Science experiment gone wrong (but my kid loved it)

Dec 17·1 min read

Decided to do the "volcano" thing with my 5yo last Saturday. Used baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, all the classics. Well I miscalculated the ratios BADLY and it basically exploded everywhere. Red "lava" all over the kitchen table, floor, my pants. I was so annoyed at myself but my kid thought it was THE FUNNIEST THING EVER and wanted to do it again immediately. So we did it 5 more times. 10/10 would accidentally fail again. Cleanup sucked tho

6 comments51 views

Comments(6)

DDale J.RegularDec 17

Red food coloring EVERYWHERE is peak toddler science. Sounds chaotic but also like the kind of thing he'll be talking about for months. "Remember when the volcano exploded?" That's a win in my book

JJerome S.RegularDec 17

This is actually better than it working perfectly. He learned that experiments can have unexpected results, which is more realistic to actual science anyway. Plus the mess is half the fun at that age

RRob P.RegularDec 18

Honestly this is the kind of memory kids actually treasure. "My dad and I did a volcano and it exploded everywhere" beats a boring perfect volcano every single time. You nailed the parenting part even if the volcano failed

MMax R.RegularDec 18

Did you have to clean red food coloring out of everywhere afterward? I feel like that's the real story here. That stuff stains everything

KKeith L.RegularDec 19

The volcano ALWAYS goes wrong the first time because nobody actually measures the baking soda and vinegar ratio correctly lol. But honestly that makes it more memorable - he'll remember the explosion way more than a textbook volcano

DDerek P.RegularDec 18

BADLY miscalculated is an understatement lol but hey at least you tried. Most dads would just skip the volcano thing entirely. The fact that you went for it and let him enjoy the chaos is what matters