US US US We use cookies on this website to improve your shopping experience. We use cookies to remember log-in details and provide secure log-in, collect statistics to optimize site functionality, and deliver content tailored to your interests. Click accept to give your consent to accept cookies.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year with some live music! The kids will love crafting these simple instruments, opening up discussion about the holiday and its origins. It is a common misconception that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated as Mexico’s independence day. In Mexican culture, May 5 actually marks the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French forces of Napoleon III in 1862, at the Battle of Puebla. In fact, the residents of the state of Puebla are really the ones who celebrate the holiday the most – even more than the rest of Mexico. They party with traditional Mexican food, dancers, and mariachi music. These wonderful sounds of celebration inspired us to make some homemade instruments. According to the Brain and Creativity Institute at University of Southern California, music experiences in childhood can actually accelerate brain development, particularly in language and reading skills. Down the road, learning a musical instrumental at an early age can actually improve mathematical learning and increase SAT scores. Sounds good to us, so let’s get musical! Here’s what you’ll need to make you own little Cinco de Mayo band.
Festive
Tambourine
What You'll Need:
2 paper or plastic plates
Decorations (stickers, markers, or paint)
Ribbon
Hole Punch
Craft Jingle Bells
Scissors
Using your paint or stickers, decorate the outside of your tambourine. Be colorful and creative!
Next, match the plates up so the bottom part of the plate faces out. Punch 5-6 holes around the plate’s circumference, making sure your bottom and top plates match up.
Cut the ribbon as long as you’d like. Longer ribbons always seem to add more drama! Then lace the ribbon through the jingle bells.
Loop your ribbon around the holes punched in the plates, securing it with a double knot.
Shake away! These small bells make a joyful sound!
Beating Drum
What You'll Need:
Clean Tin Can (be aware of sharp edges!)
Baloon
White Duct Tape
Decorative Tape
Two #2 Pencils
Scissors
First, cut the balloon at the base of the “stem”. You’ll need lots of balloon material to cover the wide opening of the can.
Stretch the balloon over the tin can. Tape the perimeter.
Then finish the whole can with the white tape, and add decorative tape if you so choose.
Shaky Maracas
What You'll Need:
Plastic Easter Eggs
Plastic Spoons
Dry Rice
White Duct Tape
Decorative Tape
Scissors
Fill the plastic eggs with about 2-3 pinches of rice. Filling them too full will not allow for the fullest sound: less is more.
Close the eggs and stick some tape around them immediately. If these crack open, you’ll have a big mess.
Next, situate two of the spoons to “cup” the eggs on either side. Wrap the tape around the spoon. Follow the spoons’ handles down with tape, as well as the top of the egg.
Add some decorative tape or stickers of your liking.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year with some live music! The kids will love crafting these simple instruments, opening up discussion about the holiday and its origins. It is a common misconception that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated as Mexico’s independence day. In Mexican culture, May 5 actually marks the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French forces of Napoleon III in 1862, at the Battle of Puebla. In fact, the residents of the state of Puebla are really the ones who celebrate the holiday the most – even more than the rest of Mexico. They party with traditional Mexican food, dancers, and mariachi music. These wonderful sounds of celebration inspired us to make some homemade instruments. According to the Brain and Creativity Institute at University of Southern California, music experiences in childhood can actually accelerate brain development, particularly in language and reading skills. Down the road, learning a musical instrumental at an early age can actually improve mathematical learning and increase SAT scores. Sounds good to us, so let’s get musical! Here’s what you’ll need to make you own little Cinco de Mayo band.
Festive
Tambourine
What You'll Need:
2 paper or plastic plates
Decorations (stickers, markers, or paint)
Ribbon
Hole Punch
Craft Jingle Bells
Scissors
Using your paint or stickers, decorate the outside of your tambourine. Be colorful and creative!
Next, match the plates up so the bottom part of the plate faces out. Punch 5-6 holes around the plate’s circumference, making sure your bottom and top plates match up.
Cut the ribbon as long as you’d like. Longer ribbons always seem to add more drama! Then lace the ribbon through the jingle bells.
Loop your ribbon around the holes punched in the plates, securing it with a double knot.
