• Home
  • About Me
  • PR Friendly
    • Site Statistics
  • Copyright, Disclosure & Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Kid Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts & Activities
    • Easter Crafts & Activities
    • Summer Crafts & Activities
    • Halloween Activities & Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts & Activities
  • Dr. Seuss Activities
  • STEM Activities
  • Games for Kids
    • Shark Games for Kids
  • Shop

Kids Science Experiment: Ivory Soap Explosion

March 8, 2014 by OneMommy

 

When I was a little girl I was always fascinated by the fact that Ivory soap could float.  All that air inside, along with the extra moisture found in the little bar of soap, also causes a super fun reaction when you put Ivory soap in the microwave for this simple kids experiment: Ivory Soap Explosion.

kids science experiment: Ivory soap explosion

If you’ve never done this one before, I guarantee it will get quite a reaction from all the kids, and even the adults!   It’s good clean fun, with no waste.  The soap is still usable once you’re finished!

To begin, we looked at the bar of Ivory soap.  The kids felt it, smelled it, and examined it closely.  I cut a small piece off the corner so they could see how Ivory soap floats.  Then they tried a different type of soap, which, of course, sank right away.

kids science experiment: Ivory soap explosion

After closely examining the bar we put the soap on a microwave-safe plate and put in in the microwave.

The kids watched in awe as the soap began to grow.

kids watching Ivory soap in microwave

 

Within a minute the bar of soap had exploded to several times its usual size! We left the Ivory soap in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then we let it cool several minutes before touching it.  (Remember, microwaves make things hot.  Use caution!   Break it in half and checked the insides before letting the kids handle it.)

My kindergartner started crumbling it up right away, anxious to get her hands in the stuff.

The preschooler started off a little more tentatively, but pretty soon the cars joined the mix — it was a blizzard!

Ivory soap snow

 

They both played with the Ivory soap snow for almost an hour.

Then I got out the cookie cutters.  We mixed a little bit of warm water into the soap until it was able to be molded. The kids used spoons to squish the soap into some cookie cutters.  We left the cookie cutters on a piece of wax paper to dry, and once the soap was dry (overnight), we pushed out our new soap shapes.

creating soap shapes

 

As I said, it was good clean fun, and the soap is still usable!

Have your own clean fun with this simple kids science experiment and make an Ivory soap explosion. kids science experiment: Ivory soap explosion

You may also like:

  • Simple Soap Carving Craft 
  • How to Make Bubble Dough
  • Kids Science:  Make a Rubber Egg
  • Make an Awesome Soda Pop and Mentos Volcano 


Filed Under: Science Tagged With: science for kids, sensory play

Comments

  1. Susie@homemaker-mom says

    March 8, 2014 at 5:41 pm

    O m y gosh. I do not have little ones but my homeschooled teen would love to try this! Thank you for the awesome post!

    • OneMommy says

      March 12, 2014 at 10:43 am

      Oh, it is definitely a winner for any age! My husband thought it was pretty cool himself!

  2. Susen says

    March 8, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    Cool! Never heard of this one before!!

  3. Leslie says

    March 8, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    How cool! I don’t have kids so I don’t get to do cool stuff like this. It looks like the kiddo’s had fun with it.

  4. Valerie says

    March 9, 2014 at 9:38 am

    I never thought of trying that. We haven’t used bars of soap in years but if I can get my hands on an Ivory bar, I bet the kids would have a blast. Love your ideas for exploring it. Thanks for sharing.

    • OneMommy says

      March 12, 2014 at 10:48 am

      We don’t tend to use Ivory here…. Not even sure how/why it was in the cabinet! But we had fun playing with it!

  5. Julia says

    March 9, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    This looks like so much fun, I will have to pick up some ivory soap tomorrow.

    • OneMommy says

      March 12, 2014 at 10:38 am

      My preschooler has asked to do it again — definitely a hit! 🙂

  6. Michelle says

    March 10, 2014 at 8:08 am

    How fun!!! I can’t wait to do this (I’m a big kid at heart :), I’m sure my daughter would love this too 🙂

    • OneMommy says

      March 12, 2014 at 10:39 am

      LOL — I couldn’t wait to try it myself!

  7. Ashley says

    March 10, 2014 at 9:08 pm

    Super fun! Thank you for linking up to the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop!

  8. Shalynne says

    March 11, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    I need to remember to do this one! I’ve seen it a couple other places and always forget. Great idea!

    • OneMommy says

      March 12, 2014 at 10:41 am

      I’d been wanting to try it for a while now — definitely give it a go!

  9. Julie @ Don't Lick Your Sister says

    March 11, 2014 at 10:27 pm

    This is such a neat idea – had no idea Ivory soap would do this. Thanks for sharing!

  10. OneMommy says

    March 12, 2014 at 10:40 am

    Oh, definitely try it!! I bet Dino would love to use it as snow like my little guy did!

  11. Julie @ Girl on the Move says

    March 15, 2014 at 10:09 am

    Stopping by from the SITS Share Fest and I absolutely love this idea! Would be a great way to entertain the toddlers!!!

  12. Jill says

    March 16, 2014 at 10:59 pm

    Okay this is too cool! I never knew soap would do that!
    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

  13. Donna DM Yates says

    March 25, 2014 at 10:19 pm

    Wow, I didn’t know about this. I’ll have to try it myself.

Trackbacks

  1. Learning Together on Family Fun Friday | Everyday Family Living says:
    March 20, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    […] you know that when microwaved Ivory Soap makes a foamy explosion? I had NO idea! But you can bet will be trying this experiment soon! Thanks There’s Just One […]

Connect with me

Link to my Facebook Page
Link to my Pinterest Page
Link to my Twitter Page

Check Out My New Book & Popular Posts

Engineering Activities for Kids

how to make egg geodes

Straw Weaving -- weaving craft

how to make vanishing ghosts by melting packing peanuts

Search this site

Recent Posts

  • Make Learning Easier with DIY Math Manipulatives
  • Engineer a Truss Bridge with Craft Sticks
  • Dragon STEM Activities
  • Fun and Foamy Elephant Toothpaste Experiment
  • Shark Party Games — Perfect for Shark Week or a Shark-Themed Birthday Party

Proud Member

Women Online
Blog Meets Brand

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in