A Classic....With a Twist

I call this a classic because its something I used to do as a child.  The twist?  Do it on the light panel, of course!  This activity evolved today as my son was painting with watercolors.  Once the water turned a color, he asked me if we could do colors in water on the light panel.  So we did.  

 This is an old picture, but this is what he was doing....mixing colors.  (water + food coloring)

Then he told me he wanted "the volcano water".  I knew what he was talking about....vinegar + food coloring + baking soda....of course.  For him it was really just a fun sensory activity, but for younger children it can be a fun way to learn colors, basic skills such as squeezing (food coloring), stirring, and pouring.  There are also tons of new words that can be introduced to little ones during this activity.  We talked about the smell, the sounds, and the visual aspects.

 We poured vinegar into each section of the translucent container and he added food coloring

 We put baking soda into a large shaker (from the dollar store) and he shook out the baking soda a little at a time.

 Bubbly!  Cool!!

 Putting hands in bubbly vinegar is a must!!

My son and I went to Home Depot soon after this activity.  His hands were completely stained purple (I think the vinegar helped with that).  Some lady stopped me to tell me that his hands were purple with a look of shock on her face.  LOL!!  Then she inquired as to HOW they got that way!  Im pretty sure she walked away in shock.  It was too funny!!  I didn't even notice they were purple until she said something....which makes it even funnier to me. 

- AK