Shake away! These small bells make a joyful sound!
Beating Drum
What You'll Need:
Clean Tin Can (be aware of sharp edges!)
Baloon
White Duct Tape
Decorative Tape
Two #2 Pencils
Scissors
First, cut the balloon at the base of the “stem”. You’ll need lots of balloon material to cover the wide opening of the can.
Stretch the balloon over the tin can. Tape the perimeter.
Then finish the whole can with the white tape, and add decorative tape if you so choose.
Shaky Maracas
What You'll Need:
Plastic Easter Eggs
Plastic Spoons
Dry Rice
White Duct Tape
Decorative Tape
Scissors
Fill the plastic eggs with about 2-3 pinches of rice. Filling them too full will not allow for the fullest sound: less is more.
Close the eggs and stick some tape around them immediately. If these crack open, you’ll have a big mess.
Next, situate two of the spoons to “cup” the eggs on either side. Wrap the tape around the spoon. Follow the spoons’ handles down with tape, as well as the top of the egg.
Add some decorative tape or stickers of your liking.
Let's bid farewell to Summer in style by creating tie-dye beach towels with the help of the color wheel, rainbow order, mixing, and pigment strength. Set up the activity in the comfort of your backyard, and don't forget to grab some gloves and plastic coverings if you aren't on grass.
This activity works best with the widely available spray tie-dye kits. They dry faster, making the application easier for even the youngest beach-goers.
Grab white beach or bath towels (the fluffier, the more color-absorbent), lots of duct tape, hot water for mixing the tie-dye, and the spray kit.
Lay your towel out on a flat surface, smoothing it out. Spell out your child’s name across the towel using the tape and moving slowly.
Make it a Learning Experience
Keep the color wheel handy as a guide. It is a great visual tool for classifying spectral wavelengths from red to violet.
Depending on the options available in the tie-dye set you’ve purchased, look at your color wheel and separate your bottles into primary, secondary, and tertiary categories.
Next, put on your gloves on a covered surface or grass and mix the tie-dye with the warm water. What colors are made from primary colors? Working from the color wheel, which colors will look best near each other on the towel?
Let the Fun Begin
With those gloves on, let the spraying begin! Be glad you have on gloves! The bottles can get messy fast. If you prefer the traditional route of tie-dying, try using Twisty Droppers! Pigment strength was brought up: how do we intensify the color?
It’s perfectly fine to get spray on the tape. Once the towel is pretty dry, flip it over to spray the backside! Flip back over and allow to dry completely. Wash the towels separately twice, alone in the wash.
The Benefits
Creativity: Tie-dyeing allows children to express creativity through color and pattern choices. They can experiment with combinations and see how they turn out, encouraging them to think outside the box and develop their artistic skills.
Fine Motor Skills: This activity involves handling small objects, such as bottles and droppers, which can help children develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Science Exploration: Tie-dyeing also teaches children about science concepts like color mixing and pigment strength. They can observe how primary colors combine to create secondary and tertiary colors and experiment with different dye ratios to water to create varying degrees of color intensity.
Sense of Achievement: Completing a project, such as tie-dyeing a beach towel, can give children a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work. They can use their monogrammed towels as a tangible reminder of their creativity and hard work.
Bonding Experience: This activity can also be an excellent opportunity for parents and children to bond over a shared creative project, working together to create a unique and personalized item that they can enjoy using for years to come.
Voilà! Monogrammed beach towels created by your color-wheel-savvy children. Enjoy the summer!
Let's bid farewell to Summer in style by creating tie-dye beach towels with the help of the color wheel, rainbow order, mixing, and pigment strength. Set up the activity in the comfort of your backyard, and don't forget to grab some gloves and plastic coverings if you aren't on grass.
This activity works best with the widely available spray tie-dye kits. They dry faster, making the application easier for even the youngest beach-goers.
Grab white beach or bath towels (the fluffier, the more color-absorbent), lots of duct tape, hot water for mixing the tie-dye, and the spray kit.
Lay your towel out on a flat surface, smoothing it out. Spell out your child’s name across the towel using the tape and moving slowly.
Make it a Learning Experience
Keep the color wheel handy as a guide. It is a great visual tool for classifying spectral wavelengths from red to violet.
