Vinegar and Baking Soda Balloon Experiment

This fun Vinegar and Baking Soda Balloon Experiment will have the kids squealing with excitement. Trust me, they'll want to do this experiment over and over again! Much like our Yeast Balloon Science Experiment, kids will learn how to blow up a balloon with vinegar and baking soda and learn a little chemistry at the same time. This easy science experiment for kids only take a few materials, so it's a frugal activity to do with kids. Frugal and easy are the best kind of kids activities, right?

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Materials

How To Blow Up a Balloon with Baking Soda and Vinegar

For the baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment, fill your empty water bottle about &frac13; of the way full with vinegar.

Stretch the balloon over the funnel.

Use the funnel to fill the balloon with baking soda. It doesn't need to be all the way full--we didn't measure, but I'd say it was about 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda.

Carefully place the balloon over the bottle opening without dropping the baking soda in the bottle.

When you are ready, have your kid lift the balloon to sprinkle the baking soda into the bottle.

Watch the balloon blow up from the chemical reaction. It will grow...

and grow...

and grow!

My kids wanted to do this over and over again and I bet yours will, too! Be sure to have a bunch of balloons handy.

While you have the baking soda and vinegar out, you should make a volcano, too!

How does this work?

The baking soda and vinegar create an acid/base reaction. The baking soda is the base and the vinegar is the acid. When the two are mixed they work together to create a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). Gasses need a lot of room to spread out and the carbon dioxide starts to fill the bottle and then moves into the balloon to inflate it. Pretty cool, huh?

More science experiments for kids:
Simple Science: Testing for Air
Magic Light Bulb Balloon Science Experiment
Simple Science: Observing Snowflakes
Moon Crater Science Experiment