Dancing Worms Activity

Take a look at this fun Science experiment and activity that kids will really enjoy. This Dancing Worms Activity will integrate both Science and hands-on activities!

You have all of these ingredients in your kitchen right now, well maybe not the worms, but a trip to the store will fix that.

With this experiment candy and science collide in a fun and simple way. This experiment has been around for awhile but always gets a great reaction from the kids when I pull out the supplies.

Kids really love to do hands on science experiments that have a visible chemical reaction, this one is for the younger kids but even your older children will enjoy this one and it is safe for the kids to do it on their own with supervision.

Dancing Worms Activity Supplies

• Gummy worms
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 3 tbsp baking soda
• A spoon
• clear tall glass
• Scissors or a knife

Dancing Worms Directions

1. To begin with cut your worms in half to make smaller, lighter worms. I believe this also helps them absorb the vinegar better as well.
2. Fill a jar or glass with warm tap water, stir in baking soda well then stir in your worms.
3. Place vinegar in another glass and set aside.
4. Now go find something else fun to do for 15 minutes while you wait for the next step, you can let the kids experiment (play) with a pile of baking soda and a dropper with vinegar.
5. After 15 minutes are up have your child drop 2-3 worms in the glass of vinegar. At first bubbles begin to form then slowly the worms begin to wiggle slightly and rise up in the cup.

Recommended Science Books for Kids

If you had fun with this science activity, try one of these other science books to get a giant list of ideas to keep the curiosity flowing.

 The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments: Awesome Things To Do With Your Parents, Babysitters and Other Adults The Curious Kid’s Science Book: 100+ Creative Hands-On Activities for Ages 4-8 Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: 52 Family Friendly Experiments from Around the House Janice VanCleave’s 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments

So how do the dancing works work?

The acetic acid in the vinegar reacts with the bicarbonate soda. The reaction causes bubbles to form and lift the gummy worm.

The bubbles burst and the worm falls but will rise again as more bubbles form until all the baking soda has been used up.

After a while you will need to swap your vinegar out for a fresh glass of vinegar.

Try other gummy candy to see how the size, weight, and shape affect the outcome.

Also see what other materials this will work with. Try other candies, popcorn,  or rice.

It’s always a ton of fun to see things move on their own. Allow your kids to decide to to change.

What happens if they change the amount of vinegar or baking soda?

Have fun exploring!

Thanks for visiting our Dancing Worms Activity post!

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Monique

I share educational printables and activities to help teachers make learning about math and science fun!