Baking soda and vinegar make for one of the best and easiest science experiments for young kids! You can build so many themes around this basic science activity. This season we are making a mini volcano from mini pumpkins for an EASY fall science experiment!

Mini pumpkin volcanos are an amazing way to explore fall science experiments and simple chemistry activities with kids.Pin

Explore Pumpkins For Fall Science

Let’s get started making mini volcanos with our smaller pumpkins! You only need a few easy to find supplies for this cool fall science experiment! Also, this would make a perfect, group activity for a class, party, or play date!

Did you know you can even make slime in a real pumpkin? It’s super cool and kids love it. We have quite a few pumpkin STEM activities this season for you to try!

What is chemistry?

This pumpkin volcano experiment might look more like play than learning, but it’s so much more!

Let’s keep it basic for our younger or junior scientists! Chemistry is all about how different materials are put together and how they are made up, including atoms and molecules.

It’s also how these materials act under different conditions. Chemistry is often a base for physics, so you should plan to see some overlap!

What might you experiment with within chemistry? Classically, we think of a mad scientist and lots of bubbling beakers, and yes, there are plenty of reactions between bases and acids to enjoy!

Also, chemistry involves states of matter, chemical changes, solutions, mixtures, and the list goes on and on.

Here you will be exploring simple chemistry you can do at home or in the classroom that isn’t too crazy but is still lots of fun for kids! Our experiments are easy to set up and inexpensive for home or classroom use and groups!

>>> Check out more fun chemistry experiments

Helpful Science Resources To Get Your Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

Get your FREE printable Pumpkin Science Activities!

Grab this free pumpkin science guide and pumpkin STEM challenge cards to plan a complete pumpkin lesson!

The Science Of A Pumpkin Volcano

Kids and adults are amazed by fizzy baking soda and vinegar science experiments, especially our mini pumpkin volcanos below!

I have done so many of these baking soda science experiments, but I never tire of watching the bubbling, erupting, fizzing action. Mini pumpkin volcanos are simple science and perfect for showing a true chemical reaction.

Plus, you can explore states of matter with solids (baking soda and the pumpkin too), liquids (vinegar), and gasses (carbon dioxide)!

How does a baking soda and vinegar reaction work? Simple, when an acid {vinegar} and a base {baking soda} combine, they produce a gas called carbon dioxide which is the eruption you see. The bubbles and fizz are a telltale sign of a chemical change vs a physical change. Plus, a new substance is formed!

These mini pumpkins are great for creating an erupting volcano because we have carved out a small cavity and opening. It then forces the fizzing to come up and out of the mini pumpkin like a volcano!

Mini Pumpkin Volcano

Supplies:

  • Mini pumpkins {we bought ours at a local farm store, but I have also seen some at the grocery store}
  • Baking Soda
  • Vinegar
  • Dish soap 
  • Food coloring {optional}
  • Spoon, baster, and/or measure cup
  • Tray to catch the mess!

Good Tip: have lots of vinegar and baking soda on hand for this experiment!

Mini Pumpkin Volcano SuppliesPin

Experiment Set Up:

STEP 1: To make your mini pumpkin volcanos, start by cutting out the stem area as you would carve a Jack O’Lantern. Keep the opening on the small side as that makes the eruption more interesting.

I cleaned out some of the seeds, but didn’t go crazy getting every last one! You could save the seeds for a pumpkin math activity.

Pumpkin Volcano Science ActivityPin

STEP 2: Place your mini pumpkin volcanos on some sort of tray or lid to a plastic storage container.

Since we used three pumpkins, I opted for a bigger tray. This can get a bit messy, but that’s part of the fun! If the weather is still nice, take the experiment outside!

STEP 3: Add a few heaped tablespoons of baking soda to each pumpkin. Then add a few drops of dish soap and lastly add a few drops of food coloring if desired!

Making Mini Pumpkin Volcanos Fall ActivityPin

STEP 4: Get ready for mini exploding volcanos! Pout vinegar into a bowl and provide your kids with eye droppers, basters, or small measuring cups.

Watch the fun! You can repeat the process over and over with more vinegar and more baking soda. The dish soap gives the eruption a foamy appearance.

Pumpkin Baking Soda And Vinegar Science ExperimentPin

Make sure to explore the pumpkin volcanos thoroughly. They also make a cool tactile sensory experience!

Clean Up Tip: Clean up is simple for this pumpkin volcano fall science experiment, rinse everything down the sink or hose off outside! I rinsed out the pumpkins and want to save them to try again in a day or two. We ran out of vinegar while we were still having fun with our mini pumpkin volcanos!

Pumpkin Volcanos Sensory PlayPin

More Fun Pumpkin Science Experiments

Check out our complete collection of pumpkin science experiments! Here are a few of our favorites…

More Awesome Baking Soda and Vinegar Reactions

You can experiment with several pumpkin shapes to find your perfect volcano vessel or create a more traditional one. Check out some of the ways we have enjoyed this simple chemical reaction.

Printable Pumpkin STEM Pack

Perfect for K-2/3rd Grade and homeschool! Many activities can be modified for preschool and older kiddos as well. 

Pumpkin is a festive and classic theme for fall and this pack is perfect for exploring pumpkins with a non-Halloween theme! Includes science, STEM, engineering, early math, and art projects.

The kids will have a blast trying 100+ pages of “totally doable” projects! Read more here.

Printable Pumpkin Preschool Pack

Need a younger version of our Pumpkin STEM Project Pack? Perfect for older toddlers and preschoolers to explore pumpkins this fall season. 14+ Pumpkin theme activities include instructions, templates, and a great book list.

18 Comments

  1. This is such an awesome idea, I can’t even! Our 6th grade class is not allowed to have any food treats on Halloween, and I’ve been hard pressed to fill a half hour and still make it feel like a fun time. This is the ticket! One thing I plan to do is add a face using the hole opening at the top as the “mouth.” I just know the kids will go nuts watching their pumpkins erupt with “barf.” Perfecto!

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  3. Wow! I can hardly wait to do this!!! Anyone have any awesome worksheets or experiment sheets I can use along with this experiment?! Thank you for an awesome idea!

  4. We don’t have a pumpkin themed worksheet but we do have science journaling pages and worksheets if you search free science sheets on our site!

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  14. I have to leave a comment after trying this activity! It kept my 20 month old twins occupied for a good 30 minutes. I 100% recommend for children of all ages. It’s one of those “Well why didn’t I think of that?” because the activity is so simple, yet so fun. I’ve been trying to find something to do with these pumpkins before painting them/making Jack-o’-lanterns and the best part is that this activity is re-doable. I have a huge hug of vinegar too. Thanks for the wonderful idea.

  15. Would it be possible to reuse the mini pumpkins to make slime in a day or two later? Would there be any kind of a chemical reaction risk?

  16. I think if you rinsed them out well it will be fine but I can’t guarantee it. We do make a bubbling slime with baking soda and vinegar so it’s aa good chance it will work!

  17. Thanks for the amazing ideas! We together with my boys have a great time with your experiments!

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