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Exciting elephant toothpaste science experiment for kids that is sure to bring amazement!
Perfect for your little scientist at home. Watch what will happen!
My daughters and I have done a lot of science experiments over the years. There are so many to choose from!
We’ve tried color-changing milk, learned about what dissolves in water, and experimented with density in liquids. Just to name a few.
Recently, I was in the mood to do a science experiment and asked my daughters which one they would like to do again.
I was (pleasantly) surprised they both said the same experiment: elephant toothpaste.
Not only did they both agree, but I already had all of the supplies on hand!
Make Elephant Toothpaste Experiment: Supplies Needed
Elephant toothpaste recipe ingredients:
- yeast packet (0.25 oz)
- dish soap
- 1/2 c. 3% hydrogen peroxide
- 3 Tbsp warm water
- food coloring
- 1/2 c measuring cup
- funnel
- empty water bottle
- cake pan
- small bowl
- measuring spoon (1 Tbsp)
- small spoon
- safety glasses
How to Make Elephant Toothpaste Experiment for Kids
Once you have gathered all your supplies, you can follow the steps below. Which preschoolers can even assist with.
Place the empty water bottle in the cake pan. Put on safety glasses.
Hypothesize what will happen when you mix the ingredients together.
First pour 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide into the empty bottle using a funnel.
Then squirt a small amount (about 1 Tbsp) of dish soap into the bottle.
Gently swirl the bottle to mix contents.
Then you can add some drops of food coloring. The more drops you add, the darker the color will be.
Gently swirl the bottle again to mix the contents.
We added yellow food coloring.
The kids hypothesized the yellow food coloring mixed with the green dish soap would create blue elephant toothpaste.
It didn’t. It was still yellow!
Next empty the yeast packet into a small bowl.
And then add 3 Tbsps of warm water.
Now mix with a spoon until the yeast is completely dissolved. (My daughter said it looked like chocolate milk when it was ready.)
Your almost ready now to watch the elephant toothpaste for kids in action!
Combine Everything!
Lastly, dump all the contents from the bowl into the bottle using the funnel. Remove the funnel quickly.
Observe & Explore the Elephant Toothpaste with your Kids
Foam and bubbles should ooze out of the water bottle.
Feel the side of the bottle.
It should feel warm because heat is created. (Do not attempt to put any of it in your mouth.)
Did what you had predicted happen?
Clean up by pouring the foam down a sink with some water.
Download the Elephant Toothpaste Experiment for Kids Free Printable
It is convenient to have a science experiment in an easy-to-follow print-ready format.
So, below is an easy-to-read file with supplies and directions to make your own elephant toothpaste for kids.
Download and enjoy!
What is the Scientific Method?
My daughters fill out lab reports when we do science experiments for school.
But this science experiment was just for fun. No lab reports required!
With that being said, we still seemed to follow (at least most of) the scientific method.
- Question
- Research
- Hypothesize
- Experiment
- Observe
- Conclude
I did some online research with the kids to explain what had happened with the elephant toothpaste.
There were quite a few technical terms we discovered including “exothermic reaction” and “catalysts”.
Feel free to do your own research for more information.
In simplest terms, however, we learned the bubbles that were created contain oxygen. (They knew oxygen is something in the air we breathe.)
The dish soap helped to make the foam.
And the yeast helped to make the bubbles and foam form faster.
We absolutely loved the elephant toothpaste science experiment for kids! We hope you do too.
What is your favorite science experiment?
Share with us in the comments!
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