Halloween is a craft lover’s holiday. There are so many spooktacular things you can make, and while many of them are food-related, some also focus on STEM. These Halloween crafts for kids from celebrity scientist Steve Spangler focus on fun–and learning, too. They’re also cost-effective, requiring just a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. In fact, the first spooky science experiment, The Boo Bag, uses a key ingredient, Arm & Hammer baking soda, to create exciting STEM-specific learning.
The best part: if kids enter their creepy creations, they can win $2,000 for themselves and $1,000 for their school!
The Boo Bag
- ½ cup of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
- 12 ounces of Vinegar
- 1 tsp Dish soap
- Measuring cups
- 16 oz Plastic cup
- Resealable plastic bags – gallon size
- Colored Markers
- Large aluminum tray
- Safety glasses
DIRECTIONS:
- Start by drawing something spooky on your plastic bag.
- Next, put on your safety goggles.
- Place the plastic bag in the tray and pour the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda into the bag. Pour the vinegar into the plastic cup, add a tsp of dish soap, and place the cup into the plastic bag. Be careful not to spill it.
- Make sure the bag is sealed tight. Tip the cup over and give the bag a shake for a fizzy explosion.
Fizzy Halloween Decorations
Make any Halloween decoration extra spooky using fizzing chemical base reaction with a water-triggered formula!
- Safety Glasses
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- A cookie sheet
- 16 oz plastic cup
- 5 tablespoons of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
- 5 teaspoons of citric acid
- Half a teaspoon of dish soap
- 5 cups of water
- Half a teaspoon of drink mix powder (any color/flavor you like)
- A spooky decoration (pumpkin, cauldron, etc.)
DIRECTIONS:
- For all of you at home, this experiment gets messy! Make sure you protect whatever surface you are working on. Today I am going to use a cookie sheet.
- Protect the surface you are working on with a cookie sheet.
- Then, put on your safety glasses. In your plastic cup, mix the 1.5 tablespoons of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda, 1.5 teaspoons of citric acid and, to add color to your fizz, half teaspoon of your powdered drink mix.
- Then, add your half teaspoon of dish soap and mix all the ingredients together.
- Place this cup inside your decoration. Then add the water and see the fizzy reaction.
Halloween is all about having fun with your little monsters. So take out the safety glasses and get to experimenting in the kitchen with your kiddos. You’ll make a mess–and lasting memories, too.