7 Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments for Kids

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Looking for fun baking soda and vinegar experiments for kids? These 7 fizzy science experiments are an easy way to introduce children to chemical reactions through hands-on activities. Build a classic baking soda and vinegar volcano, colorful fizzing art, dinosaur eggs, and more using inexpensive household supplies.

When baking soda and vinegar mix, they react to produce carbon dioxide gas, which creates the exciting fizzing and bubbling. As children experiment, they can practice making predictions, observing changes, and asking questions about what happens.

Whether you’re planning a preschool science activity, a STEM lesson for kids, or a fun afternoon of science at home, these baking soda and vinegar experiments are a great place to start.

A quick tip: These activities can get messy, so use a baking sheet or another easy-to-clean work surface. If the weather is nice you can even do these baking soda experiments outside. Of course, supervise children during the experiments.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments for Kids

baking soda and vinegar science experiments written over colorful vinegar being dropped onto a dish of baking soda

Classic Volcano

Making a volcano is a classic science experiment for kids. This activity can fit in with a science lesson about chemical reactions, but it can also be a great volcano demonstration in a lesson about volcanos.

You will need:

  • Container to hold the baking soda
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar
  • Playdough or clay (if you want to form a classic volcano shape)

First, gather all of your materials. You can use pretty much any container to make the volcano. I used a beaker from my science cabinet, but you could use a drinking glass, a mason jar, a clean can, etc. I have even seen people make a big baking soda and vinegar volcanos using sand buckets! (Definitely do that outside for easy cleanup.)

I recommend putting the volcano in a glass casserole dish to contain the mess.

If you want to form the classic volcano shape, use playdough or clay to add a slope to your container. You can also paint it if you want. Let this harden and dry before adding baking soda or vinegar.

When your volcano is ready, sprinkle baking soda into your container. Different volcanos will need different amounts of baking soda. If you have a small container you will just need a little. If you use a large container you will need a lot.

When everyone is ready, pour the vinegar onto the baking soda. The fizzy chemical reaction happens pretty much instantly.

easy science volcano written above a baking soda and vinegar volcano fizzing out of a beaker

Fizzy Dinosaur Eggs

This fizzy dinosaur eggs activity from Kim at TheBestIdeasForKids.com is going to be a hit with any young children who love dinosaurs. Kids can help prepare the baking soda eggs and then use the vinegar to make them ‘hatch’ or an adult can prepare the eggs ahead of time.

You will need:

  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar
  • Water
  • Food coloring
  • Small plastic dinosaurs (or whatever you want inside of the eggs)
  • Squirt bottle or dropper

Get the full fizzy dinosaur egg directions.

Drop Painting

I loved setting my kids up with this activity when they were toddlers – early elementary. It was my go-to activity when I needed them to be engaged at the kitchen table so I could supervise them while cooking. They had a great time and I was able to cook without little hands helping.

You will need:

  • Baking tray or dish
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar
  • Cups – one for each color
  • Different colors of food coloring
  • Dropper or pipette – one for each color

To set up this activity, add a layer of baking soda to a baking dish. Then add vinegar to small cups. I used an assortment of recycled glass jars. Add a few drops of food coloring to each cup. Kids can help mix primary colors to create secondary colors. Put a pipette or dropper in each cup.

Now kids can use the pipettes to drop colored vinegar onto the baking soda. Everywhere that a drop of vinegar hits the baking soda kids will see bubbles in the color of the vinegar.

Some kids like to make a picture using the baking soda as a temporary canvas. Other kids just enjoy the process. Either way, they are having fun experimenting with baking soda and vinegar. This sort of activity when kids are young lays a foundation for understanding chemical reactions when they are older.

baking soda and vinegar drop painting written above a tray of baking soda and a pippette of colored vinegar

Hot Ice

Hot ice seems like an oxymoron, but it is actually a really cool science experiment using baking soda and vinegar. This activity has a few more steps than some of the other ideas, but kids will be delighted with the result.

You will need:

  • Vinegar
  • Baking Soda
  • Glass measuring cup
  • Glass pie plate
  • A pot
  • Stove
  • Refrigerator

Get the full directions for hot ice from PlaydoughtoPlato.com.

Hidden Colors

This hidden colors activity is similar to the vinegar drop painting activity. It uses the same basic supplies, but the order is different.

You will need:

  • Mini-muffin tin
  • Food coloring
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar in a cup
  • Dropper or pipette

Put a few drops of food coloring in each mini-muffin tin well. Cover it with a thin layer of baking soda. You want enough baking soda to cover the food coloring, but not enough to fill up the muffin tin. When it is ready, kids shouldn’t be able to tell what color is in which spot.

Pour vinegar into a cup and give your child a dropper or pipette.

Kids can slowly add drops of vinegar to each well of baking soda until they can see the color mix in with the carbon dioxide bubbles.

colored vinegar and baking soda reacting in a muffin tin

Exploding Bag

I think most kids go through a phase where they like to watch things explode. In my house that happened in the late elementary and early middle school years.

This baking soda and vinegar activity will make kids who love explosions happy.

I think it is a good idea to do this activity outside because it can get messy! The aftermath of a baking soda and vinegar explosion can feel gritty so it is helpful if it is done on a driveway so it can be hosed off. Make sure that the bag is on the ground and children are standing a safe distance away when it explodes.

You will need:

  • Plastic bag with a zip seal
  • Vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Water
  • Tissue
  • Permanent markers (optional)

Get the full directions for making an exploding bag at MomBrite.com.

Inflate a Balloon

Watching fizzy bubbles and explosions can be fun, but this baking soda and vinegar experiment helps kids understand that chemical reactions can be useful. They will attempt to inflate a balloon using baking soda and vinegar. Now, this certainly isn’t the most efficient way to blow up a balloon, but it gets kids thinking about science as useful.

You will need:

  • Plastic bottle
  • Funnel
  • Balloon
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar

Get the full directions at HappyBrownHouse.com.

I hope your kids enjoyed these simple science experiments! Once they have tried a few of these simple baking soda and vinegar activities, let them try making changes to see if the results change. Maybe they can try using lemon juice instead of vinegar and see what happens!

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Welcome! My name is Jennifer. I am a teacher at heart. Before my children were born I was a public school teacher. Now, I am a homeschooling mom of two.