Depending on the options available in the tie-dye set you’ve purchased, look at your color wheel and separate your bottles into primary, secondary, and tertiary categories.
Next, put on your gloves on a covered surface or grass and mix the tie-dye with the warm water. What colors are made from primary colors? Working from the color wheel, which colors will look best near each other on the towel?
Let the Fun Begin
With those gloves on, let the spraying begin! Be glad you have on gloves! The bottles can get messy fast. If you prefer the traditional route of tie-dying, try using Twisty Droppers! Pigment strength was brought up: how do we intensify the color?
It’s perfectly fine to get spray on the tape. Once the towel is pretty dry, flip it over to spray the backside! Flip back over and allow to dry completely. Wash the towels separately twice, alone in the wash.
The Benefits
Creativity: Tie-dyeing allows children to express creativity through color and pattern choices. They can experiment with combinations and see how they turn out, encouraging them to think outside the box and develop their artistic skills.
Fine Motor Skills: This activity involves handling small objects, such as bottles and droppers, which can help children develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Science Exploration: Tie-dyeing also teaches children about science concepts like color mixing and pigment strength. They can observe how primary colors combine to create secondary and tertiary colors and experiment with different dye ratios to water to create varying degrees of color intensity.
Sense of Achievement: Completing a project, such as tie-dyeing a beach towel, can give children a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work. They can use their monogrammed towels as a tangible reminder of their creativity and hard work.
Bonding Experience: This activity can also be an excellent opportunity for parents and children to bond over a shared creative project, working together to create a unique and personalized item that they can enjoy using for years to come.
Voilà! Monogrammed beach towels created by your color-wheel-savvy children. Enjoy the summer!
Keep kids entertained this winter with these adorable penguin friends. From their waddle to their formal attire, they are undoubtedly entertaining to observe and explore. Create your own little penguins with this simple, non-toxic dough. Add Learning Resources’ Penguins on Ice to the mix for added activities and learning fun!
For this cute penguin craft, you will need:
Room temperature butter
Light corn syrup
Powdered sugar
Salt
Food coloring of your choice
Feel free to add sprinkles for the eyes or their cold-weather accessories
Roll out some wax paper on a flat surface to make the dough.
Add one teaspoon of butter to a bowl. This is no time to substitute – you will need the fat from the butter to make the dough come together. Margarine will not work.
Add one tablespoon of light corn syrup. Not only will the corn syrup provide moisture, but it will also prevent the crystallization of the powdered sugar you will add in a few steps.
Add 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
Using a fork, mash the salt, corn syrup, and butter together.
Next, measure out a cup of powdered sugar. Carefully add the sugar to the mixture, spoonful by spoonful, mixing it the entire time you go.
Grab the dough out of the bowl and begin to knead it with your hands. Form it into a ball.
Separate the dough into two parts. One part will remain white, while the other will get the food coloring treatment.
Separate one of the halves again. You can use any food coloring you like for the flippers and head. Black or blue works perfectly. Then choose any color for the penguins’ accessories. Red was used here
A drop of food coloring will go a long way with this dough. Work it through. Once you’ve completed one color, make sure you wash your hands for the next color!
Then, squeeze a little dough off to make a beak with some orange food coloring. No orange? What two colors should you combine to make the shade?
Roll the white dough into a ball for the penguin’s body. Then roll the black or blue dough into a smaller shape for its head.
Fashion some flippers and a beak, and perhaps use sprinkles for the penguin’s eyes.
This dough can get soft fast, so after we created our little black-and-white friends, we stuck them in the refrigerator. The kids figured the penguins felt pretty at home in the cold!
All this penguin talk made them want to break out Penguins on Ice, one of their favorite math games from Learning Resources.
This cool game helps the kids understand math patterns and sorting. There are little icebergs that the penguins stand on, which can form grids in groups of ten.
The kids challenge each other by lining up the penguins in order. Taking away penguins or adding them reinforces basic math skills. Hours of fun!
Keep kids entertained this winter with these adorable penguin friends. From their waddle to their formal attire, they are undoubtedly entertaining to observe and explore. Create your own little penguins with this simple, non-toxic dough. Add Learning Resources’ Penguins on Ice to the mix for added activities and learning fun!
