Star Wars Science: Erupting Death Star Baking Soda Idea

Star Wars science is fun any time of the year, but it certainly gets a lot of attention around May 4th! We love Science and STEM over here, so naturally we had to try a few Star Wars themed science activities as well as a 5 free printable Star Wars I Spy pages! Baking Soda science is fun no matter what the theme, but this erupting Death Star idea is pretty cool!

STAR WARS SCIENCE ACTIVITY ERUPTING DEATH STAR

ERUPTING BAKING SODA SCIENCE

This was originally my son’s idea, and I wasn’t quite sure how to pull it off, but we have done molded baking soda activities before like this fizzing castle. It isn’t as difficult as it may look, and you probably have what you need in the cupboard anyway!

SUPPLIES: 

Baking Soda

Vinegar

Water

Black liquid water color or a mixture of food coloring {you will need this to be a saturated mixture since it will be mixed with white baking soda} Alternatively, you don’t need to color it at all. It’s still fun!

Baster or Squirt Bottle

Bowl to mold shape

Large tray or bin to catch the mess {outside might be a good place to do it as well}

MAKE BAKING SODA MIXTURE

Empty a 2lb box of baking soda into a bowl. I next added coloring to about 3/4 cup of water, and poured it over the baking soda. Mixing with your hands is best as you can get a good sense of the consistency. Don’t be too quick to add water until you thoroughly mix it. It should be a packable mixture but not wet or runny.

MAKE A DEATH STAR

I started out with the idea to make mini Death Stars and add a LEGO minifigure to each one like our surprise eggs we made this Spring. We molded them in a similar fashion, but I used one of those fillable Christmas ornaments instead. We made some quick LEGO gifts out of them this past holiday.

Then I decided I wanted a bigger Death Star, so I got out a small bowl. It’s the smallest size from our nesting set and packed the remains mixture into it. Essentially I only made half a Death Star, but if I had more baking soda I could have made two halves and tried to put them together. I think your kids will find it amazing either way!

I popped the molds into the freezer for 30 mins to harden them a bit. I did need to run warm water around the outside of the bowl to loosen the large one. It came out pretty good with just a little crumble around the sides.

Set out bowls of vinegar and your erupting tools. We like basters, eyedroppers, and squirt bottles, but we also have used small measuring cups and ladles! Remember, they are a bit frozen so the activity will last longer! You can heat up the vinegar if you want too or add a small amount of warm water to it.

This Star Wars science activity is not only fun, it’s a great learning experience too! Where does all that fizz come from? A chemical reaction! Specifically the chemical reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda or an acid and a base mixing together. Together the two create carbon dioxide which gives you the fizzing!

We also made a fun DEATH STAR PLAYDOUGH activity that was a hit!

As you can see this Star Wars science activity is also a bit of messy sensory play too, but it cleans up very easily. These kinds of activities really are fun ways to play with science and really experiment and explore what’s happening.

Yep, It’s messy alright, but that’s OK! However, this is when the camera gets put away!

Baking soda and vinegar science is really popular around here. We have dozens of experiments for the different seasons and holidays, but this STAR WARS science activity was the mega one! We used our LEGO minifigures but you can add any characters you have.

DEATH STAR STAR WARS SCIENCE ACTIVITY

CHECK OUT MORE STAR WARS SCIENCE IDEAS!

STAR WARS BLOG HOP!

This month a group of bloggers have joined together to share very cool Star Wars themed activities. Visit the links below to see what else is going on and take a look at the Star Wars Blog Hop homepage!

Try this Star Wars Sensory Bin from Something 2Offer

Yummy Rogue One Ice Cream recipe is a favorite from Nerdy Mamma

Share It! Science News has some fabulous Activities for Exploring Planets with 2 Suns!

Make some of these fabulous Droid Crafts from Play & Learn Everyday

These DIY Party Favours from Kidz Activities would be a hit at any party!

Mrs LeBlancs Learners are learning Star Wars in the Classroom

Defying Gravity! Sounds like great fun from Kid Minds

Make your own Airplane Fly Off like Royal Baloo!

Brush up on your galaxy sums with Daily Math from 3 Dinosaurs

KC Edventures is sharing a great Planets Math Activity

Peakle Pie shares some cute Paper Plate Ewoks