Elephant Toothpaste & Exploding Milk

Activity Overview

Chemical reactions are a wonderful way to explore how things can change, if given the parameters needed to change. In the following two experiments, children have the opportunity to see chemistry at work, while also exploring a connection to our feelings and the reactions we have when our feelings overcome us. We honor all feelings, big and small, and in the classroom children and teachers work in every moment to develop strategies to acknowledge and manage our feelings when they become overwhelming. This is ongoing practice in self-regulation. What is most important to emphasize to your student is that all emotions are valid, and we often have many in the course of one day. Acknowledging emotions is essential as it is an important step in self regulation.

What You Need

• Elephant Toothpaste and Exploding Milk Recipes

• Ingredients for each recipe

• An area in your home that is available for messy play

• Scene Images for conversation-starting

Steps

1. Choose an experiment to try, and gather all of the materials.

2. Introduce the guiding questions to the student as you create an opportunity to explore the connection between aroused emotions and the chemical reaction you are witnessing.

3. Present one of the scene images to your student and ask them to create a story using the images. Help students identify who the people are and how they are feeling. As you are going over the scenario, tie the reaction of the child in the picture to the reaction of the elephant toothpaste or the exploding milk that will occur.

4. As the reaction is occurring, present your student with calming down and self-soothing strategies - deep breathing, making a drawing, drinking some water. While the chemical reaction neutralizes, practice the strategy as you relate the idea that all big feelings calm down, if we help them.

5. Repeat the steps with the other experiment.

Guiding Questions

• What do you think will happen to the ingredients when we mix them? What reaction occurred?

• What does your face look like when you are feeling (sad, mad, happy, excited)?

• Tell me about a time when you were sad. What makes you happy? Mad? Excited?

• What helps you feel better when you are feeling upset?

• How does your body feel now that we’ve practiced our calming down strategy?

Extensions

• This activity can be extended and repeated as often as you like!

• Try other self-soothing strategies - likely different strategies will work with different students. Try mashing playdough, taking a cuddle moment with a trusted adult, reading a beloved book or holding a treasured object.