Activity:
Craft Fizzing Bath Soaps
When baking soda is mixed with citric acid, a bubbling reaction takes place. Help your child experiment with mixing some acid and baking soda by making these homemade bath bombs! These fizzing little balls can be enjoyed by your family or given as gifts. This project is as simple as a visit to the pantry, and it's sure to be a blast... or fizz!
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What You Need:
- Measuring cups
- Epsom salts
- Baking soda
- Lemon juice
- Scented oils
- Food coloring
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Spray bottle
- Melon baller
- Plastic molds
- Waxed paper
- Cookie sheet
What You Do:
- Help your child get started by blending 1/4 cup Epsom salts in a blender to create a fine powder.
- Next, invite her to put the blended Epsom salts into a mixing bowl and measure out 1 cup of baking soda. She can mix the two together using a wooden spoon, and making sure they are mixed together well.
- Now, ask her to measure 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and add it to a spray bottle with 1/4 cup water, along with a couple drops of scented oil of her choosing. She can also add a couple drops of food coloring to make her bath soap colorful!
- Have her spray the liquid mixture onto the dry ingredients, and start carefully stirring. When the liquid is sprayed onto the dry ingredients, she may see a slight bubbling. Don't be alarmed; that’s the acid reacting with the baking soda!
- Once the mixture starts resembling damp sand and begins holding together, it’s ready to be molded. Your child can form the fizzing bath soaps with a melon baller, and then gently tap them out onto a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. Let them dry overnight.
- Your child can also use a plastic mold of her own choosing, such as hearts or stars. Have her press the mixture into the molds, and let them sit overnight to harden. Then, she can gently tap them out onto a sheet of waxed paper.
- The dried fizzing bath soaps can be wrapped in colorful cellophane and tied with ribbons to give as gifts, or your child can enjoy one of her handmade fizzing soap in her next bath!
