Fizzy Christmas Tree Toddler Activity

Kids love the holiday season, and they love to do Christmas tree activities. We parents, we like to do Christmas STEM activities with our toddlers or preschoolers. Here’s a fun fizzing Christmas tree activity I did with my preschooler, and he had a blast decorating it and then destroying it.

How to do a Fizzy Christmas Tree Science Experiment and Christmas Activity

Baking soda and Vinegar are fabulous for all kinds of kids’ activities! This one is great for the holiday season. I shared one previously for Valentine’s day and a sensory snowman for winter.

This is a quick fun Christmas science experiment you can do at home. The fizzy bubbles are caused by carbon dioxide, a gas that forms when the vinegar (an acid) reacts with the baking soda (a base).

Supplies for the Fizzy Christmas Tree Activity:

• Baking soda
• Salt (optional)
• Vinegar
• Eye droppers
• Food coloring – green
• Glitter and/or confetti
• large Christmas tree cookie cutter
• Water
• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cup
• Cookie sheet or tray for a mess-free workspace

Steps for the Fizzy Christmas Tree Activity:

The first step is to make your “dough” for the Christmas tree. I started with 2 cups of baking soda and 1/2 a cup of salt. I like adding the salt to make the baking soda mixture more tactile. It gives it a more grainy feel.

Then I mixed 1/3 cup of water, and some green food coloring then added to the baking soda/salt mixture to make the whole thing green. My preschooler enjoyed mixing everything up! We let it sit a bit to absorb the water and get less drippy.

Then we used the Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter to help us make the tree look like an actual tree. We scooped and poured the mixture inside the cookie cutter and let it sit to be a pretty tree. I made my own tree separately without the cookie cutter and let me tell you it was just a globby silly looking thing.

Then I let my preschooler go to town with the glitter and confetti. He loved to decorate the little tree. This was a good way to spend at least a half-hour over here.

Then when we were done decorating, I asked him if he wanted to have it explode? He, of course, jumped at the idea. Then we got the vinegar and the eyedropper to deliver the acidic substance onto our basic tree. (Side note, that basic tree just made me laugh.)

Dripping the vinegar made the reaction small and resulted in the glitter and confetti moving around just a bit and looking like it was glistening. Pouring the vinegar made the big chemical reaction and fizzy Christmas tree experience that we were all waiting for.

 

Have you tried this easy Christmas science activity?