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.
Conclusion
Let us know if you tried this! It is so much fun. Did you use food coloring? Did you take the activity outside? Leave a comment below.
Check out our other 31 Days of Activities. Click the image below.
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