For this cute penguin craft, you will need:
Room temperature butter
Light corn syrup
Powdered sugar
Salt
Food coloring of your choice
Feel free to add sprinkles for the eyes or their cold-weather accessories
Roll out some wax paper on a flat surface to make the dough.
Add one teaspoon of butter to a bowl. This is no time to substitute – you will need the fat from the butter to make the dough come together. Margarine will not work.
Add one tablespoon of light corn syrup. Not only will the corn syrup provide moisture, but it will also prevent the crystallization of the powdered sugar you will add in a few steps.
Add 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
Using a fork, mash the salt, corn syrup, and butter together.
Next, measure out a cup of powdered sugar. Carefully add the sugar to the mixture, spoonful by spoonful, mixing it the entire time you go.
Grab the dough out of the bowl and begin to knead it with your hands. Form it into a ball.
Separate the dough into two parts. One part will remain white, while the other will get the food coloring treatment.
Separate one of the halves again. You can use any food coloring you like for the flippers and head. Black or blue works perfectly. Then choose any color for the penguins’ accessories. Red was used here
A drop of food coloring will go a long way with this dough. Work it through. Once you’ve completed one color, make sure you wash your hands for the next color!
Then, squeeze a little dough off to make a beak with some orange food coloring. No orange? What two colors should you combine to make the shade?
Roll the white dough into a ball for the penguin’s body. Then roll the black or blue dough into a smaller shape for its head.
Fashion some flippers and a beak, and perhaps use sprinkles for the penguin’s eyes.
This dough can get soft fast, so after we created our little black-and-white friends, we stuck them in the refrigerator. The kids figured the penguins felt pretty at home in the cold!
All this penguin talk made them want to break out Penguins on Ice, one of their favorite math games from Learning Resources.
This cool game helps the kids understand math patterns and sorting. There are little icebergs that the penguins stand on, which can form grids in groups of ten.
The kids challenge each other by lining up the penguins in order. Taking away penguins or adding them reinforces basic math skills. Hours of fun!
This is the time of year to be grateful, not wasteful. Used wrapping paper can tend to pile up during this special season of gift giving. Who amongst us hasn’t looked at a trash bag full of giftwrap and shook their head? There’s got to be a better use for all the paper, right? Below are a few clever ideas to get the kids involved in upcycling used gift wrap.
MYOB: Make Your Own Bunting. A delightful holiday design trend for several years now, bunting can be placed around the house to spruce up your season. Cut up your old wrapping paper in triangles using a template, tape it to a string, and have the kids come up with clever phrases, adding some deck to your halls.
Insist Your Toddler Cut Corners. For the toddler set, a whopping pile of paper and a pair of safety scissors is like heaven on Earth. Getting your preschooler practicing this important fine motor skill with all your leftover gift wrap. The paper is thinner, which might spark some cutting confidence. Pile it all up in a sensory bin and let them have at it!
A Little “Thank You” Goes a Long Way. So many presents, so many people to thank! Utilize the season’s remaining wrapping paper by having your kids fashion the cutest homemade thank you cards. This is a great busy activity in the dog days of winter break (you’ll thank us later).
A Place (setting) for Everything… Upcycle wrapping paper to create festive placemats for your holiday table. Not only will your tablescape showcase some extra holiday cheer, clean up will be a snap!
Winter Break Weaving. Paper weaving is a fun activity suitable for many age levels. Shred your remaining wrapping paper into strips. Using an x-acto knife, cut slits into construction paper. Be sure to do this step over an old magazine or cardboard. Weave the strips in and out of the slits. Use the creation for thank you cards, decoration, placemats, or anything where around the house that could use a little extra holiday style.
This is the time of year to be grateful, not wasteful. Used wrapping paper can tend to pile up during this special season of gift giving. Who amongst us hasn’t looked at a trash bag full of giftwrap and shook their head? There’s got to be a better use for all the paper, right? Below are a few clever ideas to get the kids involved in upcycling used gift wrap.
