Make a Fizzy Dino Egg

Can I substitute other items if I don't have baking soda, a toy dinosaur, or food coloring?

Baking soda is required for the fizz so the reaction won't work without it, but you can replace the toy dinosaur with any small washable toy or wrapped candy (Step 5) and use liquid watercolors or diluted washable marker ink instead of food coloring for the vinegar (Step 12).

My dough won't hold together or the egg cracks while drying — what should I do?

If the mixture in Step 3 is too sticky or crumbly, add extra baking soda a teaspoon at a time and knead until it forms a wet-sand dough, press seams firmly in Step 6, and leave the eggs on the tray to dry longer than 1–2 hours (Step 7) to prevent cracking.

How can I adapt this Fizzy Dino Egg activity for different age groups?

For toddlers, have them help press dough and decorate pre-dry eggs (Steps 5 and 9) while an adult handles the vinegar pour (Steps 11–12), and for older kids let them measure (Step 2), mix (Step 3), experiment with color mixes in the vinegar (Step 12), and photograph their results for DIY.org (Step 13).

How can we extend or personalize the activity for more fun or learning?

To extend the activity, hide different tiny surprises in the dough (Step 5), press glitter or scented extracts into the shell before drying (Steps 4–7), paint with glow-in-the-dark or metallic colors (Step 9), and have kids time and compare how different vinegar colors or amounts affect the fizz reveal (Steps 11–12).