Fizzing Fireworks #readforgood

Happy 4th of July!

I wanted to share a super simple post with you today that we had loads of fun with earlier this week. If you're celebrating the Fourth and have some time in between festivities today, you'll definitely want to grab some supplies and try this out. The finished product is fun... but the process of creating the fizzing fireworks is even more awesome!

This summer we are participating in the MeMeTales Readathon 2012. Each week of the readathon has a theme and some books that you can read for free over at MeMeTales. This week's theme is related to creating positive habits and developing a good character. We decided to read Good Habits to Have by Jenny Feely as our readathon book this week. 

The book shares about four good habits that we should cultivate. My 4-yr-old and I talked about our experiences with the different habits as we read the book. It is broken up into four sections, so I recommend reading each section separately... since otherwise "It is a long book!" (according to my son). 

Our favorite part of our reading time was discussing ways that we could be kinder, more honest, etc. My kids have had a hard time being kind to one another this week... so we decided to create an activity where they would need to work together and be kind to one another in order to be successful!

So... we created this fizzing fireworks activity!

Materials Needed:

• vinegar
• baking soda
• measuring spoon
• spray bottle
• water
• coffee filters
• contact paper
• tape
• food coloring

Directions to create fizzing fireworks:

1. Assign out jobs and discuss how you are going to take turns and switch jobs throughout the activity. One person scoops and drops the baking soda, one person sprays the vinegar, and mom drops the food coloring.
2. Cover a table with sticky contact paper (sticky side up) and then tape it down to secure it.
3. Have the kids work together to stick blank coffee filters all over it.
4. Fill up spray bottle with a 3/4 vinegar 1/4 water solution.
5. Scoop some baking soda and drop it on the coffee filter.
6. Drop the food coloring onto the paper while the other person starts spraying the baking soda. (You could also probably have a 2nd bottle that has a food coloring/water solution instead... but we used straight dye because the colors were more vibrant).
7. Watch as the colorful baking soda starts fizzing as it is hit by the vinegar solution!
8. Add more colors, more water, and more baking soda until your fireworks have been fizzing long enough!
9. Let the coffee filters dry, then move them, lay out some new ones, and start again!!

It was so fascinating to watch how the baking soda affected the colorful creations. The colors stayed much more vibrant as the filters dried if they were near or on top of the baking soda. It was also cool to talk about liquids and solids a bit because the baking soda fizzed and became liquid when it mixed with the vinegar... and then once everything dried, it became a powder again and just fell off the coffee filters onto the floor. 

What a fun and simple science activity!

We spent the entire thirty minutes or so during our activity talking about taking turns, being kind, and sharing! All of these things are great habits to have and practicing them during real-life situations makes the learning experience a lot more effective!

What are some ways that you teach good habits in your home?

Here are a few other character development posts that we've shared:

• Look Outward and Give
• Heart Attack a friend
• 100 Acts of Kindness Project 2012
• House Rules of Sharing
• 10 Ways to Be Kind to Your Siblings
• My Mouth is a Volcano

If you haven't signed up to participate in Readathon 2012 yet, go here for more details on how to get started! You can also check out the MeMeTales Pinterest board for more character development activities!

Disclaimer: Due to my participation in the Readathon 2012, I am receiving the featured books for free from MeMeTales. In exchange, I will be sharing book inspired, fun activities with you each week!