Combine a quick baking soda and vinegar reaction with balloon play with this easy-to-set-up science experiment for kids. Find out how to blow up a balloon with just baking soda and vinegar. Grab a few simple ingredients from the kitchen, and you have amazing chemistry for kids at your fingertips. The science you can play with too!
BAKING SODA VINEGAR BALLOONS
EASY SCIENCE FOR KIDS
Do you know this balloon experiment was one of our top 10 experiments? Check out more fun and simple science experiments for kids.
We love everything science and have been exploring different ways to create fizzing reactions while having fun through play. Science that fizzes, pops, erupts, bangs, and explodes is awesome for kids of all ages!
One of the things that we strive to do here is to create playful science setups that are extremely hands-on, maybe a little messy, and a lot of fun. They may be somewhat open-ended, contain an element of play, and have a lot of repeatability!
We also have a fun Valentine balloon experiment and a Halloween balloon experiment for you!
All you need are a few common kitchen ingredients to make self-inflating balloons. Read on for the full supply list and setup.
It’s so easy to inflate balloons with this simple chemical reaction kids can easily do!
BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR EXPERIMENT
Let’s keep it basic for our younger or junior scientists! The science behind this baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment is a chemical reaction between the base {baking soda} and the acid {vinegar}. When the two ingredients mix, the balloon baking soda experiment gets its lift!
That lift is gas, carbon dioxide, or CO2. As the gas tries to leave the plastic container, it goes up into the balloon because of the tight seal you have created. Check out states of matter experiments!
The gas has nowhere to go and is pushing against the balloon it blows it up. Similar to how we exhale carbon dioxide when we blow up balloons ourselves.
We love exploring simple chemistry you can do at home or in the classroom. Science that isn’t too crazy but is still lots of fun for kids! You can check out more cool chemistry experiments.
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR KIDS?
The scientific method is a process or method of research. A problem is identified, information about the problem is gathered, a hypothesis or question is formulated from the information, and the hypothesis is tested with an experiment to prove or disprove its validity. Sounds heavy…
What in the world does that mean?!? The scientific method should simply be used as a guide to help lead the process. It’s not set in stone.
You don’t need to try and solve the world’s biggest science questions! The scientific method is all about studying and learning things right around you.
As kids develop practices that involve creating, gathering data evaluating, analyzing, and communicating, they can apply these critical thinking skills to any situation. Click here to learn more about the scientific method and how to use it.
Even though the scientific method feels like it is just for big kids…
This method can be used with kids of all ages! Have a casual conversation with younger kiddos or do a more formal notebook entry with older kiddos!
Click here to get your FREE Science Challenge Calendar
HOW TO BLOW UP A BALLOON WITH BAKING SODA
Don’t have vinegar? Try a citric acid like lemon juice, and check out our CITRUS CHEMICAL REACTIONS here.
SUPPLIES:
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Empty Water Bottles
- Balloons
- Measuring Spoons
- Funnel {optional but helpful)
BLOW-UP BALLOON EXPERIMENT SETUP:
Step 1. Blow up the balloon a bit to stretch it out some, and use the funnel and teaspoon to add baking soda to the balloon. We started with two teaspoons and added a teaspoon for each balloon.
Step 2. Fill the container with vinegar halfway.
Step 3. When your balloons are all made up, attach them to the containers making sure you have a good seal!
Step 4. Next, lift up the balloon to dump the baking soda into the container of vinegar. Watch your balloon blow up!
To get the most gas out of it, we swirled around the container to get it all going!
Optional Art: Go ahead and use a sharpie to draw emojis, shapes, or fun pictures on your balloons before filling them with baking soda.
MORE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES WITH BALLOONS
Have leftover balloons? Why not explore physics with a balloon rocket, this screaming balloon experiment, or make a Lego balloon-powered car! Balloons are a great way to explore Newton’s third law of motion.
You could also try our pop rocks and soda balloon experiment or our electric cornstarch experiment.
Make predictions! Ask questions! Share observations!
My son suggested we try different amounts of baking soda in our experiment to see what would happen. Also, will the balloon size grow bigger if more vinegar is in the bottle?
Always encourage your kids to ask questions and wonder what will happen if…
This is also a great way to encourage inquiry, observation, and critical thinking skills. You can read more about teaching the scientific method to kids here. Make sure to grab our free printable science worksheet pack above too!
Be cautious with the amount of baking soda you add, as the reaction will get bigger each time. Safety goggles are always great for young scientists!
You could see the difference in the baking soda we put in the balloons! The red balloon with the least baking soda inflated the least. The blue balloon with the most inflated the most.
What else can you do with baking soda? Check out these unique baking soda experiments!
Click on the image below or on the link for more easy chemistry experiments.
Need more info on experiments. Thanks, Miranda
What information would you like?
thanks a lot very funny experiment
Your welcome!
(I was thinking that the pint bottle was going to blow up I got really scared first time I saw a science magic) but I can make smoke come out of my mouth it is very simple
I’m doing a Science Fair Project on this, but I don’t know and how to do the table and graphs, like the data and stuff. Can you help me?
And it’s due May 18, 2016 🙁
this is cool thanks you verry much
Your welcome! Try drawing on the balloons too!
Does the size of the container or size of balloon have any affect on how the balloon will blow up?
Yes, it will because of the space the gas has to fill once the baking soda and vinegar are combined. Great experiment to try different sizes using the same amounts of both vinegar and baking soda.
my team did the balloon inflating thing and it was fun
Is it safe for kids to do this experiment in school
I would think it would be as it is just baking soda and vinegar. You would need to use your best judgement of course. We have never had a balloon explode.
hi this is STEM project .
can anyone explain how to connect – T technology E Engineering M mathematics through this experiment .
thanks in advance
I will look into my information. Remember a STEM project does not need to contain each of the 4 pillars of STEM but at least two. I can tell you we used math {measuring} and science {chemical reaction}.
Definitely is cool
i love yo stuff
If we wanted to use this for a science fair project what would the Question asking be?
How much baking soda/vinegar is needed to inflate balloon completely. Or, which acid is better vinegar or lemon juice? Do different shape balloons fill better?
We just did this experiment, but we only used one balloon. My kids are 2.5, 4 and 7 so we have a range of ability levels, but I wanted to add my kids’ favorite part! We took the balloon off the bottle and tied it shut, careful not to lose the gas. And then I blew a balloon up the same size, I asked them which one they thought would hit the ground first as I held them even in the air. Try it out!!
That’s awesome! We will def have to try that. What a great idea!
Where did you find your containers to hold the baking soda and vinegar?