It’s no surprise that we love simple science for preschoolers and school-aged kiddos around here! Chemical reactions that fizz and foam are among our favorites. At a recent preschool summer camp, I put together a Frozen-inspired science experiment for the children. It was a hit with the preschoolers, the school-aged assistants, and the teachers!
Related: Frozen Activities Kids Will Love
Frozen-inspired science for preschoolers
Like our fizzing letters and “exploding” pirate treasure chests, this experiment centered on baking soda and vinegar. It never ceases to be a fun learning experience, and there are so many ways to change it up!
Engineer helped me create the frozen royal treasure the night before we introduced it at summer camp. We measured and mixed, then added everything to our ice cube trays. The trays stayed in the freezer overnight to make sure they were frozen through and through. The next morning, we popped the “treasure” out of the trays and set up our experiment.
We placed various royal treasure chests into sorting trays I’d purchased from my local Dollar Tree. We put condiment bottles filled with a special concoction next to the trays, then invited the kids over. The kids were told they needed to use the special concoctions in the bottles to retrieve the royal treasure. They jumped right in!
As they squirted the frozen treasure boxes, the kids were delighted to see foaming and fizzing! Lots of sparkles escaped during the process as well, adding to their delight! Some children focused on melting the cubes all the way down with just the liquid. We all enjoyed the delicious, fruity scent and the bright colors.
Other children decided to grab chunks of partially-melted treasure and pile them up. From there, they enjoyed the sensory aspect of running their hands through it all. Then they got back to creating foaming and fizzing reactions!
Most of the children loved the experiment itself, and they just didn’t bother collecting the royal treasures afterwards. A few were into collecting the “jewels”, though! Mainly, it was all about the experience for the children. They loved it so much that we did this experiment the next day too.
How we made it
Ingredients for the frozen treasure boxes
I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Baking soda
Water
Jell-O powder (I used grape and blue raspberry)
Silver glitter
Directions for the treasure boxes
1. Mix 3 cups of baking soda with 1 3-oz. packet of Jell-O powder.
2. Add 1 cup of water and stir completely.
3. Add glitter and mix more.
4. Place the mixture into ice cube trays.
5. If desired, add some “jewels”.
6. Place the trays in the freezer overnight.
Ingredients for the squeeze bottle liquid
Vinegar
Large squirt of clear, unscented dish soap
The sparkle on the bottom right of the picture was NOT edited in! There was just so much glitter on a very sunny day that the sidewalk ended up very sparkly!
Do your children enjoy science experiments like this one? Have you created any science for preschoolers to explore recently?
For more fairy tale fun, stop by my Theme: Fairy Tales Pinterest board!
For more science for preschoolers, come visit my Science for the Kiddos Pinterest board!
Done-for-You Preschool Resources
Planning meaningful lessons for students week after week, all while balancing other teaching responsibilities and a personal life, can be a daunting task. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in to save you time!
Preschool Teacher 101 is excited to share with you some amazing lesson plans, activity packs, and much more! We offer a wide variety of themes that are frequently used in preschool classrooms, as well as some less common (but super interesting) themes. Click on the image below to learn more about
Join The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101 today for exclusive access to our amazing products. And we even have three different membership options to suit your needs!
jUST THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW THAT SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE A HAZARDOUS MATERIALS LIST AND GLITTER IS ON MOST OF THEM. if THE GLITTER IS MADE OUT OF SOME TYPE OF METAL, PIECES OF IT CAN GET IN KIDS’ EYES AND CUT THE SCLERA OR LENS. yOU MAY WANT TO SUGGEST SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NON METALLIC, BUT SPARKLY.
No worries – just leave the glitter out of the “recipe”. It would still be foamy and fizzy and lots of fun! Additionally, many glitters are no longer made of metal . . . many are plastic. Only you know what’s best for your kiddos and your school, though.
LOVE!! I can’t wait to start this year off with this project!! I think the kids will love love love it!! Thanks! I find myself coming by your site everyday for amazing ideas to make this school year the best one yet!! Thank you!
Janelle, thank you SO MUCH for the sweet words! We’ve done this activity tons of times this summer (at the kids’ requests). I hope your kids have as much fun as we did. 🙂 Here’s to an awesome school year for all of us!
Can’t wait to try this with the kids this weekend. It is supposed to rain most of the week so we will have to wait but they will surely love it.
Thanks so much — let me know how it goes when you try it out! 🙂
You know I can’t resist glitter! Love the colours you used too. What fun!
Thanks so much, Ann! I love glitter a bit too much, too!! 🙂
How many ice cube trays did the mixture fill?