Ingredients
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Food coloring
- Paper towels
- A tray or shallow dish
- A small bowl for mixing
Instructions
- Mix the baking soda and color. Put baking soda in a small bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix until the color is distributed. Avoid adding too much liquid; you want a colored baking soda mixture rather than a watery puddle.
- Cut the paper towels into shapes. Choose a tree-inspired design or let the children make their own shapes. Paper towel pieces can represent a trunk, branches, leaves, or a simple arrangement of shapes. If children are young, have an adult do the cutting or supervise closely.
- Arrange the paper towels on the tray. Place the shapes on a tray or shallow dish. Leave enough room around them for the vinegar and fizzing mixture. Arrange the pieces before adding any liquid, since wet paper towels can be harder to move without tearing.
- Pour vinegar over the mixture. Carefully pour vinegar over the baking soda and food coloring mixture on the artwork. An adult can handle this step or help a child pour slowly. Start with a small amount and observe how the reaction spreads; you can add more if needed.
- Watch the growing effect. As the vinegar meets the baking soda, the mixture fizzes and moves across the paper towel art. Encourage children to describe what they see: where the bubbles appear first, how the color travels, and whether different arrangements change the result.
Notes
Adult supervision is needed due to potential irritation from vinegar and the non-edibility of the baking soda mixtures.
