Make an exploding watermelon volcano out of a small watermelon. We love volcano activities and baking soda science! We also love turning fruit into volcanos! It all started with the PUMPKIN-CANO and then the APPLE-CANO. This summer, try a WATERMELON-CANO! Plus, there’s no food waste! Oh, and if you want to learn about real volcanoes…we have that too!

Cool Summer Science

This exploding watermelon volcano is an awesome science experiment for the whole family. You will hear oohs and ahhhs from everyone around the table.

Take this one outside, and the clean-up will be a breeze!

Even better, the chemical reaction in our watermelon volcano is made from basic household staples! We always have plenty of vinegar and baking soda to make a volcano chemical reaction whenever possible! One of our latest, coolest volcanoes is our LEGO volcano! Be prepared, as this watermelon volcano activity can get messy! It’s a must-try.

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Watermelon Volcano Science Activity for Kids

Free Summer Science Guide

Make a Watermelon Volcano

Read more about the science behind baking soda and vinegar experiments.

YOU WILL NEED:

  • Small watermelon (personal)
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar
  • Dish soap
  • Food coloring {optional}.

We also used a knife, a melon baller, and a tray to catch the eruption.

NOTE: We worked hard to clear out the watermelon, so this is not a wasteful food activity! You can also use a regular-size watermelon, but it will take longer to clean out!

WATERMELON VOLCANO SETUP

To prepare your watermelon, cut a small hole on top. Similar to carving a pumpkin. Make the opening just big enough to scoop out the fruit but as small as possible to allow for the most exciting eruption.

TIP: When the reaction occurs, the gas must be forced upwards to exit cool. A smaller opening will give this effect. A larger opening will allow the gas to disperse, creating less of a grand exit!

Use a melon baller to scoop out the fruit. There is no waste here. We enjoyed all the tasty fruit too!

Also, a SANDBOX VOLCANO science activity is a must-try!

Watermelon Volcano Activity Set Up

How To Make a Watermelon Erupt

STEP 1: Hollow out a small watermelon with a melon baller tool so you don’t waste the fruit! The kids will have fun with this part too!

Alternatively, you can put a water bottle with baking soda into the watermelon and pour vinegar directly into the bottle.

STEP 2: To make your eruption for the watermelon volcano activity, add a good amount of baking soda to the watermelon. We had a tablespoon measure but put at least a half cup in to start.

Note: If you use a regular-size watermelon, you will need more of everything!

STEP 3: Add a couple of squirts of dish soap.

STEP 4: (Optional) You can squeeze in food coloring if desired.

STEP 5: Pour vinegar straight into the watermelon and get ready to watch your watermelon erupt. The pictures speak for themselves!

For an alternative to vinegar, check out our erupting lemon volcano. We continued to add baking soda, vinegar, and coloring until we ran out of vinegar!

TOUCH THIS VERY COOL SUMMER SCIENCE EXPERIMENT!

Watermelon Volcano Activity Touch Science

Baking Soda and Vinegar Science

This cool fizzy chemical reaction occurs when the baking soda and the vinegar are combined. Mixing a base, the baking soda, and acid, the vinegar, will produce a fizzing gas called carbon dioxide. This reaction is what causes your watermelon volcano to erupt. Did you know you can also blow up a balloon with this chemical reaction?

TIP: Adding dish soap to your chemical reaction will make the eruption froth and bubble!

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Watermelon Volcano Science

Please touch! This is cool science for the senses!

Let your kids experiment with this watermelon volcano activity. Kids can pour the vinegar, scoop the baking soda, and add color! 

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Watermelon Science Sensory Play

This watermelon volcano activity is the kind of science you can hear and see too! Consider the senses involved with this science experiment… sight, touch, sound, and even smell!

Watermelon Volcano Science Experiment

If you add enough vinegar at once, you will have an explosion of fizzing foam covering everything.

Watermelon Volcano Activity Volcano Science

Finish up your watermelon activity with an eye dropper! There is tons of potential for extended sensory play too!

More Cool Volcanoes for Kids

We have a great selection of the coolest volcanoes to try! If you have a kid who loves baking soda and vinegar volcanoes, check out the list below. Grab the free mini volcano pack in the Volcano Facts for Kids. Plus, there’s a vinegar-free one too.

Click on the image below or the link for more awesome summer science ideas.

Summer Science