We really enjoyed exploring art this week when we made our art history Easter eggs, so I wanted to continue the fun and learn about another artist in a unique way. So, today, we’re learning about Wassily Kandinsky and exploring his circle painting while performing a new science experiment. I just love when art and science combine, and this activity is full of colorful, fizzy fun!
Kandinsky Citric Fizz Science Experiment
- Gather your materials: baking soda, citric acid, water in a spray bottle or with pipettes, and coloring if you wish (food coloring, kool aid powder, or we used our DIY powdered paint that we made last week!)
- Sprinkle a layer of baking soda in the bottom of a pan.
- Then spread a layer of citric acid over the baking soda.
- Cut out circle templates of varying sizes.
- Sprinkle your coloring within the stencil.
- Layer the different sizes on top of one another using different colors to replicate Kandinsky’s painting!
- Here’s our finished masterpiece!
- Spray or drip water on your artwork and watch it fizz!
We squirted our masterpiece and instantly it begins to fizz! The kids were really surprised that they could make a reaction with just water! We’ve done baking soda and vinegar experiments before, but this was way more unique!
After making our circles, the kids wanted to do it again, so we just decorated it with abandon, shaking powder here, there and everywhere! It’s so beautiful!
It’s also completely safe to touch, which of course the kids wanted to do! Not only can you touch it, but the ingredients create an endothermic chemical reaction when combined with the water. This means it feels REALLY cold!
They weren’t expecting it to be cold, so their reactions were priceless! Once they realized that it was okay to touch the chilly stuff, they dug their hands in it to feel the bubbles popping against their skin. How fun is it to hold a chemical reaction in your hand!
Grayson grabbed the dinosaurs to join in the play. Here they are stomping through our rainbow fizzy slush!
This is definitely one of the coolest preschool science experiments we’ve done yet! We had so much fun learning about art and science while enjoying sensory play with the slush and fine motor practice with the spray bottles. This will definitely be a repeat activity, maybe to cool off on a hot summer day!