. Happy experimenting with fizzy science fun!
Full Instructions for this Fizzy Hearts Science Activity:
Fizzy Hearts - Valentine's Day Science or Kids
Materials
- 1 sheet baking pan (or another baking pan)
- measuring cups (for scooping and/or stirring)
- 4-8 cookie cutter (heart-shaped and/or Valentine's Day-themed)
- 1 plastic food storage container (or small bowl)
- 1 eye dropper (i.e., pipette)
- baking soda
- white vinegar
- food coloring
- glitter
Steps
- Arrange the cookie cutters on the baking sheet.
- Spoon baking soda into each cookie cutter on the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle glitter on top of the baking soda-filled cookie cutters.
- Place a small container of vinegar (colored with a couple of drops of food coloring) and an eyedropper nearby.
- Help your child fill the eyedropper with vinegar and squeeze it onto the baking soda-filled cookie cutters.
- Encourage your child by saying something like, "Look! What's happening? What do you hear? What do you see?" Explain that baking soda and vinegar together make a chemical reaction that you can see, hear, feel, and even smell (vinegar).
Amber L. says
We just had a blast doing this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Carrie This Home says
This looks like so much fun! I’m helping to plan a Valentine’s Day party for my daughter’s Pre K class and this would be so fun to do with them. Would you mind if I included this post in my round up of great Valentines Day activities for preschoolers?
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
Absolutely, go right ahead! Thanks for the positive feedback. 🙂
Stephanie Kay says
You can never go wrong with baking soda, vinegar, and boys! Thanks for sharing via Family Fun Friday.
Rachel Kaylynn @ Joyfully Weary says
My kids love baking soda and vinegar play and this is a very clever Valentine idea – can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Emma says
Fizzy science is always fun! I love the addition of glitter – sparkly volcanoes is a must-see! 🙂
Sarah says
Thank you Krissy!
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
No – thank YOU, Mama!!