Frozen Vinegar – Cool Summer Science Activity

Every kid loves to play with baking soda and vinegar. The bubbly reaction is timeless and a fun way to introduce kitchen chemistry. Turn classic baking soda and vinegar play into a cool summer science activity with frozen vinegar!

Frozen Vinegar – Cool Summer Science Activity

Aiden loved the frozen vinegar hearts we made for Valentine’s Day. He’s been asking to do it again ever since. Summer seems like the perfect time to place with ice. This would be a fun activity to do outside. Using stars makes for a patriotic theme.

The basics of a baking soda and vinegar reaction: vinegar is an acid; baking soda is a base. Combine the two together and you get a chemical reaction that produces water and salt…

In our initial investigation we wondered What happens if we freeze the vinegar or baking soda or both? Here’s the setup:

Materials:

• vinegar
• baking soda
• water
• freezer trays or molds {in star shapes for a patriotic theme}
• food coloring {optional}
• pan/containers for play

Instructions:

1. Pour some vinegar into a container with a spout. {I used a liquid measuring cup.}
2. Add a few drops of food coloring until you like the color of the vinegar. {Aiden was responsible for this step. He wanted dark blue.}
3. Pour the colored vinegar into your freezer trays or molds. {We used small star ice cube molds. Larger molds will make the play last longer. You can dilute the vinegar with water – half water, half vinegar works well.}
4. Freeze your colored vinegar.
5. Add some baking soda to a pan of water. {1 tsp of baking soda to 1 cup of water works well.}

Invite your child to add the frozen vinegar to the baking soda and water. As the ice melts, the baking soda and vinegar will react. {If you did not add water to your vinegar before freezing, you will see more bubbles.}

Pour more baking soda and water solution onto the frozen vinegar. You’ll notice the food coloring starts to leave the ice.

Try adding baking soda directly to the frozen vinegar.

Not only will you see bubbles on the ice, you will see bubbles in the water.

For questions to ask that go along with this activity, check out the frozen vinegar hearts post.

Reminders and Cautions

Baking soda and vinegar are safe to touch. However, contact with the eyes should be avoided. Rinse eyes with water if your child happens to stick his hands in his eyes after touching vinegar. Wash hands when you are finished playing.

It goes without saying that this activity should be supervised by an adult.

More Summer Science Ideas

• Summer is a great time to explore weather. Try making a cloud in a jar and watch the video for more weather activities for kids.
• Head outside and try some ice painting. {It’s great for playing inside, too.}
• Try this colorful science investigation with ice and salt.
• Check out my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board for more fun ideas.

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This post was originally published on May 23, 2013.