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For this month’s sensory dough I decided to combine a previous month’s dough with this month’s theme to make this fizzy dough experiment. The results were spectacular!
Catch up with all our sensory dough recipes here.
At first glance, this is cloud dough in every sense of the word. It molds like cloud dough and breaks apart into floury crumbs.
Disclaimer: This recipe tastes safe for little kids. This means that the child would be perfectly fine if they licked their hands or say put a little teaspoon worth in their mouth to taste. This does not mean that this recipe should be eaten! Eaten in large quantities of baking soda is harmful to the acid balance of the body (like too many antacids). Please supervise children for all activities like these.
BUT when you add some vinegar it FIZZES!!
I love the dual functionality of this fizzy dough experiment. It is a sensory play dough as well as a science experiment.
Once the kids are bored of shaping and molding bring out the vinegar and droppers or squirt bottles and start fizzing!
Lets back up a bit first.
HOW did I make this?
I used my cloud dough recipe and unique method of coloring BUT instead of using 2 cups of flour and 1/4 veg oil I used 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of baking soda plus the 1/4 cup veg oil. This cloud dough recipe is taste safe for toddlers!
Caution: A reader has reported that the baking soda reaction ate into her wood finish on her table. Please use a plastic cover on a table that has a finish on it. I always do my experiments in trays or with plastic covers for easier cleaning.
I had both boys engaged in this activity from the start. My just turned 5 year old was fascinated by fizzing and my 3 year old just wanted to touch and play with the cloud dough.
We started out with a little dropper to watch the cloud dough fizz.
Making many hills erupt in fizziness with much exclamations about color and bubbles.
We then advanced onto the squirt bottle. WOW.
This one brought MUCH excitement as the cloud dough reacted to the vinegar in such quantity. Foam!
We then went in for the GRAND finale and covered the enter surface of the cloud dough!
This offered my little sensory seeker a new substance to put his hands in and feel.
This fizzing cloud dough is most definitely a keeper! It has so many levels of playful learning in it as well as sensory benefits.
I also managed to get a few clips of the fizzing! check it out.
Pin this Fizzing Cloud Dough how-to for later!
[one-third-first]Fizzy Cloud Dough 
[one-third]How to make Cloud Dough Recipe (Smaller Quantity) 
[/one-third]
[one-third]3 Ingredient Taste Safe Cloud Dough Recipe (Large Quantity) 
[/one-third]
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Any colors to avoid?
OT Holly says
Woah this looks like such a fun play invitation for toddlers. Love it!
Beth says
So once the vinegar is added the dough is no longer good correct!?
Nicolette Roux says
that is correct
Jess says
Hi, I am planning on using this in a toddler room, and I know there is a young girl who likes to lick her hands when there are new things on them. I will be there to supervise the experience but I have a strong feeling that she will try and eat the cloud part. Is the mixture okay to taste when the vinegar is in the mix?
Nicolette Roux says
we eat vinegar over our salads so a small amount won’t hurt her at all. It will taste rather disgusting though!
Kaja says
Wow…super fun for the kids BUT it absolutly ruined my table! I did put the dough in buns for each kid to play in but the parts that spilt over ate into the finish of my wood table. A bit of research showed this was due to the baking soda. Wish I knew before we played! Maybe it’s in the comments already but if not be sure to cover the table! I will say tho, my boys had a ton of fun with it especially after adding the vinager. Will definitely do again…just with a cover this time!
Nicolette Roux says
o wow! Now that I did not think of. Our craft table always has a plastic cover over it. I’ll add this to the original instructions. thanks!
LucyJH says
hi Nicolette. I made this recipe today at my playcentre. The children were really enjoying watching the dough fizz but then one little girl put her hands in it. At first she was fine but then after about 5 minutes she began complaining that her hands were really sore. She cried for about 10 ten minutes and we had to wash her hands and soak them in water.
I think what had happened is that she has been chewing her nails and the vinegar got into the open bits and made it sore. Perhaps I should have thought of this but it just never occurred to me! It would be good to add a little warning to your site that children who bite their nails or have open cuts probably shouldn’t put their hands in the dough.
Nicolette Roux says
oh wow! definitely need to put a warning about open cuts on there.. would never have thought of that!
K McD says
Do you think rice flour can be subbed for the all purpose flour? Got a preschooler with lots of allergies!
Nicolette Roux says
I think it would work!
Caitlin says
Hi Nicolette! Awesome project! I’m going to be doing it in my classroom. I don’t really have time to order the dye online. Does gel food coloring work? Or powder fabric/flower dye if they don’t eat it? I just need dye recommendations that are easy to find and pick up.
Nicolette Roux says
Gel food coloring will work, it just doesnt give the brighter coloring and you will have to handle the dough more to get it to fix in well.
john m says
Can you use olive oil? I’m all out of vegetable oil.
Nicolette Roux says
for sure! any oil such as sunflower, olive a veg mix would work!
Malou says
How do you color it? 🙂
Nicolette Roux says
Take a read. I have all the details you need written out. 🙂
The Little Tourist says
Love the colors! That alone would interest my kids. 🙂
Kristen says
This is absolutely amazing!!! I have been looking for some activity to do with my toddlers that if my 16 month old gets his hands on it won’t matter. I’ll have to try this! Thanks for the idea!
Kristen
Kathy Motschall says
I sure needed more liquid than 1/4 cup oil.
Nicolette Roux says
Nope, the ingredients are exactly as I have made it. A few times already.
Kylee says
can i store this up in a plastic bag and save it for another time?
Nicolette Roux says
the cloud dough mix for sure! The baking soda will hold until you are ready to add the vinegar 🙂
Natalie says
Id like to know how you claim its toddler taste safe when baking soda can be harmful when ingested. Dont get me wrong I love the idea but this is what research I’ve found: Bottom Line Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Both sodium and bicarbonate can cause serious toxicity if too much is swallowed. http://www.poison.org/articles/2016-mar/baking-soda *maybe it just means non advertizing it as safe to eat
Nicolette Roux says
taste safe is not eating it. It means that if the child happens to stick a finger in his mouth and it is covered in the fizzy stuff it will be ok. We always encourage NOT eating these bins but I would rather my child have a lick of this than the one with the baby oil. eww.
The article linked mentions using it as an antacid and I can only think that is HUGE quantities!
I am sorry you have it confused that the activity is for eating. I will add a disclaimer at the top of the post to avoid this for other people.
Jill says
This is awesome! My kids would love to play with fizzy cloud dough.
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Katie | The Surly Housewife says
This is so cool!! My kids will love this! I will have to work it into our science curriculum for the year. Thanks so much for sharing. Pinned!
Michelle @ Delightful Learning says
Love how you combined fizzy dough with cloud dough ~ looks wonderful!
Lizelle says
Simply brilliant. Just perfect for some winter holiday fun. The kids will love this. It combines to of there favourite things!
Asia Citro says
This is SO AWESOME, Nicolette!!!!!!
Nicolette Roux says
Thank you!
Meg says
Hiya! Just wondering what kind of vinegar you used? Thanks!
Nicolette Roux says
ours was a plain vinegar. Nothing added.