Fizzy Ice Sensory & Science Experiment

During our Outdoor Sights & Sounds of Winter theme with Mother Goose Time, we covered the topic of ice. Simple materials like ice cubes, vinegar, and baking soda offer a wonderful way for preschoolers to learn about physical science through hands-on play. Science can, and should be, fun! My preschool group really enjoyed this fizzy ice science and sensory experiment.

Fizzy Ice Sensory & Science Experiment

Through this play, children are learning about basic physical properties of the ice and water. How does it looks, how does it feel?

Then, through manipulating the ice and water, we observe the changes that take place. The ice is melting. Why? What happens when we combine the vinegar water and baking soda? How can we change water?

Materials

• Pipettes
• Ice
• vinegar
• Bowl or bucket
• Baking Soda
• Cups
• Food coloring

Experiment

• Mix vinegar with food coloring.
• Put ice in sensory bin.
• Feel ice, discuss and play with ice cubes or crushed ice.
• Sprinkle baking soda on top of the ice.
• Use pipettes to squeeze colored vinegar water onto the ice.
• Invite children to discuss what they see and hear.
• Explore and have fun!

See how we played and learned in the video below:

The ice is cold! Water can be frozen into different shapes.

Then we sprinkled “magic snow” (baking soda) over the ice. What is snow? Small pieces of frozen water.

Questions to Ask

How can we change water? Is it water? It doesn’t smell like water! It’s vinegar. I added food coloring to make it blue. What happens when we combine baking soda and vinegar water? How does the ice change as we play with it?

Playing with fizzy ice was very engaging and we’ll definitely do it again!

More Fun With Ice

• Winter Ice Activities for Preschoolers
• Frozen Ice Gems Outdoor Winter Art