This kids science activity is loads of fun for anyone who likes aliens, mess and making things explode. Watch out, it can get very messy so be sure to lay out lots of newspaper in advance or do it in your garden on a dry day.
This is a fun bicarbonate of soda and vinegar science experiment with a twist and a something a little different to the usual volcano creations done.
What You Need
- Newspaper to contain the mess
- Old play doughv
- Embellishments – e.g. google eyes, feathers, sequins, pipe cleaners, twigs, flowers etc
- Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Vinegar
- A few cups
- A spoon
- Food colouring
How to Make Erupting Aliens
- First make your aliens. We used old play dough for the bodies. The play dough will go slimey and will need to be thrown out after the activity so it’s a good way to use up old ends of play dough.
- Add embellishments such as googly eyes, pipe cleaners, buttons or even natural materials from the garden such as twigs or flowers.
- Add a hole or space, where the baking soda will be added. We found that wide holes worked better than deep narrow holes to allow for more surface area for the fizzing reaction.
- Lay out lots of newspaper or you could also use a shallow plastic box to contain mess.
- Add a few drops of food colouring to a cup of vinegar.
- Scoop some baking soda into the hole in your alien.
- Now add some of the coloured vinegar.
- Watch the reaction as the bubbles are created.
- Once the reaction has finished, you can repeat the process as many times as you like. You could even try different colours of coloured vinegar.
The Science
Bicarbonate of soda is an alkali and Vinegar is an acid. When they mix together a reaction occurs which releases carbon dioxide gas. The gas creates the bubbles you see. If you want it to be extra bubbly you could even try adding washing up liquid.
If you’re looking for more space themed crafts, why not try making your own cardboard tube rocket ship.
