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October 11, 2013

Balloon Experiments with Candy

Balloon Experiments - Candy Activities for Kids

Do you know how you can blow up a balloon with soda?  This cool science experiment for kids will blow your mind!

Today is the final day of our Candy Activities for Kids series.  We have had the best time working closely with other blogs to bring you fun and educational activities using all that Halloween candy you're bound to accumulate this time of year.  On Monday we shared a homemade finger paint recipe using Starburst, Tuesday we made chocolate playdough using Hershey Kisses, Wednesday we played math games with M&M's, Thursday we made erupting art, and the theme for today is science with candy.  A few months ago I came across this Pop Rocks expander experiment from Steve Spangler, and I've had it on my to do list ever since.  What better time to experiment with Pop Rocks than during a candy series?  Our balloon experiments ended up being even cooler than I expected.


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Supplies:

How to Expand a Balloon Using Soda and Candy



Directions:  Attach a balloon to the mouth of a funnel and pour the candy into the balloon.  Next attach the balloon to a soda bottle.  We used 12 ounce bottles for our experiment.  Be careful to not let any of the candy spill into the soda while you are attaching it.  


Once the balloon is securely on the soda bottle shake the contents of the balloon into the soda.


JZ (6) thought the expanding balloon was the coolest thing ever!


We did the balloon experiment six times.  The amount of soda remained constant.

How to blow up a balloon with soda - This is so cool!

We used one package of Pop Rocks for the first balloon and two for the second, and the expanded balloons were nearly identical.

How to expand balloons using soda - SO COOL!

On our third bottle of soda we used Nerds.

Did you know you can use soda to blow up balloons?  This is the coolest science experiment ever!

The Nerds produced a much larger reaction in the soda.

How to inflate a balloon using soda - Amazing!

In our fifth balloon we added a ton of Nerds, as many as the balloon could hold.  For a split second I thought the balloon was going to pop from the pressure, but it calmed down quickly.


Since the large quantity of Nerds reacted strongly with the soda we added six pouches of Pop Rocks to the final balloon.  The reaction was much stronger than the first two tries, but it still wasn't as strong as with the Nerds.


This was definitely one of the coolest experiments we've ever done and definitely the most exciting thing we have done with balloons.  


For more fun experiments follow my Science for Kids board on Pinterest.


The coolest science experiment for kids ever!  How to blow up a balloon using soda - this is amazing fun for kids of all ages.

Be sure and check out the other science with candy posts from the series:

Candy Corn Catapults from Frugal Fun for Boys

Sink or Float Candy Science from Reading Confetti

Balancing with M&M's from Inspiration Laboratories

Exploding Peep Geysers from Housing a Forest

Candy Chromatography from Mama Miss

Dissolving Gobstoppers from Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Here is a complete list of all of the candy activities we shared this week.

19 comments:

  1. So fun! Your boys must have loved this. Pinning to my Science for Kids board!

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  2. I wish I could get soft drink cheap enough to do this, each bottle is $3 here.
    It looks like a brilliant experiment, and the balloons stop it from being messy.

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    Replies
    1. I bought a 16 oz Coke at the Dollar Store and since I wash and reuse bottles for the science classes I teach or crafts in Sunday School, I had 3 clean Hugs bottles that I poured about 5 oz of soda into. It worked great for us.

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    2. Skadi, you can replace the soda with a bit of vinegar in a bottle and fill the balloon with baking soda. Then drop the baking soda from the balloon into the vinegar and watch it grow! Good luck it is super fun!

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  3. This looks like so much fun! I am going to pin this to my science board.

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  4. I am so going to do this with the little ones at school. Thank you for sharing

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  5. Can somebody please explain why this reaction occurs?

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    Replies
    1. It has to do with pressurized carbon dioxide gas. You can read all about it here. http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/poprocks

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    2. So what is the science behind the nerds working better?

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  6. This is such a fun activity to do with children!

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  7. Does anyone know why the nerds react?

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  8. I love this idea! I featured it on my post today - why and how to make a science journal at home! http://www.smartcookiela.com/blog/2016/2/2/sciencejournal
    I love easy, fun engaging experiments like this that families can do to bring the joy back to learning experiences! I'll be doing this with my boys this week. :)

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