Easy Homemade Scientist Costume + Fizzing Kool Aid Experiment {Play & Learn}
It’s dress up time with The Chica Show! All new episodes start July 29, 2013 and will be inspiring all new ways for you and your little ones to dress up and play. Today we will show you how easy it is to make a lab coat for your children to get busy pretending to be a scientist creating fun experiments. Sprout sent us a free DIY costume kit to encourage us to dress up and play, then show our readers how easy it is to bring a child’s imagination to life through play.
How to make the scientist costume:
Our scientist kit included a men’s plain white tee, 2 white paper cd cases, and a pair of goggles – all items that are easy to find for a reasonable price. All you have to do is cut up the middle of the shirt in the front, then hot glue the cd cases on each side near the bottom to create pockets. That’s it. Who knew creating a lab coat would be so easy! Perfect for doctor and veterinarian pretend play as well – stay tuned for future posts of each.
I wanted my toddler girl to also join in on the fun, so I raided my husband’s drawer for a white t-shirt. I cut the bottom according to her height as well as up the middle. I used the scrap piece to create pockets. They are just hot glued on, but I think I may eventually sew them on since my little girl adores playing dress up.
I saw an awesome-looking Kool Aid Eruptions Activity over at Train Up a Child and decided to give it a go as a fun science experiment to do with my lil’ scientists. All you need is packets of Kool Aid, baking soda, water, + any containers you would like to use. We used or water table as the pretend science lab area and set up everything inside it. I placed 2 cups (1 is little) on one side with about 1/4th of it filled with baking soda and a bit of the powdered Kool Aid in each (blue in one, red in the other).
Big Brother poured water over one cup and was so intrigued by what he saw happening. The 1st thing he said was “Wow, it changed colors!” Then he couldn’t resist sticking his nose right up by it and commented how yummy it smelled. Little Sister jumped with excitement the whole time and then she poured water into the little cup. She was in awe and then both kids were laughing. We talked about how it fizzed, bubbled, and kind of exploded when the water was added to it. Train Up A Child explained that the Kool Aid has citric acid in it which causes the reaction when the water is added to the mixture.
On the other side of the water table, I placed a shallow pile of baking soda, then sprinkled red, blue, and orange powdered Kool Aid in random spots all over it. Both kids got a chance to pour water over the mixture. It turned out so cool-looking! I am glad we did both cups and a big pile because both created a slightly different experience for them.
They REALLY wanted to touch it which I was reluctant to let them do at first, however, I do love messy play so of course I gave in! I put a towel underneath for spills and to wipe their hands on. Had it not been such a hot day, this would have been perfect to do outside. My daughter didn’t play with it for very long while I couldn’t get my son to stop….. Lol! He said it was so soft. I mentioned to him that it reminded me of what it feels like on your feet when you walk into a lake/beach area.
I had each kid make a Kool Aid Handprint on a piece of paper where we also documented our findings/experiences with the activity.
Photo Credit: Sprout Online
We love hands on learning activities! I am a firm believer in play based learning so I thought it was great that The Chica Show (and Sprout) wanted us to share with our readers the importance of play with a couple of easy-to-make costumes. I find that pretend play is perfect for tapping into the imaginations of little ones while creating a fun play-based learning experience. Take a peek at Sprout’s Dress Up Time Pinterest Board for even more costume ideas that incorporate real-life skills all in the name of fun.
Also, stop back here next week to see the DIY Pirate Costume we also created.
All new episodes of The Chica Show start July 29th at 11:30 ET. Be sure to tune into Sprout to check them out and be inspired!
Disclaimer: This is not a paid post. I received 2 DIY dress up costumes for free from Sprout to share with our readers the importance of play and inspire new ways to ‘dress up and play’ with children.
Double dose of cuteness!