Category Archives: Kids

Erupting Volcano Soda

Ingredients Cardboard Three 4-oz. plastic cups 1 teaspoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda Plaster of Paris ¼ cup vinegar Liquid dish soap Water Red food coloring Directions (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED*): On a baking sheet (or other easily cleaned surface), shape cardboard into broad cone shape using a cup to form a “crater” on top of the volcano. Use Plaster of Paris over the cone to form the volcano (do not get plaster into the crater). Allow to dry completely. Paint or decorate volcano as desired. Mix vinegar, dish soap, a few drops of water, and a few drops of red food coloring in a plastic cup. Add 1 teaspoon ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda into a small, empty plastic cup. Place this cup into the volcano crater. Quickly pour vinegar mixture into the ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda cup in the crater. Enjoy the “lava” as the volcano erupts.

Tie Dye Slime Soda

Ingredients 1 small bowl for each color Bottle of white liquid all-purpose glue or washable school glue 1 tablespoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda Contact lens solution Liquid food coloring Directions (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED*): Pour 5 oz. of liquid glue into each small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda to each bowl. Mix well. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir. Slowly add drops of contact lens solution (about 2 teaspoons). (HINT: Avoid adding too much at once; the slime can become stiff.) When the slime reaches a gooey state, remove it from the bowl and knead with your hands. If it still feels sticky after 1-2 minutes, add a couple more drops of the contact lense solution. Repeat steps 1-6 for each color. Stretch different color slime side by side and twist the slime together to create your tie dye pattern!

Jewelry Holder Soda

Ingredients 2 cups Baking Soda 1 cup cornstarch 1 1/2 cups water Hot glue gun Acrylic paint Paintbrush Modge Podge Directions (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED*): Recommended Method*: combine Baking Soda, cornstarch, and water together in a large frying pan and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until the mixture comes together. The goal is to get as much liquid out at possible and create a dough that is soft and pliable but not sticky. Microwave Method*: combine the Baking Soda, cornstarch and water in a microwave-safe bowl for about 40 seconds. Remove and stir. Microwave for another 40 seconds and stir. Continue microwaving for 40 seconds and stirring until the dough feels dry and soft enough to be kneaded into a smooth dough. There should be enough dough for 3 small or 2 larger sculptures. Divide dough until you have one portion for the plate and one portion for the cactus. (Note: If the dough feels dry, just knead it a little to rehydrate the dough.) To create a slightly curved plate, flatten dough into a wide, round disc that is roughly 1/4” thick and lay over an inverted 1 cup dry measuring cup or small bowl. Shape the larger piece of dough into a cactus shape, spreading the bottom so it could fit like the trunk of a tree on the plate. You can make the cactus out of one piece of dough, forming a “branch” or arm on each side (or roll the “branches” separately to glue them on later). Let the dough pieces dry out for 24 hours, turning the pieces every few hours to ensure even drying. Bake* at 200°F for 30 minutes. Use a hot glue gun* to adhere the cactus to the center of the plate. Let cool. Use acrylic paint to decorate your cactus jewelry holder however you wish. Let sit until completely dry. Add a layer of Mod Podge® over the cactus and the plate and let dry completely.

Play Paint Soda

Ingredients 1 cup Baking soda 3/4 Vinegar 2 Tbsps corn syrup 1 cup cornstarch Food coloring Directions Pour Baking Soda into the mixing bowl. Very slowly pour vinegar into the bowl. Don’t add it all at once or it may bubble over. Add corn syrup and cornstarch and whisk until well-combined. Divide mixture into an ice cube tray and add drops of food colorings to create your colors. Paint! Note: to make watercolors, follow instructions up to step 3 and then pour mixture into an ice cube tray. Add food coloring and stir. Set aside and let them dry for up to 2 days.

