Balloon Baking Soda Vinegar Kids Science

This magic balloon baking soda and vinegar reaction science for kids is a fun experiment for preschoolers and kindergartners to explore early chemistry and STEM education.

So, how about combining kids science experiment and balloon play with easy to set up chemistry for kids! Besides, this balloon baking soda STEM activity is a must-save home-made science to explore the magic of fizzing acid-base reaction! Most important, all you will need for this amazing chemistry experiment are just a few simple ingredients from your kitchen.

What you will need for this Kids Science Experiment:

• baking soda
• vinegar (you can also use lemon juice)
• a balloon
• a bottle (we are using a sake pot but use any bottle with a narrow opening, so that you are able to seal the end of the balloon around a top)
• a funnel (suggested)
• measuring spoons
• science glasses (buy pink here  and blue here)
• a tray and a mat to contain everything

HOW to conduct this Magic Balloon experiment:

•  use a funnel and a teaspoon to add baking soda to the balloon
•  separately, fill the bottle with vinegar
• carefully attach the balloon to the bottle, making sure you have a good seal!
•  lift the balloon up to pour the baking soda into the bottle
• watch the balloon inflate!

So, “let’s see what happens to our balloon” when vinegar and baking soda chemically react! Foremost, chemistry is all about the way different materials are put together, including matter, the changes it undergoes, solutions, and others. For example, try different amounts of baking soda and see what happens! Alternatively, try using a bigger bottle and pouring more vinegar. Most important, this experiment is a great way to encourage inquiry, observation, inference, and critical thinking!

Revealing the science behind this STEM Experiment:

Baking Soda/solid (NaHCO₃) + Vinegar/liquid (HC₂H₃O₂) → Carbon Dioxide/gas (CO₂₎ + Water/liquid (H₂O) + → NaC₂H₃O₂

The science behind this balloon baking soda experiment is a fizzing chemical reaction between the base (baking soda) and the acid (vinegar). As such, baking soda and vinegar create an acid-base reaction of atom exchange, producing, as a result, the carbonic acid which is very unstable. As such, Carbonic acid instantly breaks apart into water and carbon dioxide, the latter of which is a gas. Gass needs a lot of room to spread out, and the carbon dioxide starts to escape the bottle, going up! So, as the gas tries to leave the bottle, it goes up into the balloon, inflating it!

In a nutshell: during this chemical acid-base reaction, the resulting gas attempts to escape the bottle, moving up into the balloon because of the tight seal around the bottle. Because the gas has nowhere to go, it pushes against the balloon, inflating it! (It is very similar to when we exhale carbon dioxide to blow up balloons. )

Want more?

For more on baking soda and vinegar reactions, see here a video Erupting Volcano Science Experiment. Also, see HERE a super fun STEM activity “Up goes the raisin!”

Please, always supervise your children.

♡ Enriching the Mind one Heart at a time ♡

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