Dry Ice Fountain | STEAM Activity

Dry ice gives off so many fogs that kids can not resist the temptation to play with it.  In this Dry Ice Fountain STEM activity, the fog will endlessly come out of the plastic bottle. It is a good idea to try with kids both at school and at home.

Age: 6+          Time: <20min

 Safety 

1. dry ice cause frostbite on contact with skin! Wear gloves.

2. Adult supervision.

 Materials List 

• Plastic bottle (with a sports bottle cap or you can open a small hole in a normal bottle cap)
• water
• Food coloring
• Dry ice
• protective gloves

 Instruction 

Step 1/2 – Add about 100ml of water to the water bottle and drops of food coloring.

Step 2/2 – Add 2~3 pieces of dry ice to the bottle, screw up the bottle cap. Then, you have your own dry ice fountain. 

 Troubleshooting 

Why my dry ice fog is so small? 

- Increase the amount of dry ice you add, Add warm water, or and enlarge the hole in the bottle cap.

 Scientific Description 

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide which is the gas under room temperature. The dry ice will sublimate (the physic process that solid turns into gas directly) into carbon dioxide under the room temperature. The sublimating process makes the surrounding environment super cold and causes water vapor in the air to condense. That is where the fog comes from. When there is too much fog gathered in the bottle, the increasing pressure will push them out and form a fog fountain.

 Extensions 

Turn the bottle upside down on the ground and when the amount of the dry ice gas increase to a certain amount, it will push the bottle up in the air. Remember run to a safe place when you do this. Never put the dry ice into a completely airtight container.