Baking soda and vinegar make 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 pumpkin volcano for an easy science experiment!
Mini Pumpkin Volcano
This is a must-try pumpkin science activity that’s just as easy to do at home or in the classroom.
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 measure cup
- Tray to catch the mess!
Good Tip: have lots of vinegar and baking soda on hand for this experiment!
Volcano Experiment Set Up:
STEP 1: To make your mini pumpkin volcanos, cut out the stem area as you would carve a Jack O’Lantern. Keep the opening on the small side, making 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.
STEP 2: Place your mini pumpkin volcanos on some 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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
More Fun Pumpkin Science Experiments
Check out our complete collection of pumpkin science experiments! Here are a few of our favorites…
- Make Oobleck in a Pumpkin
- Make Slime in a Pumpkin
- Learn About the Pumpkin Life Cycle
- Set Up a Rotting Pumpkin Jack
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. Kids love volcanos.
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?
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!
Thanks for the amazing ideas! We together with my boys have a great time with your experiments!