Combine quick science and balloon play with our easy to set up chemistry for kids! Test out this balloon baking soda science activity! It’s a must save homemade science experiment for fizzing baking soda and vinegar science all year long! Just a few simple ingredients from the kitchen, and you have amazing chemistry for kids at your fingertips. Science you can actually play with too!
BALLOON BAKING SODA SCIENCE EXPERIMENT 
It’s Easy to Inflate Balloons with This Simple Chemical Reaction kids can easily do!
It’s so easy to set up this balloon baking soda and vinegar activity. We used refillable ornaments from this past Christmas, but you can also use water bottles! You just need to be able to seal the end of the balloon around a top.
CHECK OUT ALL OUR: Fizzing Science Experiments
CHEMISTRY FOR KIDS?
Let’s keep it basic for our younger or junior scientists! Chemistry is all about the way different materials are put together, and how they are made up including atoms and molecules. It’s also how these materials act under different conditions. Chemistry is often a base for physics so you will see overlap!
What might you experiment with in chemistry? Classically we think of a mad scientist and lots of bubbling beakers, and yes there are reaction between bases and acids to enjoy! Also, chemistry involves matter, changes, solutions, and the list goes on and on.
We will be exploring simple chemistry you can do at home or in the classroom that isn’t too crazy, but is still lots of fun for kids! You can check out some more chemistry activities here.
Make sure to grab your FREE printable simple science experiments cheat sheet for more great science projects to get started with right away! See the bottom of the page!
SCIENCE SUPPLIES
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Empty Water Bottles
Balloons
Measuring Spoons
Funnel {optional but helpful)
My son suggested we try different amounts of baking soda in our balloon baking soda experiment to see what would happen. Always encourage your kids to ask questions and wonder about what will happen if…
This is a great way to encourage inquiry, observation skills, and critical thinking skills. You can read more about teaching the scientific method to young kids here.
LET’S GET STARTED WITH BALLOON BAKING SODA SCIENCE!
- Blow up balloon a bit to stretch it out some.
- Use the funnel and teaspoon to add baking soda to the balloon. We started with 2 teaspoons and added a teaspoon for each balloon.
- Fill container with Vinegar half way
- When your balloons are all made attach to containers making sure you have a good seal!
- Lift up balloon to dump baking soda into the container of vinegar
- Watch the balloon fill up
- To get the most gas out of it, we swirled around the container to get it all going!
Go ahead and use a sharpie to draw emojis, shapes, or fun pictures on your balloons before filling them with baking soda.
Make predictions! Ask questions! Share observations!
Test out different size containers. Above we grabbed some plastic Christmas ornaments and an egg carton to hold them!
Yes, we even had to try dumping them upside down to see what would happen. This is where a good seal comes in handy! What else can you do with baking soda? Check out these unique baking soda science activities!
SIMPLE SCIENCE: BLOWING UP BALLOONS WITH CO2
The science, behind this balloon baking soda experiment, is the chemical reaction between the base {baking soda} and the acid {vinegar}. When the two ingredients mix together the balloon baking soda experiment gets it’s lift!
That lift is the gas produced from the two ingredients is 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. Because the gas has no where to go and is pushing against the balloon it inflates it! Similarly, we exhale carbon dioxide when we blow up balloons.
Don’t have vinegar? Try a citric acid like lemon juice and check out our CITRUS CHEMICAL REACTIONS here.
Do be cautious with the amount of baking soda you add, as the reaction will get bigger each time. Safety goggles are always great for scientists!
You could definitely see the difference in the amount of 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. Enjoy simple science at home or in the classroom with this classic experiment.
ADDITIONAL BALLOON BAKING SODA SCIENCE TO TRY!
Here’s an additional balloon baking soda science experiment to try:
Fill one balloon using this cool chemical reaction and tie it off.
Next, blow up a balloon using your own carbon dioxide to about the same size or as close as possible.
Hold both balloons at arms length from your body. Let go!
What happens? Does one balloon fall at a different speed then the other? Why is this? Although both balloons are filled with the same gas, the one you blew up is not as saturated with pure CO2 as the one blown up with baking soda and vinegar.
MORE BALLOON SCIENCE TO CHECK OUT
Explore physics with either a balloon rocket or our balloon peered LEGO cars! Balloons are a great way to explore Newtons third law of motion. You can also explore simple static electricity with a balloon.
COOL BALLOON BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR SCIENCE!
MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT MORE GREAT SCIENCE AND STEM IDEAS
Miranda says
Need more info on experiments. Thanks, Miranda
littlebins says
What information would you like?
kaylon says
i love yo stuff
monishree says
thanks a lot very funny experiment
littlebins says
Your welcome!
Angelina says
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?
Angelina says
And it’s due May 18, 2016 🙁
kayla says
this is cool thanks you verry much
littlebins says
Your welcome! Try drawing on the balloons too!
Jaclyn Martins says
Does the size of the container or size of balloon have any affect on how the balloon will blow up?
littlebins says
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.
tahnaejah says
my team did the balloon inflating thing and it was fun
Reena jain says
Is it safe for kids to do this experiment in school
littlebins says
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.
sikta says
hi this is STEM project .
can anyone explain how to connect – T technology E Engineering M mathematics through this experiment .
thanks in advance
littlebins says
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}.
Fatima says
If we wanted to use this for a science fair project what would the Question asking be?
littlebins says
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?
Cloe says
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!!
littlebins says
That’s awesome! We will def have to try that. What a great idea!
Justin says
Where did you find your containers to hold the baking soda and vinegar?