Wack-a-Pack Valentine Science Activity

I was at Dollar Tree one year before Valentine’s Day and saw some “Wack-A-Pack” Valentines. Most of my students are boys, so I thought, “Cool, this might be a Valentine my boys would like!” So I had to buy some…the price was right since there are four in a package for just $1.00!! But after I tried one out at home, I went back and got more for ALL of my students! I knew they would be a big hit in my class! Watch video below to see how Wack-a-Pack Valentines work.

Are you wondering why they come with four gold pieces of thread?  Keep reading and watching. Below are the visual instructions.

And if you want a Valentine freebie you can just print and use, then you are in the right place! It is at the bottom of this post.

Watch How it Works:

Let’s watch a short video to see what happens. Note for students with autism or sensitivity to loud noises: These do make a loud pop.

First, the wrapper pops, then after a few seconds the balloon inflates and pops out of the wrapper.  You might have noticed that the heart wasn’t completely filled at the end of the video… just wait for the chemical reaction to continue working. Soon it will fill up like the photo below.

I have found that the harder you hit it, the faster it pops and blows up. But please note that if it doesn’t pop all the way and you hear a hissing sound, just wait! (maybe 1-2 minutes before the package pops open to reveal the surprise inside). Use the gold threads to make the heart into an ornament.

More Tips:

The first year I did this, the Wack-a-Pack hearts were just the Valentine I gave my students. But this year I want to turn this into a mini-science lesson in my small groups! Look at the simple ingredients below:

This could go with other experiments like menthos bottle rockets, or baking soda volcano eruptions. Maybe you could try to recreate this using simple ziplock baggies, but using a Seal-a-Meal to seal it? Just some thoughts!! Please let me know in the comments any ideas you have!!!

In conclusion, go get to your local Dollar Tree to get these for your students! Please let me know in the comments how your class (or your own children) liked it!

If you’d like to check out other Valentine activities your class might like, check them out in my TpT store here.

#dollartreeforthewin #valentinescience #dollartreefinds

Bonus FREEBIE: Fill out the information below to get some free sentence pages. The first sheet has kids mark whether they LIKE or LOVE something. The second sheet has kids trace sentences, then mark if they agree with the sentence (this page comes in 4 different tracing fonts).