MYOB: Make Your Own Bunting. A delightful holiday design trend for several years now, bunting can be placed around the house to spruce up your season. Cut up your old wrapping paper in triangles using a template, tape it to a string, and have the kids come up with clever phrases, adding some deck to your halls.
Insist Your Toddler Cut Corners. For the toddler set, a whopping pile of paper and a pair of safety scissors is like heaven on Earth. Getting your preschooler practicing this important fine motor skill with all your leftover gift wrap. The paper is thinner, which might spark some cutting confidence. Pile it all up in a sensory bin and let them have at it!
A Little “Thank You” Goes a Long Way. So many presents, so many people to thank! Utilize the season’s remaining wrapping paper by having your kids fashion the cutest homemade thank you cards. This is a great busy activity in the dog days of winter break (you’ll thank us later).
A Place (setting) for Everything… Upcycle wrapping paper to create festive placemats for your holiday table. Not only will your tablescape showcase some extra holiday cheer, clean up will be a snap!
Winter Break Weaving. Paper weaving is a fun activity suitable for many age levels. Shred your remaining wrapping paper into strips. Using an x-acto knife, cut slits into construction paper. Be sure to do this step over an old magazine or cardboard. Weave the strips in and out of the slits. Use the creation for thank you cards, decoration, placemats, or anything where around the house that could use a little extra holiday style.
Whether you live in a climate where blizzards are common, or those little white flakes are rarely in your forecast, snow and all it entails is a holiday dream for all little minds.
Whether you live in a climate where blizzards are common, or those little white flakes are rarely in your forecast, snow and all it entails is a holiday dream for all little minds.
Your holiday guests will be delighted as they arrive to your doorstep on a cold night greeted by these frosty, glowing lanterns. Oh what fun it will be when they learn your little scientists created the evening’s entryway décor!
It goes without saying that these lanterns work best in freezing temperatures. Should you choose to use them to light your holiday table, make sure to place them in a bowl for when they begin to melt!
This experiment involves the change of matter from a liquid to a solid (and eventually back to a liquid).
You will need:
• Plastic red cups
• Smaller plastic cups that can fit inside
• Decorations - glitter pipe cleaners, craft pom poms, glitter, pine sprigs, etc.
• Water
• Tape
• Food coloring
• Candles (battery-operated is probably best)
Grab one of your red cups, and twist pipe cleaners up the length of the cup. This part requires some engineering inspiration and small hands. How do you get them to stay up? If you choose, add some craft pom poms. Working on the pom poms to stay suspended in the pipe cleaners also creates a unique challenge. Think!
Next, pull out a long piece of tape and attach it to one side of the cup near the lip. The tape will be the important piece that will hold down the second cup, so it doesn’t float. Basically, have the tape ready before you pour in the water.
Fill the cup about half full with water. Add a few drops of food coloring if you would like at this time.
Place the smaller cup into the bigger, red cup. Pour your water in between the two cups, so it fills until about a half inch below the rim. You’ll want to push down on the smaller cup the entire time because the goal is to have the two rims even with each other.
Secure your second cup in place with the tape.
Place in the freezer overnight.
When you are ready to place your lanterns out for all to enjoy, remove them from the fridge and give yourself about 5 minutes. This is the perfect time to discuss the scientific changes you observe.
• The water is now frozen.
• The frozen water has pushed the small cup up.
• The frozen water has perhaps even changed the shape of the outer cup.
Remove the inner cup with a little tug and turn the red cup upside down to shake out the ice lantern. Time is not on your side handling the frozen lanterns, as they will melt quickly.
Showcase them with a battery-operated candle any place around the house where you’d like to wow your guests!
Your holiday guests will be delighted as they arrive to your doorstep on a cold night greeted by these frosty, glowing lanterns. Oh what fun it will be when they learn your little scientists created the evening’s entryway décor!
It goes without saying that these lanterns work best in freezing temperatures. Should you choose to use them to light your holiday table, make sure to place them in a bowl for when they begin to melt!
This experiment involves the change of matter from a liquid to a solid (and eventually back to a liquid).
You will need:
• Plastic red cups
• Smaller plastic cups that can fit inside
• Decorations - glitter pipe cleaners, craft pom poms, glitter, pine sprigs, etc.
