Fizzy Painting Art & Science Activity for Kids

Make your own fizzy paintings using baking soda paint for a fun science and art activity for kids of all ages!  All you need are a few simple supplies to get started on this fun STEAM project and make your own fizzy art!  

This fizzy art project is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers, but also will be exciting for older kids as well!  My daughters loved watching the beautiful colors mix together and seeing the fun fizzy chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.  It was a great beginner steam activity for us!

Fizzy Painting Process Art Activity

I love process art activities and the freedom it gives my kids to create their own beautiful art in a fun way! Process art is open-ended art that allows for experimentation and there is no final end product they are trying to achieve.

This allows for creativity to flow and kids to enjoy the process of the art activity.  It is especially great for younger children like toddlers and preschoolers who may have a hard time with crafts that include more instruction and precision.

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Why Does the Paint Fizz?

When the baking soda paint and vinegar combine it creates a chemical reaction that produces a fizz on top of the paper.

This is because baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid and when the two combine they create a gas: carbon dioxide.  

It is so fun to watch the bubbles rise up as the vinegar is added.  My kids favorite part was hearing and feeling the fizz from the reaction!

Supplies

• Food coloring or liquid watercolors (I used regular food coloring and some gel neon food coloring for the pink color!)
• Watercolor paper or cardstock
• Paint brushes
• Baking soda 
• White vinegar
• Pipettes or spray bottle

How to Make Fizzy Art with Baking Soda Paint

First make your baking soda paints. Pour one tablespoon of water into a paint cup. Add a couple drops of food coloring into the container and stir it up.  Do this for all of your paint colors.  

Finally, add one tablespoon of baking soda to all the colors and mix together.  

Use a cookie sheet or tray to contain the liquid paints and paint away!

When your baking soda painting is finished pour a little vinegar into a  cup and use a pipette to drip it onto the painting. This is a great way to work on fine motor skills with your younger kids!

This is the best part as you get to watch the paper fizz and see the exciting chemical reaction that happens when the vinegar comes into contact with the baking soda.  

It’s so fun to feel and hear the fizz and see the new colors that are created!

Now go ahead and make some more 🙂

When your fizzy paintings are dry you can brush off the extra baking soda left behind on the paper to reveal the vibrant colors!

Tips for Successful Fizzy Paintings

• The baking soda paints may be a bit more like baking soda paste and sink towards the bottom.  Just give your paints a stir every once in a while to keep the baking soda mixed into the paint. 
• Make sure to cover your paper completely and get the baking soda paste on your paper to create the best reaction!
• If you need more paint combine equal parts baking soda and equal parts water and add to your paints.
• You will want to use thick paper like the watercolor paper or cardstock since the homemade paints are wet and will soak through regular paper. 
• If you have leftover paint you could check out some of the experiments below to use it up and have another fun science activity!  

More Fun Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments

• Make a Volcano Experiment
• Magic Potions for Kids
• Dancing Rice Experiment