‹ Activities

Baking Soda Volcano

Ages 2–5 ~20 min 🔬 Science

What You'll Need

  • 2–3 tbsp baking soda
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • A few drops of red or orange food colouring
  • A squeeze of dish soap (makes it extra bubbly!)
  • A small cup, jar, or bowl as the "volcano"
  • A tray or baking dish to contain the overflow

Let's Do It!

  1. Place the small cup in the center of the tray.
  2. Add the baking soda, a squeeze of dish soap, and a few drops of food colouring into the cup.
  3. Build up the moment: "We're going to make a VOLCANO! Are you ready?"
  4. Hand your toddler the vinegar and let them pour it in — stand back and watch!
  5. Watch the fizzing "lava" overflow. When it settles, add more vinegar to start again!
  6. Repeat as many times as they want — the baking soda lasts several rounds.

The Simple Science

  • Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid.
  • When they mix, they react and release carbon dioxide gas — that's the bubbles!
  • The dish soap traps the gas bubbles, making a big foam overflow.
  • You can say: "The bubbles are the gas escaping — that's a chemical reaction!"

What They'll Learn

🧪 Chemical reactions 🔬 Scientific observation 🧠 Cause and effect 💬 Descriptive language 🌋 Earth science

💡 Parent Tip

Try using a muffin tin and putting baking soda in each cup with different food colouring — then give your toddler a pipette or spoon to add vinegar to each one individually. It's like a mini science lab! You can also do this outside in the garden for zero cleanup stress.