• Water
• Tape
• Food coloring
• Candles (battery-operated is probably best)
Grab one of your red cups, and twist pipe cleaners up the length of the cup. This part requires some engineering inspiration and small hands. How do you get them to stay up? If you choose, add some craft pom poms. Working on the pom poms to stay suspended in the pipe cleaners also creates a unique challenge. Think!
Next, pull out a long piece of tape and attach it to one side of the cup near the lip. The tape will be the important piece that will hold down the second cup, so it doesn’t float. Basically, have the tape ready before you pour in the water.
Fill the cup about half full with water. Add a few drops of food coloring if you would like at this time.
Place the smaller cup into the bigger, red cup. Pour your water in between the two cups, so it fills until about a half inch below the rim. You’ll want to push down on the smaller cup the entire time because the goal is to have the two rims even with each other.
Secure your second cup in place with the tape.
Place in the freezer overnight.
When you are ready to place your lanterns out for all to enjoy, remove them from the fridge and give yourself about 5 minutes. This is the perfect time to discuss the scientific changes you observe.
• The water is now frozen.
• The frozen water has pushed the small cup up.
• The frozen water has perhaps even changed the shape of the outer cup.
Remove the inner cup with a little tug and turn the red cup upside down to shake out the ice lantern. Time is not on your side handling the frozen lanterns, as they will melt quickly.
Showcase them with a battery-operated candle any place around the house where you’d like to wow your guests!
Are you looking for a fun, screen-free activity for your little ones this holiday season? I highly recommend building Gumdrop Christmas Trees! The activity is inexpensive, has minimal setup, and is adored by people of all ages. Who doesn’t like incorporating candy into a project?!
Building structures from toothpicks and gumdrops is an excellent STEM activity incorporating science, learning, and math into play. All you need is a bunch of toothpicks and some spiced gumdrops. I had a hard time finding gumdrops locally (I was shocked since it is Christmas time!), so if you run into that issue, mini marshmallows will also work just as well.
I laid the supplies on the table and told my girls that we would try and build Christmas trees. They are only three and five years old, so they needed some advice on getting started. I explained that they first needed to build a base, and then after that, they would just add to it as they saw fit.
We talked and walked through the base building together. After that, they caught on to the process and began constructing their trees!
As the building continued, the girls would point out if the structure was wobbling, and I would show them how they could add support with more toothpicks.
Finally, all that was left was adding a yellow gumdrop star at the top.
This was a fun project and a wonderful way to incorporate a screen-free STEM activity into the holidays. If your children are a bit older, you can even set up a competition to see who can build the tallest or most elaborate tree. For younger kids, just providing the toothpicks and gumdrops will create an awesome fine motor STEM activity. Regardless of age, this is a fun project to do together as a family. It’s something that both kids and adults are sure to enjoy!
Are you looking for a fun, screen-free activity for your little ones this holiday season? I highly recommend building Gumdrop Christmas Trees! The activity is inexpensive, has minimal setup, and is adored by people of all ages. Who doesn’t like incorporating candy into a project?!
Building structures from toothpicks and gumdrops is an excellent STEM activity incorporating science, learning, and math into play. All you need is a bunch of toothpicks and some spiced gumdrops. I had a hard time finding gumdrops locally (I was shocked since it is Christmas time!), so if you run into that issue, mini marshmallows will also work just as well.
I laid the supplies on the table and told my girls that we would try and build Christmas trees. They are only three and five years old, so they needed some advice on getting started. I explained that they first needed to build a base, and then after that, they would just add to it as they saw fit.
We talked and walked through the base building together. After that, they caught on to the process and began constructing their trees!
As the building continued, the girls would point out if the structure was wobbling, and I would show them how they could add support with more toothpicks.
Finally, all that was left was adding a yellow gumdrop star at the top.
This was a fun project and a wonderful way to incorporate a screen-free STEM activity into the holidays. If your children are a bit older, you can even set up a competition to see who can build the tallest or most elaborate tree. For younger kids, just providing the toothpicks and gumdrops will create an awesome fine motor STEM activity. Regardless of age, this is a fun project to do together as a family. It’s something that both kids and adults are sure to enjoy!