Volcano Eggs Soda

Ingredients ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda White hard-boiled eggs* Food coloring Vinegar Paintbrushes Several cups Big lipped plate or bowl 1 cup of water Rubber gloves (optional) *You can use plastic eggs, with additional pre-work below. Directions *Pre-work for plastic eggs: Coat first with a primer and white acrylic paint and let dry. Create Baking Soda paint using a tablespoon or so of Baking Soda, a few teaspoons of water, and some food coloring. Mix it up and experiment until you have the consistency you want. (Use gloves to avoid staining of your fingers!) Grab a paintbrush and start painting your eggs. Splash some additional food coloring on your eggs using a dropper. Pour vinegar on top of an egg and watch the “volcanic eruption” all around it. (Picture the bubbling of a Baking Soda volcano but more colorful. Every time is different based on your colorful combinations.) Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 again and again until you feel happy with the colors and are ready to move on to another egg. Pat the eggs lightly to remove excess vinegar or just let them air-dry.

Bottle Rocket Soda

Ingredients Safety glasses Empty 2-liter soda bottle 3 tablespoons ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda 2-3 cups vinegar Measuring cups and measuring spoons Duct tape 3 pencils Construction paper to decorate rocket One cork (make sure it will fit mouth of soda bottle) Paper towels Directions (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED*): Assemble and decorate your rocket, using the pencils as ‘feet’. Secure them to the bottle using duct tape. Fill the empty bottle about halfway with vinegar. Add 3 tablespoons of ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda onto a small square of paper towel. Roll the paper towel tightly enough to fit inside bottle, and so that no baking soda can spill out. Place paper towel full of baking soda inside bottle and plug with cork. (Do not plug too tightly, but don’t allow any liquid to spill out.) Take the bottle outside. Turn the bottle upside down, place on its ’feet’ and STAND BACK! Watch as the rocket soars into the sky.

Chalk Paint Soda

Ingredients 1 cup cornstarch 1 cup Baking Soda 2 cups water Food coloring, misc. colors 8 small plastic cups Paintbrushes Directions In a mixing bowl, combine the water and cornstarch and stir until the cornstarch dissolves and is smooth. It will be kind of runny. Add in the Baking Soda and stir to combine. Divide the mixture evenly into the small plastic cups. Use the food coloring to make a different color paint in each cup. Use paintbrushes to paint pictures on the sidewalk or driveway outside. The mixture is thinner and runnier than regular paint, but just paint your pictures like you would with any other paint. The paint dries quickly, and it will resemble sidewalk chalk. The colors are very bright once they dry! It washes off very easily with rain or the hose.

Ping Pong Ball Races Soda

Ingredients Safety glasses Duct tape 2/3 cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda Two 3′ x 2″ clear plastic tubing Ping pong balls 2 cups vinegar ½ cup liquid dish soap Directions (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED*): Duct tape the bottom of two tubes. Stand tubes upright on a flat surface. Add 1/3 cup ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda to the bottom of each tube. Drop ping pong balls into each tube. Make a mixture of 2 cups vinegar and ½ cup liquid dish soap. Carefully pour mixture down sides of tubes. (KEEP FACE AWAY FROM THE TUBES TO AVOID BEING SPLASHED AND WEAR PROTECTIVE GOGGLES)

No-Snow(Man) Soda

Ingredients 1 cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda ½ cup cornstarch ¾ cup warm water Wire (floral wire or pipe cleaners work as well) Pieces of nature from your backyard (pine cones, acorns, twigs, sumac berries, etc.) Directions (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED*): (Adults only) In a pot, mix ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda, cornstarch, and warm water on the stove over medium heat and stir until it resembles play dough. Remove from heat. While your mixture cools, collect items to decorate your snow people! Knead the white dough until it is soft. Roll it into three different size (snow)balls for the body. Cut a piece of wire and slide it through the “snow” balls, folding down the wire at both ends to hold the snowman together. Add all the other pieces and watch your snow people come to life!

Puffy Paint Soda

Ingredients 3 tsps ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda 1 cup flour 1 tsp salt 1 ¼ cup water Food coloring (gel works best for puffy texture) Funnel Plastic squeeze bottles for paint Directions Start by mixing flour, salt, and ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda together in a bowl. Gradually add water to flour mixture. Add enough water until the mixture looks similar to pancake batter. Fill plastic bottles with mixture and add food coloring until the paint has the desired color. Paint your masterpiece!