Share the Sweetness

Need a Fun and Easy Science Experiment for kids? Elephant Toothpaste is perfect for your little Mad Scientist! Enjoy this fast and foamy chemical reaction at a birthday party, Vacation Bible School Summer Camp or for a Home School Chemistry Lesson. Easy Chemistry, Science for Kids, Printable Instructions, How to Set Up

This will forever be one of my most elaborate party setups of all time. For Cash’s 5^th Birthday Party, we went all Mad Scientist and set up several experiment stations for kids. His heroes at the time were Ms. Frizzle and of course, Bill Nye. So, we absolutely had to have a reason to put a bunch of preschoolers in little lab coats. Enter the prestige of the party, Elephant Toothpaste!

ELEPHANT TOOTHPASTE – MATERIALS

You’re going to need a few major pieces to pull this off. You’re also going to have to do some prep-work before the party kicks off. Here is the main ingredient list for the experiment:

1/2 a cup of Hydrogen Peroxide 6% Solution*
A packet of dry yeast (one packet is approximately 1 tsp)
2 Tablespoons warm water
Food coloring
An empty water bottle, or you can use a flask
A tablespoon of dish soap (any will do)
A tray- I bought the metal baking pans at Wal-Mart
A funnel- You can get from Dollar Tree
Rubber Gloves- size small for kids
Kids Safety Goggles
Kids Disposable Lab Coats– not necessary but you’ll look way cooler if you do!

*You want at least 6% (20 volume) for a good foam reaction. The ones you get at the drug stores, won’t be as foamy as they are 3% solutions.

**CAUTION-Hydrogen peroxide can burn and irritate skin so please only have adults pour and handle this step.

Setting Up Stations

Way before the party, weeks before, we began collecting our water bottles to clean out. We had 24 kids attend this party, so we needed to be very organized. Check out my full Behind the Scenes Post for Cath’s 5^th Birthday Party Prep, for all the details. We ordered everything way far in advance so that we could “kit prep” it all together for fast set up on the tables. Keep your bottle caps so you can close them the day before the party when you prep them.

Days before the party we went ahead and opened the dry yeast packets to divide them into little plastic ramekins with lids.

Lastly and at the party, when adding the final ingredient, the yeast, you’ll use that small funnel mentioned above. If you don’t have a funnel, a small measuring cup with a little spout works just as well.

Carefully pour the yeast into the top of the bottle and then stand back and watch the reaction.

Full Directions and Steps

I have all of the directions available in a sign format that you can post during the party. You will need lots of parent help, so you may need to print a few.

The FULL Elephant Toothpaste Directions are in this Etsy Printable Suite: Science Birthday Party Printables | Science Party Labels | 24 Pages

Your kids will love watching the foam slowly come out like toothpaste. The food coloring even adds stripes to the foam making it look even more fun.

Safety tip: This foam should not be touched as it comes out of the bottle. The reaction between the yeast and the peroxide could be hot. They can touch it once the reaction stops and it has cooled down.