How to Make a Pumpkin Volcano

Karla

6 years ago

Welcome to day 28 of 31 Awesome Days of Fall Activities with Your Kids. Today we are going to show you How to Make a Pumpkin Volcano. Because we have so many pumpkins from the garden this year, I wanted to get creative with them. I love anything pumpkin in the fall. I like to carve them, paint them, cook them, decorate them, use them in activities.

The pumpkins I use are from my garden and are sweet sugar pumpkins used for cooking. These are the perfect size for this experiment. You can also buy these small pumpkins at the grocery store.

We carved a pumpkin a week earlier, and it already started getting moldy and soft. So, I thought it would be great to use it for our pumpkin volcano activity!

What your kids will learn

A little bit of science called chemical reaction.
Fine motor skills
Measuring
Sensory play when you clean the pumpkin.

Supplies

Pumpkin – Guts removed or old carved pumpkin
Small cup or jar
Tray to catch spillover (optional, you won’t need this if you do the activity outside)
1 cup vinegar
2 Tblsp baking soda
2-3 drops of dish soap
Water enough to fill your jar or pumpkin 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full
Food coloring, optional

Instructions

Fill your cup, jar, or pumpkin with water about 1/2 way full. You will need a jar or cup for a carved pumpkin. If you just hollow out a pumpkin, you can pour the ingredients directly into the pumpkin, or if you prefer you can use a jar or cup for it too.
Add dish soap to the water
Add 2-3 drops of food coloring, if using.
Place 2 tablespoons of baking soda in the water
Pour vinegar into the water and baking soda mixture and watch your volcano go.

Our Video

The Science

The baking soda is a base and the vinegar is an acid. When they combine a chemical reaction takes place and a gas is produced. The gas is carbon dioxide which fizzes and bubbles. Showing your children the reaction is the best way for them to understand.