by Amanda Morgan - Not Just Cute

Here’s a formula for fun!  I have yet to see a child not get excited by this activity!  While it has many developmental objectives in and of itself, it is also a great way to get kids excited about taking on otherwise mundane tasks.  Let’s talk about the how-to first, and the when-to later.
 

First gather your supplies.  You’ll need liquid or powdered coloring (food coloring will do the trick), baking soda, vinegar, a baster, a cookie sheet or tray, and a few glass jars. (I used 1 quart jars here, but other sizes work well too.  Just do a quick run-through with the ones you choose so that you can anticipate whether or not you’re going to have any overflow.)
 

Before your activity, place a drop of color into each jar.  I’ve used both the powder and liquid forms and each one works great!
 

Next, cover each color with about a half to one full teaspoon of baking soda.  Just make sure you’ve covered all of the coloring so that each jar looks the same.
 

Place all of your jars onto a cookie sheet or tray to catch any overflow.  Add the baster and a jar of vinegar, which I’ve sometimes referred to as my “highly potent acid” to make things more enticing.
 

Now it’s time for the magic!  Have the children gather vinegar with the baster and squirt it into the jars, and ………fizz, bubble, they reveal their hidden colors!
 

Now, as I mentioned, this activity fills a lot of objectives on its own.  Fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, engaging in science activities, and encouraging curiosity - for me, this is reason enough to put a project like this on the table.  But there are a few ways you can also use this activity to add a fun twist to ordinary tasks.

Use it to choose activities like chores, exercises, or homework problems by listing the tasks and color-coding them.  Have your child reveal a color with the magic fizz and then do the corresponding task.  It’s amazing how much more motivated the children are to finish their work when they know that once they’re finished they get to choose another with this method!