My kids love fun science experiments. While cooking breakfast the other day, my three-year old asked about making concoctions with the breakfast supplies. While I’m all for mixing up ingredients with kids, I wasn’t prepared to have a lot of good food go to waste.
So we set up a classic concoction center with some baking soda and vinegar. So much fun!
Supplies: Fun Kitchen Science Experiment
I’ve included some Amazon affiliate links for your convenience
- Vinegar – I like this big jug for the convenience of having lots of vinegar on hand for more experiments
- Baking Soda
- Tray
- Small pitcher
- Spoon/s
- Bowl/s
- Food coloring (optional)
Steps: Set up a Concoction Experiment
- Set up a tray or deep tub and fill it with a handful of small bowls.
- Fill a bowl with baking soda and a small spoon
- Fill a small pitcher with vinegar
- Offer this invitation to your little scientist
After some fizzy exploration, my daughter wanted to see what would happen if we added some salt, so we brought salt over. In the past we’ve also added flour, baking powder, and a variety of vinegars. At this point, you could also introduce some food coloring for extra-colorful fun.
More Fun Vinegar and Baking Soda Experiments
When my older daughter was three years old, we did this same science experiment with a slightly different set-up. Hop over here to the fun Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiment.
This project, like so many others that you’ll find on TinkerLab, is process-based and it’s part of the CREATIVE TABLE PROJECT.
These projects are set up as Creative Invitations, meaning that the materials are laid out in an inviting way where the child is invited to interpret and use them however he or she likes. With creative invitations like this, I’ll sometimes give my kids a little prompt, but usually I sit back and see what they come up with…and I’m often surprised by their ingenuity.
One of my favorite things about Creative Table projects is that they’re simple. Set up takes minutes and the child determines the outcome through a process of discovery and exploration. There’s no expected outcome, which frees the parent or teacher up to relax and enjoy the process.
Around here, these creative set-ups are part of the Creative Table series, and you can find more of these ideas here.
If you enjoyed this activity, be sure to check out our new book, TinkerLab: A Handbook for Little Inventors (affiliate link). You might also enjoy these creative invitations:
Creative Table Highlights via Instagram
Creative Table: Tape and Paper Bags
Creative Table: Paint and Looping Lines
Creative Table: Doilies and Scissors
I do like the set up – very inviting.
Thanks so much!