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How to do Fizzy Painting (Easy STEM for Kids)

Fizzy Painting is such a fun way to get creative and learn a bit of science at the same time. This process art activity takes the classic volcano science experiment and turns it into a fizzy art project instead. You still get to have that fizzy chemical reaction, but now you get to hang your results on the fridge door instead.

Disclosure: Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.

More Process Art Activities to try

Process art is perfect for kids of all ages, it’s all about exploring different ways to create beautiful art, without focusing on the end results at all. Here are some of my favorite process art projects to try.

  1. Drip Painting
  2. 5 ways you can use the rain to create art
  3. Rainbow Lightning Process Art for Kids
  4. Swing Painting
  5. Kids Smushed Clay Process Art

For more ideas, take a look at these Process Art Ideas for Kids.

Materials Needed

  1. Watercolor paper (essential)
  2. Food coloring in different colors
  3. Baking Soda
  4. Vinegar
  5. Pipettes, or eye dropper
  6. Small bowls
  7. Cookie sheet

How to Make a Fizzy Painting

1. Place your paper on a cookie sheet.

This step is optional, but very useful. This baking soda and vinegar art project is messy. By placing it on a cookie sheet, you’re containing the mess to a small area. It also means that you can easily pick up and move your picture once the kids are finished with their fizzy fun.

2. Sprinkle baking soda onto your watercolour paper.

If you don’t have watercolor paper then use a thick card instead. But you will need paper that is quite sturdy and absorbs a small amount of water without breaking easily.

3. In a small bowl, mix a few drops of food coloring with a tablespoon of vinegar.

Paint bowls or a plastic egg carton is perfect for this part of the activity. Mix enough food coloring into your container of vinegar to make vibrant colors.

4. Use the pipettes to drop the colored vinegar onto the baking soda

Your kids will be delighted as they see the fizzy reactions that occur when the vinegar reacts with the baking soda. Not only will the beautiful colors bubble and fizz, they’ll also mix to create new colors. This color mixing side of fizzy painting is another fantastic opportunity to talk to your toddlers and preschoolers about primary and secondary colors.

On top of all that, using droppers is a fantastic way to help young children develop fine motor skills, all while they play.

Keep repeating this step until you children are finished playing.

5. Let dry

Once your fizzy mixture has completed the reaction, let your picture dry.

6. Scrape off the leftover baking soda once the paper has absorbed all of the colored vinegar.

You’ll find that once your picture is dry, the baking soda will remain behind and form a film over the paper. You can easily scrape this off by rubbing your finger back and forth over the paper.

The results

Watching the paper fizz was what I expected it to be, a whole lot of excited screaming and jumping from my toddler. He agrees that this process art was a lot of fun to make. Fun activities like this are sure to turn him into a mad scientist in no time.

What I didn’t expect was needing to scrape the dried baking soda off of the page. I just rubbed my finger over the page to loosen it a bit and then brushed off the particles with a clean paintbrush.It was a lovely surprise to see what was hiding underneath. The baking soda painting created these exciting patterns where the colors didn’t mix. It reminded me of looking at a river from a birds-eye view.

Are you going to try Fizzy Painting with your kids?
Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.

More Play Based Learning for Kids

Yield: 1

Fizzy Painting

Fizzy Painting

Learn how to use chemistry to make art. Toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners will love watching their pictures fizz and bubble before their eyes.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Difficulty Easy

Materials

  • Watercolor paper (essential)
  • Food coloring
  • Baking Soda
  • Vinegar
  • Pipettes, or droppers

Instructions

    1. Sprinkle the baking soda onto your watercolor paper.
    2. Mix a few drops of food coloring with a tablespoon of vinegar.
    3. Use the pipettes to drop the colored vinegar onto the baking soda and watch it fizz where the drop lands.
    4. Let dry
    5. Scrape off the leftover baking soda once the paper has absorbed all of the colored vinegar.

Notes

When the pictures are dry there is still some residue baking soda on top, just brush it with your finger to remove. But this does add a nice "surprise picture" result for the kids to enjoy.

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