The afternoon of the water balloon day, we decided it was time to set up shop and work on an experiment. I wanted to teach The Older about how different substances create different things entirely, so we got some more balloons together and gathered up the rest of our supplies as well.

The first step was to add baking soda to a plastic bottle (about 2 tablespoons or so). For that, I had him use an ice cream scoop (for entertainment purposes, we used my pig one), and we used a funnel so he could get the baking soda easily into the bottle.

After that, he carefully poured some vinegar into the plastic bottle….

… and when it started to fizz, we put the balloon over the top of the opening.

Please tell me, at what age do they smile normally for the camera?

The Older was thrilled that it “blew up by itself,” and The Younger was pretty amazed by the whole process. She was itching to try, and The Older was happy to help her get everything ready.

However, They Younger got a bit overzealous….

… and we had to do a bit of rearranging of who was going to do what, which she was NOT happy about.

But the end result pleased her very much, and she is now the proud creator of her very own blown-up balloon.

This is a very easy activity to do with your kids, and I’m sure they will be as amazed as mine were. All you need to do this yourself are the following:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Funnel
• Spoon
• Small-mouthed bottle (water bottles work well)
• Balloons

I would suggest doing this activity outside too (see picture #6)

Tags: educational fun, science

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