Exciting Fizzy Hearts Valentine’s Day Science Experiment

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 explore their senses at the same time.

Fun 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 Valentine’s Day science experiment for preschoolers!

Fizzy Hearts Valentine’s Day Science Experiment — 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 Valentine’s Day experiment is now ready!

Fizzy Hearts Science Experiment – 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 Experiment

Try this easy and FUN Fizzy Hearts Valentine's Day Science Experiment that will engage ALL of the senses! Plus, you can change it up for each holiday by simply switching out the cookie cutters, food coloring, and glitter.

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Prep Time5 minutes

Activity Time20 minutes

Total Time25 minutes

Tools

• 1 sheet pan
• 4-8 cookie cutters in heart and/or other Valentine's Day shapes
• 1 spoon
• 1 plastic food storage container or small mixing bowl
• eye dropper i.e., pipette

Materials

• 1-2 cup baking soda
• 2-3 cup white vinegar
• 3-4 drop food coloring (red, pink, or purple)
• glitter (red, pink, or purple)

Steps

• Arrange various cookie cutters on the baking sheet.
• Use the spoon to fill each cookie cutter with baking soda.
• Sprinkle glitter on top of the baking soda-filled cookie cutters.
• Pour the vinegar into the plastic food storage container and stir in a few drops of food coloring to color it.
• Set up the experiment by placing the eye dropper into the container of colored vinegar and positioning the container alongside the sheet pan.
• Invite your child to explore the fizzing science fun. Demonstrate how to use the eye dropper, if needed.

Notes

Expand the Learning:

Encourage your child's imagination and learning by asking leading questions, like:

• Can you explain what is happening?
• What do you hear?
• What do you see?

Explain that the baking soda and vinegar make a chemical reaction that can be seen, heard, and felt. 

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Project Type: Learning · Play · Sensory

Category: Holiday · Kid-Friendly · Science · STEM