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The Angry Cup

Stem Activities

Ages: 6-8

Less than 30 minutes

Grownup needed

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You'll never guess how many amazing science experiments you can do with simple kitchen ingredients like baking soda and vinegar. This experiment brings angry emotions to life in a way that will amaze both you and your children!

Materials Needed

Three paper cups
Baking soda
White vinegar
Measuring cup
Egg white
Food colouring
Markers
Paintbrushes
Paint
Palette
Mixing stick
Spoon

An assortment of art supplies arranged on a light wooden table. The supplies include: a paper cup, three markers, a paintbrush, two tubes of paint, a flower-shaped paint palette, three small glass beakers containing white powder, clear liquid, and yellow liquid respectively, two small bottles of red and blue colouring, a small black measuring spoon, and a regular black spoon. These items appear to be laid out in preparation for an art project.

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1

Take the paper cups and decorate them with your favourite characters or patterns using paint brushes, paint, and markers.

Two hands hold a green paper cup while drawing an angry face on it with a white marker. In the background, other decorated paper cups, markers, a paintbrush, and a paint palette are visible on a wooden table, suggesting an ongoing craft activity. One cup is decorated as a superhero, and another as a jack-o'-lantern.

Step 2

Once the cups are dry, pour one egg white into each cup.

A hand pours a yellow liquid from a clear glass measuring cup into a green paper cup decorated with an angry face. The cup sits on a clear plastic tray, and a cardboard box is visible in the background.

Step 3

Add 5 drops of your chosen food colouring to the cup with the egg white.

A drop of green liquid from a pipette or dropper is about to fall into a paper cup containing a yellow liquid. The cup is decorated with a drawing of an angry face and rests on a light wooden surface.

Step 4

Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the cup.

A hand uses a black measuring spoon to pour a white powder into a green paper cup decorated with an angry face. A partially visible cardboard box is in the background on the table. The cup and the action of pouring suggest a science experiment or craft activity is in progress.

Step 5

Use a spoon or mixing stick to thoroughly combine the egg white, food colouring, and baking soda.

A hand holds a black plastic spoon, stirring the contents of a green paper cup. The cup is decorated with an angry face and sits on a light wooden surface. A partially visible cardboard box is in the background, suggesting this is part of a larger activity or experiment.

Step 6

Measure out 50 ml of white vinegar, quickly pour it into the cup, and wait patiently for the reaction.

A hand pours water from a clear glass beaker with a wooden handle into a green paper cup decorated with an angry face. A cardboard box is visible in the background on the table. This image likely depicts a step in a science experiment or a similar activity.

Step 7

Watch as the mixture in the cup reacts with the vinegar, rapidly expanding due to the acid-base reaction.

A green paper cup, decorated with an angry face, overflows with a voluminous, light yellow foam. The cup sits on a clear plastic tray, and a cardboard box is visible in the background. This image suggests a science experiment that has created a foamy reaction.

Step 8

Repeat the steps with the remaining cups, trying different amounts of baking soda and vinegar to see which cup gets the "angriest"!

Three paper cups overflow with colorful foam. From left to right: a green cup with a Hulk face and bright green foam, a red cup with an angry face and pink foam, and an orange cup with a jack-o'-lantern face and yellow foam. They sit on a light-colored surface. This image likely depicts the results of a science experiment or a fun children's activity.

The Science Behind It:

This is a classic acid-base chemical reaction. When baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) comes into contact with vinegar (acetic acid), they react to produce carbon dioxide.

Why add egg white? Egg whites contain lots of protein, especially albumin. When egg white combines with the gases from the acid-base reaction, the albumin undergoes physical and chemical changes that help create more stable and fluffy foam.

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We’re a passionate team of scientists, engineers, and educators dedicated to delivering hands-on fun. Our mission is to inspire creativity and confidence in the next generation of young innovators.