CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Did you know you can blow up a balloon without ever having to make yourself winded or buy a pump? This Science Sunday is a great, clean experiment for kids with sensory issues.
What you’ll need:
- 16-oz plastic bottle (rinsed)
- Balloons
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Measuring cup/spoons
- Funnel (if you have one)
First, pour ⅓ cup of vinegar into your water bottle using a funnel if you have one. This isn’t necessary, but it’ll make your life (and cleanup!) a lot easier.
Important: you cannot use the same funnel for vinegar and baking soda unless you clean and dry beforehand.
Next, set your water bottle to the side.
Measure out two teaspoons of baking soda. Using a measuring spoons or funnel, transfer the baking soda to the inside of the balloon. This is the most tedious process and can take some time. A good opportunity to learn patience!
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Pro-tip: If you use a funnel, use a Q-tip to make the process go by quicker.
Now, carefully wrap the opening of the balloon around the mouth of the water bottle. Make sure not to let the baking soda in yet. It should easily sit off to the side.
Note: more baking soda and vinegar will make a bigger reaction. Less will have the opposite impact. In the video, Kayland didn’t use all her baking soda and you can see what happened.
Finally, flip your balloon up and allow the baking soda to fall into the vinegar. The chemical reaction should easily blow up your balloon and keep it inflated for awhile!
What's the science?
Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid. When they are combined, a chemical reaction occurs that causes carbon dioxide (CO2) to be released. This is easy to explain to your kids because when we breathe out, we as humans release CO2. So, the balloon is blown up similarly to the way we would do it!
Something else to note is because carbon dioxide is a gas, it fills the space it is given. So, when this reaction occurs, CO2 fills the space of the bottle, and eventually the empty space in the balloon, which is why it blows up so much. If there was more, it would blow up even bigger!
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.