Science experiment gone wrong (hilarious aftermath)

Dec 241 min read

We were doing the classic baking soda volcano thing with my 9yo. She got REALLY into it, kept adding more baking soda each time. Then she straight up poured the entire bottle of vinegar in at once. Erupted all over the kitchen table, dripped down into drawers, got in the grout. She was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. I was internally dying. Spent the next 3 hours cleaning but ngl watching her face when it went huge was totally worth it.

12 comments449 views

Comments(12)

LLarry P.RegularDec 24

This is gold. Did she at least think it was cool before realizing the mess, or was she already panicking?

ZZack M.RegularDec 25

The entire bottle of vinegar at once is peak 9yo energy. Did she think more = bigger explosion? Gotta respect the hypothesis testing tho.

FFrank T.RegularDec 25

The best part about science experiments with kids is they have zero concept of scale or restraint. Everything is "what if I just... did it 10x bigger?"

CClint R.RegularDec 25

The chaos is honestly part of the learning. My daughter did the same thing with food coloring and dish soap. Took forever to clean but she absolutely grasps the concept of chemical reactions now

KKevin P.RegularDec 25

Every parent with a 9yo has had this exact moment. Volcano + full vinegar bottle = life lesson about consequences. At least she'll remember the science part.

GGene K.RegularDec 25

That's when you know the experiment worked - if there's no overflow what even was the point right? Bet she remembers this one way better than if it went perfectly

SScott W.RegularDec 26

How bad was the cleanup? I've learned to do these outside or in a bathtub after a similar incident with my 8yo and the elephant toothpaste experiment

MMike T.RegularDec 26

Baking soda volcano is a gateway science experiment. Every kid finds the scaling limits the hard way. Was the cleanup horror?

GGene K.RegularDec 26

This is actually great though - she's learning through direct observation that more input = more chaotic output. That's real science even if the execution is messy.

AAndy T.RegularDec 26

We did this same thing and my kid dumped the whole baking soda box in first, so by the time vinegar hit it was basically a chemical weapon. Kitchen was not happy.

JJames H.RegularDec 26

lmaooo the full bottle pour. That's the moment every parent has where you're simultaneously laughing and internally screaming about the cleanup

PPete L.RegularDec 27

lol the enthusiasm is amazing until suddenly it's not. Did she understand what happened or was she just like "more = better"?