Summer Boost
Activity:
Vinegar and Baking Soda Balloon
Does your curious chemist need some new inspiration? Set her up for an afternoon of science-fueled magic with a deceptively simple activity starring baking soda and vinegar. Who knew science could be so easy, affordable and fun?
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What You Need:
- Two-liter soda bottle
- 3/4 cup vinegar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- Funnel
- 2 balloons
What You Do:
- Have your child take the cap off her soda bottle. Make sure she saves it. You never know what science activity or art project may call for just such a cap.
- Help her practice placing the balloon's mouth on top of the open bottle top. She'll need to get good at doing this as quickly as possible.
- Let her pour the 3/4 cup of vinegar into the bottle.
- Have her position the funnel on top of the bottle.
- Pour the tablespoon of baking soda into the funnel.
- Quickly help your child take off the funnel and place the balloon mouth over the bottle opening. Hopefully all that practice from before helped out!
- Make sure the balloon is centered and the mouth is pulled evenly down on the top of the bottle.
- Gently shake the baking soda and vinegar mixture.
- What happens? The balloon should partially fill with gas.
- Help your child remove and tie the balloon shortly after the fizzing stops.
- This isn't your average balloon -- instead of blowing it up with her own breath or a fancy helium machine, your child has inflated a balloon with only baking soda and vinegar! Can she think of other things her gassy mixture could inflate?
