Halloween Science Experiment: Ghost Balloons

By -
This week I am sharing fun and easy Halloween science experiments and activities!  Today, we are making Ghost Balloons! They're a great science project that teaches kids about chemical reactions.


If you love blowing things up with vinegar and baking soda, make sure you see our quick and easy balloon science activity and the more Halloween-y growing glove experiment too!  We took the basic idea from these activities and used a ghostly balloon to celebrate the Halloween season.  Of course, if you're not particularly fond of Halloween, you could use the same concepts without the ghost!

Simple Supplies:

* white balloon
* black sharpie
* water bottle
* vinegar
* baking soda
* optional: funnel

Easy How To:

1.  Draw eyes on the white balloon.  Make them nice and dark...they will definitely lighten as the balloon expands!



2.  Add about 2 tablespoons baking soda to the balloon.  I like to use a funnel.  Be careful not to smudge the eyes!

3.  Add about 1 cup of vinegar to the water bottle.



4.  Secure the balloon to the water bottle, making sure the baking soda does not fall in accidentally.  If you are using a 12" balloon (which I do recommend!), slide as much of the "neck" down on the water bottle as possible (without breaking the balloon, of course!).  This will help the balloon stand up better.



5.  Quickly shake the baking soda into the balloon and watch your ghost grow!  We especially liked how the eyes lightened as the balloon stretched.



6.  Let your kiddos touch, play, and experiment with the ghost!





What's Happening:

This science experiment teaches kids about chemical reactions.  The vinegar and baking soda react with each other to form carbon dioxide, a gas that bubbles up, out of the bottle, and into the balloon!


Did you catch yesterday's Halloween Science project post, an optical illusion?! 

Are you looking for more Halloween Science Experiments? Check out our collection!! We love combining Halloween and science, and these are our favorites experiments and activities!



Amazon Affiliate Links:





Happy Educating, Carla!
I may share at any of these parties!



Never miss another post again!  Sign up for our weekly updates newsletter and get links to all our posts once a week in your inbox!  Sign up here!!


Comments

PinkOddy said…
What a good idea. Thank you for linking up with the Kids Co-op - I am featuring you this week.
October 14, 2014 at 6:03 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Science Experiment: Elephant Toothpaste

By -
Image
Update: "Elephant toothpaste" is a science experiment that I used to do with my high school students.  It is a strong multi-sensory demonstration that goes great with a lot of chemistry concepts. It is also very popular with preschoolers and homeschoolers!  The internet loves it too! It has now been read by more than 3.9 million people! This was the post that started the trend on science activity sites across the internet and "irl!"  Thank you for being here...I hope you enjoy it as well!  💕  This exciting science experiment works great in a discussion on reactions, as a demonstration, or as an actual experiment. We've also done seasonal twists with "elephant toothpaste" like making it in a pumpkin and using it for " reindeer toothpaste !" To use it as a science project, perform it once with your child, then ask your child what might happen if you changed the amounts or left out an ingredient.  Any time you experiment
Read more

Kind Words Sensory Lesson Friendship Activity

By -
Image
This sensory lesson includes a kindness activity for kids that is short and sweet,  and makes teaching kindness a beautiful thing! Learning to use kind words with our friends is one friendship lesson that I think we can never cover enough...kids always need reminding (sometimes adults do too)!  You will need these simple supplies for the kindness activity: cotton balls, course sandpaper, cup, Should I Share My Ice-Cream by Mo Willems Directly teaching good friendship skills, like using kind words, serves two purposes: 1- You can refer to the lesson when someone forgets or needs reminding, and 2- These skills are not intuitive for all preschoolers. This is a perfect age to bring empathy and kindness to their attention and help them cultivate these skills! You can use this lesson plan exactly as I did it with our kiddos, or adapt it to fit your group! 1- Read  Should I Share My Ice-Cream  by Mo Willems.   {Image below is an Amazon Affiliate Link:} D
Read more

Crazy Cool Giraffe Science Experiment

By -
Image
Do you know what color giraffe skin is? Today we're using a capillary action science experiment to make our own giraffe skins in this fun giraffe science experiment project! (Read on...I'll tell you the color in a moment! AND I have a few more fun giraffe facts at the end! Anyway, go on and make a guess before you see the answer!) Fun Spot  Giraffe  Fact:  There are four different giraffe species:  the Masai Giraffe, the Rothschild Giraffe, the Somali Giraffe, and the Nigerian Giraffe.  Each has its own unique spot pattern.  Even more unique, every single individual giraffe has a different spot design.  Just like fingerprints on people and stripes on a zebra, spots on a giraffe are unique in every individual! Giraffe skin is mostly grey. (Were you right?) It's also really tough and thick.  The coat is a shade of tan with brown spots or patches.  Male giraffes actually get darker as they get older! To make our "giraffe skin" we're going to us
Read more