Valentines

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This week make fizzy hearts, heart shaped arts and crafts and go outside for some heart themed hopscotch.

For this week's sensory play activity, make fizzy hearts with your toddler. You'll need baking powder and vinegar, plus a mould or cookie cutter and food colouring or paint. 

You've got 2 different options for how to make these. We recommend doing the prep with your toddler as they'll get a kick helping you measure out the quantities: 

1. Put baking powder into a mould or cookie cutter (the simplest method).

2. Add food colouring and a small amount of water to baking powder. This will spark a chemical reaction so your toddler will enjoy watching it fizz. Put into a mould and put into the freezer to let it set overnight. 

Then let your toddler syringe or pour vinegar over the hearts and watch them fizz! If you've opted for plain baking powder you could add some food colouring to your vinegar to get some colours that way! You'll get the best reaction from plain baking powder.

** the science bit ** 

  Vinegar is a diluted solution of acetic acid (CH3-COOH). Baking powder is a solid mixture of sodium carbonate, bicarbonate and a solid weak acid. The first two compounds react with vinegar to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as a salt (sodium acetate) and water.

For this week's active play draw out a heart shaped hopscotch then enjoy having a play with your toddler. You could jump between the hearts, roll a dice and go to the number, throw a beanbag and run to the number. The possibilities are endless!

Next week you'll need a small cardboard box (to make a posting box), a few pieces of penne pasta and a small amount of red card. And some string!