Make a Pumpkin Volcano!

Earlier this week we did a simple float or sink experiment with pumpkins.  Once we finished investigating the insides of the pumpkin, we made a simple pumpkin volcano.   It’s a fun fall twist to an old favorite science experiment.

Materials needed to make your own pumpkin volcano:

• Hollowed out pumpkin
• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Food coloring (optional)

To create our pumpkin volcano we sprinkled a healthy dose of baking soda into the bottom of the pumpkin.  How much you need will depend on the size of your pumpkin.

Then we poured vinegar on top of the baking soda — instant volcano!

You could make your volcano more colorful by adding a few drops of food coloring to your vinegar ahead of time.

We had fun adding pumpkin seeds to the bottom of our pumpkin.  When the vinegar was added the foam caused the pumpkin seeds to bubble up and spill out with the pumpkin volcano’s lava.

And who could resist using a spoon and giving the volcano a bit of a stir?  Mixing it helps more baking soda react with the vinegar and you get a second eruption.  So fun!

I warn you, this one is addicting!  The kids will ask to do it over and over again.  We used half a box of baking soda and quite a bit of vinegar before I had to call it quits.  (I needed baking soda for a bit of baking still that day.)

If you are looking for fun activities to try with the kids this fall, I highly recommend making a pumpkin volcano! 

Other fun fall activities to try:

• Does the Pumpkin Float or Sink? Experiment
• 2 Ingredient Apple-Scented Bubble Dough
• Apple-Themed CVC/Sight Word Game 
• Super Simple Fall Sensory and Exploration Bin