You and the kids are sure to have fun with this exciting Fizzing Ice Science Experiment.
Sometimes all you need to make a classic science experiment fresh again is a fun new twist. This wintery twist on the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment will keep kids entertained.
You can use the experiment to teach kids about endothermic reactions, acids and bases, chemical reactions, and how when acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate mix, they create carbonic acid, which quickly dissolves into carbon dioxide and water. But don’t worry about all the acids in this experiment, it’s completely safe for young kids to touch.
If your kids love science, they will have a blast with this fizzing ice science experiment. it’s the perfect winter science activity!
MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THE FIZZING ICE SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
Vinegar| Baking soda | Food coloring | Ice | Small container
Fill a container with ice.
Cover the top of the ice with baking soda, food coloring, and dish soap. The dish soap doesn’t help the reaction, but it does help preserve the carbon dioxide and keeps the reaction going longer.
Have the kids use pipettes to cover the ice with vinegar. Because the ice makes everything colder, the reaction time is slowed, and it can take some extra time to get the reaction going. But encourage the kids to keep at it and eventually your container will look like this:
What Kids Learn in the Fizzing Ice Science Experiment
Vinegar is a mixture of salt, water, and acetate acid. Baking soda is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and a few other materials.
The acid and the sodium bicarbonate react, creating a chemical called carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is unstable, so it falls apart and turns into carbon dioxide gas and water.
The carbon dioxide is lighter than air, which causes the mixture to fizz. Once all the carbon dioxide escapes, all that is left in the container is sodium acetate and water. This is why eventually, no matter how much more vinegar that you add, the mixture will no longer react.
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Andrea says
Do you have a recording sheet that goes with this experiment?
I am looking forward to trying this in my classroom!
Deanna says
Hi Andrea. I don’t have a recording sheet but I hope that your classroom loves the experiment!! It’s a fun one!
April says
Hi!
As a chemist turned preschool teacher I need to point out that the Carbon dioxide (CO2) produced in this experiment is HEAVIER than air. The bubbles are produced because CO2 is a gas being released and bubbling through the vinegar and soap.