This easy sensory science experiment has a lot of bang for the buck (and it only costs a couple bucks too!). It is super fun for the kids to help make it, and then they can use the use the cloud dough as a sensory bin-to explore, mold, and sift, and finally they watch the chemical reaction when the vinegar hits the baking soda mixture. If you use 2 colors like I did here in this one it gets the added bonus of teaching your child about color mixing. I don’t know about your kids but mine love anything that fizzes and bubbles!
You will need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup baking soda
2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
Vinegar
Food coloring
Tools for investigation and exploring- cookie cutters, scoops, eye droppers, etc.
Shallow tub or container
A cute kid or two who loves fun and messy science!
Directions:
If you are going to make 2 colors you will want to split your flour, baking soda, and vegetable oil in half. For a large bin you could simply double this recipe.
Stir 5-10 drops food coloring and vegetable oil together.
Add flour and baking soda until well mixed. Mixture should be crumbly but still stick together when squeezed in your hand. We mixed with a spoon as much as we could then switched to using our hands to get it well combined.
Transfer to a shallow container, for quick sensory science play for one child this plastic shoe box with a lid from Dollar Tree is the perfect size!
I carefully divided my blue and yellow cloud dough onto each side of the bin, you can either let your child play with one dough color at a time so they stay separate until the vinegar mix and reveal or let them stir it all up and find out what happens.
There are so many ways to play with this dough before you even break out the vinegar
Shape and mold it
Stamp with cookie cutters
Use it to practice writing letters or sight words with little fingers
Then you can provide your child with a bowl of vinegar and a dropper as well as other science tools for them to explore. This set is great for so many science experiments.
The more it fizzes and bubbles the funner it is to dig into and touch, scoop, and play!
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