This time of year bursts with discovery and wonder, so why not make the most of it? Take a break from the hustle and bustle to enjoy this simple chemistry experiment that features everyone’s favorite scientific ingredients: vinegar and baking soda.
Kids never tire of seeing this classic base and solid reaction. No matter the shape it takes, watching those bubbles grow will always make your little chemist erupt with excitement. Here we make little “evergreens” to demonstrate this scientific standard of chemical reactions.
Supplies to make your trees:
Baking soda
Food coloring
A splash of water
Paper plates
Vinegar
Glitter
Eyedropper or pipette
Bowl, spoon, and tray
First, pour 2 to 2 ½ cups of baking soda into the bowl. Feel free to scale these portions for the number of trees you want to make.
Next, add green food coloring and a splash of water.
Stir the mixture well. Add glitter for added sparkle. The mixture should be crumbly but should be able to pack tightly (similar to kinetic sand). The last thing you want it to be is soupy or clumpy.
Grab a white paper plate, and cut it in half.
Twist the plate into a cone shape. Tape the sides to keep the form.
Then pack the baking soda mixture into the cones. Be sure to pack it tightly—level off the top.
Make another round of snow-capped trees without food coloring. Add confetti for a special reveal.
Place all the cones on a cookie sheet and keep them in the freezer for at least six hours.
When your chemists are ready, pull your trees from the freezer. Grab a pie plate or dish with sides high enough to contain the liquid but low enough for your kids to see the reaction up close.
Pour the vinegar into a cup and add a little green food coloring. Your trees will be a bit more brilliant green if you add food coloring to the vinegar.
Carefully unwrap your trees from the paper plate cone over the pie plate, so any crumbles are caught.
Create your “forest” on the pie plate. Then using the eyedropper or pipette, drip the vinegar over the trees. The fizzing begin immediately!
The vinegar reveals the hidden snowflakes and glitter.
Once the forest is melted down, grab a spoon and stir it up. It was decided that the mess look liked soup the Grinch would like.
Repeat with other trees – the excitement level remains the same for each melting, fizzy tree! Happy holidays!
This time of year bursts with discovery and wonder, so why not make the most of it? Take a break from the hustle and bustle to enjoy this simple chemistry experiment that features everyone’s favorite scientific ingredients: vinegar and baking soda.
Kids never tire of seeing this classic base and solid reaction. No matter the shape it takes, watching those bubbles grow will always make your little chemist erupt with excitement. Here we make little “evergreens” to demonstrate this scientific standard of chemical reactions.
Supplies to make your trees:
Baking soda
Food coloring
A splash of water
Paper plates
Vinegar
Glitter
Eyedropper or pipette
Bowl, spoon, and tray
First, pour 2 to 2 ½ cups of baking soda into the bowl. Feel free to scale these portions for the number of trees you want to make.
Next, add green food coloring and a splash of water.
Stir the mixture well. Add glitter for added sparkle. The mixture should be crumbly but should be able to pack tightly (similar to kinetic sand). The last thing you want it to be is soupy or clumpy.
Grab a white paper plate, and cut it in half.
Twist the plate into a cone shape. Tape the sides to keep the form.
Then pack the baking soda mixture into the cones. Be sure to pack it tightly—level off the top.
Make another round of snow-capped trees without food coloring. Add confetti for a special reveal.
Place all the cones on a cookie sheet and keep them in the freezer for at least six hours.
When your chemists are ready, pull your trees from the freezer. Grab a pie plate or dish with sides high enough to contain the liquid but low enough for your kids to see the reaction up close.
Pour the vinegar into a cup and add a little green food coloring. Your trees will be a bit more brilliant green if you add food coloring to the vinegar.
Carefully unwrap your trees from the paper plate cone over the pie plate, so any crumbles are caught.
Create your “forest” on the pie plate. Then using the eyedropper or pipette, drip the vinegar over the trees. The fizzing begin immediately!
The vinegar reveals the hidden snowflakes and glitter.
Once the forest is melted down, grab a spoon and stir it up. It was decided that the mess look liked soup the Grinch would like.
Repeat with other trees – the excitement level remains the same for each melting, fizzy tree! Happy holidays!
Shop UK Site 
