Dry ice science experiments for all ages of kids:
I used to teach middle school, and I would do a series of dry ice experiments like this one with my students every year. It was one of their favorite days.
I created the instruction sheet for this set of dry ice science experiments so that they could be done with kids of any age. (I would recommend elementary school or middle school, but I also did these exact same experiments with a mommy-and-me preschool group, and they loved it!)
Related: 17 super easy science experiments to do with your kids
Note: As an Amazon and KiwiCo Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Download the instruction sheet
You can find a condensed printable form of the directions for all of these experiments in the PDF download below. Or scroll down to read more about each experiment.
Where to find dry ice
I always buy my dry ice from Safeway or Harris Teeter. They usually have a freezer somewhere in the front of the store (close to customer service) where you can grab it by the bag.
If you don’t have either of those 2 grocery stores near you, try using this website to look up which stores near you do carry it.
Also, sometimes you’ll get lucky and receive some dry ice in a shipment, keeping frozen food cold that’s been mailed to your house.
Experimenting with dry ice: Warnings
Dry ice is super cold, and can cause frostbite.
You should always avoid direct contact with it. If you plan to pick it up, you can use tongs, or heat gloves (basically very cool oven mitts that are gloves instead of mittens!)
Supply list: What you’ll need
- Dry ice
- Tongs or heat gloves for handling the dry ice
- A cup
- Water
- Food coloring
- Dish soap
- A bottle of juice or water
- A balloon
3 dry ice experiments for kids
1. Mad scientist’s potion
Get your phone camera ready- your little ones will look like true mad scientists with the smoking, bubbling concoctions they will stir up! So fun.
- Step 1: Fill your cup with water.
- Step 2: Add a few drops of food coloring.
- Step 3: Make a prediction: What will happen when you add the dry ice?
- Step 4: Add a chunk of dry ice and see what happens!
2. Bubbly bubbles
My kids were fascinated and didn’t want to stop playing with these smoking bubbles!
- Step 1: Wait until the dry ice in your cup from the last experiment is completely gone.
- Step 2: Add a few drops of dish soap to your colored water.
- Step 3: Make a prediction: What will happen when you add the dry ice this time?
- Step 4: Add a chunk of dry ice and observe what happens. Were you right?
Note: These bubbles are safe to play with! Feel free to pop them, hold them in your hands, play with them, etc.
3. Juicy balloons
This dry ice experiment will amaze your kids! See if they can figure out what happened to turn their juice or water into a sparkling drink.
- Step 1: Open your bottle of juice and take a few sips. (You’ll need a little space in the bottle for your dry ice.)
- Step 2: Make a prediction: What will happen when you add dry ice to the bottle, then stretch a balloon over the mouth of the bottle?
- Step 3: Add some dry ice to your bottle.
- Step 4: Stretch a balloon over the mouth of the bottle. What happens?
- Step 5: Now take the balloon off the bottle and tie it. Balloons filled with carbon dioxide are fun to play with because they’re heavier than normal.
- Step 6: When the dry ice is completely gone from your bottle, take a taste! What’s different?
Explanations- why does that happen??
1. Mad scientist’s potion
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide. It’s called dry ice because it never melts.
Melting is when something turns from a solid into a liquid.
Instead, dry ice turns directly from a solid to a gas. That’s called sublimation.
The water in your cup speeds up this process, so you see lots of “smoking.” That “smoke” is the solid carbon dioxide turning into carbon dioxide gas.
2. Bubbly bubbles
Those bubbles are each filled with carbon dioxide gas from the dry ice.
The gas is white, because the carbon dioxide goes right from a solid to a gas. It’s never a liquid, so it never gets the chance to mix with the colored water in your cup. It stays colorless.
3. Juicy balloons
Why did the balloon fill up?
Gas takes up more space than a solid. (The molecules are more spread out.) So when the solid dry ice turns into carbon dioxide gas, it fills up the balloon.
How did my juice turn into soda?
The fizziness of soda is caused by carbonation, or carbon dioxide bubbles. When your dry ice sublimated, it left carbon dioxide bubbles in your juice, causing it to become fizzy!
My favorite science supplies for kids
Note: As an Amazon and KiwiCo Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
KiwiCo Chemistry Play Lab
I can’t say enough good things about this chemistry play lab. It encourages kids to explore their curiosity and learn through play. The realistic lab equipment is perfect for getting little ones familiar with real scientific equipment, while still being durable enough for little hands. (No real glass here!) The instruction book is so easy to follow, with full color photos on every page.
This sensory table
We love having a kid-height table to set up experiments. This is the one we have. It’s great for sensory tables and science exploration, and does an amazing job of containing spills and messes.
- STEM TOYS: Indoor/Outdoor playset, hands-on sensory play that boosts creativity and problem-solving
Steve Spangler’s book of science experiments
This book is amazing. The science experiments in it are pretty easy to pull off because they only take a few supplies, and can be done quickly. BUT they are also big on the wow factor! No one will be bored by any of these experiments. It is a fantastic book full of great ideas.
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