This originally appeared as a guest post in May 2012.

We love things that fizz AND we love watercolors, so of course we needed to combine these loves to see what would happen!  I mixed up a set of four colors based on S's request.  Because the paints had a tendency to settle after a few minutes and we were painting for awhile, I left spoons in each color to make it easy for S to remix if needed.  I set all the paints inside a pan to prevent any accidental spills.  :)

S dove in and we both marveled at the thick sparkly paints.  The colors were so vibrant and S experimented with alternately mounding the paint and spreading it thinly.

A better view of the incredible texture of the paints.

A close up.  So pretty!  They remind me of thick acrylic paints.

We tried spraying vinegar - and it *sounded* cool, but you couldn't see much bubbling at all.  Next we tried adding vinegar with an eyedropper and that had much more dramatic results.

A close up of an eyedropper full of vinegar reacting with the fizzing paints.

We let the paintings dry overnight on a flat cookie sheet.  The next morning we were so surprised - don't they look like moonscapes?  Super cool.  The once vibrant colors faded to more of a pastel, but the baking soda had created all of these amazing craters and mountains.  This top photo is of the painting we sprayed vinegar on (using a spray bottle).

This lower painting was the painting where we added vinegar with an eyedropper.

To make your own fizzing watercolors, you will need:

Liquid watercolors or slightly diluted food coloring

Baking Soda

Vinegar

Watercolor Paper

Add a tablespoon of baking soda to a cup (do this for each color you'd like to make).  Add just enough liquid watercolor or dilute food coloring to cover the baking soda.  Stir well.  The paint should have the consistency of tempera paint.  If it is too runny, add more baking soda; if it is too thick, add more liquid watercolor or dilute food coloring.  The paint will separate if left for several minutes - we found keeping spoons handy helped.

Paint your picture on watercolor paper.  When you've completed the picture, move it to a tray or cookie sheet with an edge (to contain any overflowing liquid) add vinegar (see above for the two methods we used - or try another method!) and enjoy the fizzing.  We added just enough liquid to react all the baking soda (not so much that the paper was floating in a pool of vinegar).  Allow the paintings to dry for 24 hours to see the final results!

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children.  As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family.  I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies).  Observe caution and safety at all times.  The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.