Science can be really fun and fascinating, especially when you can dig in there and watch the effects happening before your very eyes.  

Today, we are going to explore some cool science that you can do at home.

Let’s make Elephant Toothpaste. This is going to be amazing!

What You Need

• A clean 16-ounce plastic bottle
• A packet of dry yeast
• ½ cup of 6 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide
• 3 tbsp warm water
• 1 tbsp liquid dish soap
• Food coloring
• Small cup
• Safety goggles
• Tray

Let’s Make Some Science

Step # 1 – Begin by putting the bottle on a tray to catch the over-spill of our experiment.  

Step # 2 – Carefully add ½ cup of the hydrogen peroxide.  

Note: this can irritate the eyes, so goggles are recommended.  

Step # 3 – Add a few drops of food coloring to the bottle along with 1 tablespoon of dish-washing liquid. Swirl around to mix.

Step # 4 – Take your small cup, pour in the yeast packet and add 3 tablespoons of warm water (this activates the yeast).

Step # 5 – Mix for about 30 seconds.  

Now get ready, this is going to be some foamy fun.  

Step # 6 – Carefully pour the yeast into the bottle than watch the reaction begin!

If all goes well, you should have a lot of foam bubbling up and over the bottle.

Fun Science Facts

The foam you have created is different from other types of foam. The yeast acts as a catalyst, removing the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. By doing so, it creates loads of tiny oxygen-filled bubbles or foam.  

Did you happen to notice the bottle getting warm? This is called the Exothermic Reaction.  

Experiment Some More

If you want to experiment some more with this science activity, you can make some changes. Try more or less yeast, a different sized bottle or use dry yeast instead.  

Note how each of these changes affects the foaminess of your experiment. When you are finished, just pour the contents of your foam down the drain.

If you made Elephant Toothpaste, let us know how it turned out. Leave us your results in our comment section!

Better yet, draw us a picture of your Elephant Toothpaste experiment and you could be featured on our “Show Us Your Stuff Saturdays!”