Space-Themed Sensory Activity: How to Make Fizzy Moon Rocks

Gina
Mar 30
3 min read

Updated: Jun 10

In this BLOG post I will teach you how to make fizzy moon rocks and share the benefits of STEM play for kids.

Your space enthusiast is going to LOVE this activity. Fizzy Moon Rocks are a delight to the senses and a great way to teach big skills in a developmentally appropriate way.

It’s science meets space meets hands-on learning and it will keep your kids playing and learning together!

STEM activities don’t have to be complicated to be effective.

Benefits of Frozen Fizzy Activities:

Strengthen fine motor skills.
Increase opportunities for language & vocabulary.
Practice self-regulation skills.
Work on cause and effect.
Allow opportunities to problem solve.
Exposure to temperature and science topics.
Purposeful ways to practice socials skills (waiting, using manners, taking turns, sharing).
Bilateral Coordination (using both sides of the body).

Materials:

2 cups baking soda
1/2 cup water
Mixing bowl and spoon
Freezer-safe plate or bowl
Sensory tray or bowl
White vinegar
Pipette or medicine dropper
Optional: black food coloring, glitter

Step 1: If using black food coloring, mix it into the ½ cup of water.

Step 2: In a bowl, mix baking soda and ½ cup of water. Then stir in glitter, if using.

Step 3: Scoop small balls of the mixture and place them on a freezer-safe plate.

Step 4: Freeze for a few hours until solid.

Step 5: Once frozen, place the Moon Rocks in a sensory tray.

Step 6: Mix 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a cup. Use a pipette or dropper to squirt the mixture onto the Moon Rocks. Watch as they bubble and fizz!

Tips and Tricks:

Disposal: Do not dispose of glitter down the drain; pour it into a Ziploc and put in the trash.

Vinegar and baking soda can go down the drain.

Too dry or crumbly: Add more water slowly until it forms a paste.

Too wet: Slowly add in more baking soda until it forms a paste and can mold into a ball.

Food coloring: You need quite a bit of black food coloring to make these “grey.” You can eliminate food coloring from the baking soda mixture and make the moon rocks white. Then, add black food coloring (or any color you have) to the white vinegar and squirt it on top of the frozen moon rocks.

Sensory bin or bowl: this will make a lot of liquid as it melts. Use a bowl or bin with a higher edge to catch spills. Also, use an old towel or protective cloth underneath the bin to catch spills.

There are so many ways to enhance your sensory experiences. Try these variations each time you play!

Experiment with…

COLOR: instead of making them grey, experiment with adding different colors to the baking soda mixture. Watch what happens when the vinegar fizzes and mixes them together.

Alternative: add food coloring to the vinegar mixture.

GLITTER: when you are making the moon rocks, experiment with different size and shapes of glitter.

What do they look like when they freeze?

What do they look like as they fizz?

SHAPE AND SIZE: experiment with making a variety of shapes and sizes when forming the moon rocks.

Which one takes longer to freeze?

Which one fizzes the fastest?

Which one is your favorite and why?