Experimenting at Home When Cooking Can Enable Kids To Accelerate Science Learning

1) BUBBLING RAINBOW  [ This experiment uses an oven, so be safe first!]

Some of our clients ask us for some exciting kitchen experiments that they can do @home, when they are not at Kids Science Labs camps, STEM Labs, hands-on science classes, or parties. Of course, we love to share!

This experiment is a chemical reaction [when 2 things, an acid and a base, come together and create something new(gas)]. You can explore the bubbles with your eyes, your ears, your fingers, and even your nose! What does a chemical reaction even sound like? Chemical reactions can even change the temperature. This one is an endothermic reaction (taking energy from the environment) and you and your scientist can touch and feel how much colder it feels! 

What you’ll need: 

  • Baking sheet

  • Food coloring

  • Baking soda

  • Vinegar

The Experiment!: 

  1. Cover the bottom of the tray with baking soda

  2. Have fun dropping dots of color all over the baking soda

  3. Take a lot of vinegar… start a count down… pour the vinegar all over the tray and watch it bubble!!

Now is your time to OBSERVE! What do you see? What does it sound like? What does it remind you of? What is happening to the colors? What color do all the colors make when they are mixed together? What does the pan feel like? What’s the temperature?  (Be sure to let the baking sheet cool off a bit so its safe to touch, as safety coms first!)

*Kids will probably want to do this over and over and over so have a lot of baking soda and vinegar at hand :)