Blow it Up with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Our first foray as Wolf Scouts into blowing stuff up was to blow up balloons with baking soda and vinegar.  Oh my goodness was this a popular activity!  I only had two boys this night, but they both went wild!

Because someone on Pinterest pinned another blogger's post about this science experiment and stated that it was a replacement for helium and it went viral, let me say it up front.  This is NOT a replacement for helium.  This is NOT a substitution for an air tank at your birthday party, baby shower, or wedding!  This is a science experiment about an acid based reaction!  Balloons blown up in this manner contain carbon dioxide, just like if you blew with up with your mouth.  They will NOT "float" like balloons filled with helium.


So...now that we've gotten the sadly necessary disclaimer out of the way, let's begin.  You will need vinegar, baking soda, 1 clean water bottle per child, 1-3 balloons per child, and 1 funnel.  I also used a plastic spoon to spoon baking soda into the funnel.  It's also best to have some towels on hand or to do this experiment outside.  (Curious dog, optional.)

Fill your water bottle about 1/3 full of vinegar.  Slide the balloon over the tip of the funnel.  Scoop baking soda into the balloon.  I used used a tablespoon full, but I've read since that filling the balloon about halfway works better.

Enlist the help of an adult for this part, if needed.

Put the neck of the balloon over the water bottle, being careful not to shake the baking soda into the bottle until it's secure.

If you look closely you can see the baking soda and vinegar starting to fizz as the acid reaction begins.  

Once you're ready, lift the balloon and shake the baking soda into the bottle.

What's happening is the acid reaction of the vinegar and baking soda creates carbon dioxide that needs to escape.  Because the balloon is flexible, it escapes into the balloon, inflating it.

Be prepared to do this more than once.  It's best if you dump the mixture out after a couple rounds and start fresh.  Also, boys being boys, they wanted to pop their balloons, so have extras on hand.

This project can earn requirements toward the Science belt loop and the Science Everywhere STEM award.

PS - Don't throw away the lids to your water bottles.  Never know when you're going to want them for another project!