• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Fantastic Fun & Learning

Fun learning activities and things to do with kids

  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy and Disclosure
  • Themes
  • Holidays
  • Printables
  • Concepts
    • Alphabet
      • Letter A
      • Letter B
      • Letter C
      • Letter D
      • Letter F
      • Letter G
      • Letter I
      • Letter J
      • Letter K
      • Letter M
      • Letter N
      • Letter O
      • Letter P
      • Letter Q
      • Letter R
      • Letter S
      • Letter T
      • Letter U
      • Letter W
      • Letter Z
    • Art
    • Crafts
    • Fine Motor
    • Gross Motor
    • Phonemic Awareness
    • Phonics
    • Math
    • Outdoor Play
    • Science
    • Sensory
  • By Age
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
  • By Month
  • Books
    • Books and Activities
      • Book Lists
      • Book Related Activities
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Concepts / Science / Hot Chocolate Surprise Winter Science for Kids

Hot Chocolate Surprise Winter Science for Kids

By Shaunna Evans 4 Comments · This content may contain affiliate links.

Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on PinterestShare on Email

For Discover & Explore this week we’d love to see all of your fabulous winter related activities and ideas. I had a cute little winter craft planned–that we might get to one day this winter–but instead I decided to have a little fun with Lovey. She’s getting to the age where she understands humor and a good trick now and then. This hot chocolate “surprise” was my way of breaking up long day inside and having a good laugh together. You can do it just for fun or incorporate a little science discussion, too.

Hot Chocolate Surprise...winter science for kids or just a fun trick to play on your little ones!

GET A FULL WEEK OF WINTER THEME ACTIVITIES IN OUR  PRESCHOOL WINTER LESSON PLANS.

While the girls were in another room playing I asked them if they’d like to make some hot chocolate. Umm! Did I have to ask? After cheers of glee, I discreetly set up the materials for our surprise.

In the bottom of her cup I put some baking soda (about 1/4 cup, maybe). Then I covered it with powdered hot cocoa mix.  Then I poured some vinegar into the pitcher (okay, not technically a pitcher but we use it as one because it is easiest for the girls to pour). I was afraid that the smell might tip her off to my trick, so I distracted her with a plate of marshmallows. 🙂

If you’re kids are familiar with vinegar and baking sodas and you’re afraid they will notice the smell, you could always pour it for them–you’ll get the same surprised effect and you can play it up a bit, too.

I wasn’t sure how much of a mess this would make, so I placed a towel underneath our materials. We ended up not needing it.

Hot Chocolate Surprise...winter science for kids or just a fun trick to play on your little ones!

After I invited the girls over, Lovey was relatively bored with making the hot chocolate herself. But it was great to watch her face progress from bored to intrigued, and finally to total shock as she poured the vinegar in slowly.

Hot Chocolate Surprise...winter science for kids or just a fun trick to play on your little ones!

She realized I had played a trick on her. On the other hand, Tinker was a little alarmed. She kept asking what’s wrong with the hot “choc-it” and saying she didn’t want any.

Lovey kept adding the vinegar to see how high she could get the cocoa to bubble.

Hot Chocolate Surprise...winter science for kids or just a fun trick to play on your little ones!

And what’s hot chocolate without marshmallows? They had fun adding the marshmallows to the picture…until they realized they couldn’t eat them once they were in there. Then they preferred to keep them.

Hot Chocolate Surprise...winter science for kids or just a fun trick to play on your little ones!

Tasty hot chocolate anyone?

Hot Chocolate Surprise...winter science for kids or just a fun trick to play on your little ones!

What fun ways have you played tricks on your little ones? How do you add a little laughter to your days? We had so much fun with this easy activity that I’d love to try some new “tricks” soon.

More Hot Chocolate Fun

Hot Cocoa Slime Recipe

Hot Chocolate Sensory Play Ideas

Hot Chocolate Math and Science Activities

PRINTABLE WINTER THEME LESSON PLANS

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. We have a variety of lesson plan sets that work well as winter themes. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:


This set currently includes active hands-on learning ideas and the following printables:

1) 10 Little Trees Winter Song and Number Cards (in color and b/w)
2) Get Dressed for Winter Activity Mats and Clothing (in color and b/w)
3) Hot Cocoa Counting Mats 1-20 (in color and b/w)
4) Winter Color Matching Puzzles
5) What Can We Do in Winter? Emergent Reader (4 versions)
6) Child and Snow Angel Uppercase and Lowercase Alphabet Matching (in color and b/w)
7) Winter Number Cards 0-35 (3 versions in color and b/w)
8) Winter Roll and Graph (in color and b/w)
9) Winter Tree Dice Game (in color and b/w)
10) Winter Picture-Word Cards

GET YOUR LESSON PLANS

Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.

!

Buy Now-Fizz Pop Bang ebook with 40 projects for ages 3 to 8 and 20 free printable resources

Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on PinterestShare on Email

Filed Under: Science, Winter Tagged With: hot chocolate, science experiments

Previous Post: « Number Matching Christmas Tree
Next Post: Washi Tape Ornament Christmas Cards »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda

    December 15, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    This is AWESOME!

    Reply
  2. jaime

    January 11, 2014 at 6:50 am

    featured this on the kid co-op! http://www.frogsandsnailsandpuppydogtail.com/2014/01/winter-crafts-and-activities-to-keep.html

    Reply
  3. chelsey

    December 18, 2013 at 9:02 am

    Cutest idea ever! And I love the marshmallow distraction! 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna Evans

      December 22, 2013 at 7:57 pm

      Thank you, Chelsey! It was a lot of fun!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search

Join in the fun!

Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagram

Subscribe via Email

Hi, I’m Shaunna!

Welcome to Fantastic Fun and Learning. Here you'll find plenty of great ideas for fun learning activities and things to do with kids.

Popular Right Now

Preschool Name Activities

Free Printable Scavenger Hunts for Kids

Make Germs Scatter Hand Washing Science Demonstration

Our Recent Posts

  • Spring Syllable Sort
  • Spring Color by Syllable
  • St. Patrick’s Day Color by Syllable

Copyright © 2025 | Privacy Policy · Web Hosting Servously.com