Have you ever found yourself wondering “What does my kid really want to do”? If given total freedom what would they choose?
Well that question is precisely how I developed Play Science. While nannying for a family in Beverly Hills I was set to be alone for a week while mom and dad were away on business. At that time the kids were 2 and 5 years old. The days before the parents were leaving I scrambled to plan activities that would keep them busy and help pass the time. When I really thought about what they wanted to do my mind kept going back to the kitchen. We would play “cooking” which was basically me setting bowls out and letting them mix gross concoctions out of anything they could get their hands on from the pantry. Mixing, pouring, mixing, pouring, and watching the changes after every new ingredient. I decided to bring this activity outside and step it up a notch by adding some reactions to the mix and call it SCIENCE.
Did you ever make volcanos with lava in school? Well this is basically what that is just on a larger scale and minus the measuring. I set up our science station outside near a hose for easy clean up and we added the ingredients one by one and waited for a reaction after each addition. Once the magic ingredient (baking soda) was added the kids were amazed by how their mixtures grew and grew. We did this over and over experimenting with different amounts of ingredients to see if it changed the reaction. This kept the 5 year old busy for such a long time, he was thrilled and the 2 year old loved playing with the foam and pouring the mixture in and out of different containers. Every morning of that week alone they woke up asking to “play science”. Stevie and Celeste are 3 now and I just introduced Play Science to them a couple weeks ago. It was such hit and kept them busy for much longer than I thought.
Here is what you will need:
Plain White Vinegar- I buy a couple of gallons
Baking Soda- You will only need a little to get a fun reaction but the kids will love to add this over and over so I recommend buying in bulk too!
Dish or Hand Soap- Any type or brand will work we like using the hand soap pump. You only need a couple pumps of this so don’t worry you won’t go through it as quickly as the other ingredients.
If you want to make this extra fun add a couple drops of food coloring. This is not required though the reaction will happen without it!
I hope you give this activity a try! If you have reservations about the mess set it up in the sink for a trial run. The mess will wash right down the drain and you can build up to outside SCIENCE! Enjoy and let me know how it goes.
