Oh, you are in for a treat with this sizzling, easy pumpkin science experiment for kids! Baking soda + vinegar = awesome. Baking soda + vinegar INSIDE OF A PUMPKIN? The most awesome thing to ever exist.
- Kids LOVE this easy pumpkin science experiment
- This easy pumpkin experiment is one of the best fall activities for kids
- Materials
- How to make fizzy pumpkins
- What else reacts with baking soda besides vinegar?
- Ask juicy questions during the easy pumpkin science experiment to deepen the learning and fun!
- Follow-up Fall activities for kids to try, too
- Fall activities for kids just got a whole lot more fun with easy pumpkin science
- Frequently Asked Questions
Kids LOVE this easy pumpkin science experiment
Do you have kids who go crazy for baking soda + vinegar experiments?
Or, kids who count down the days until fall so that you can do every pumpkin activity known to mankind?
Do you love activities that are hands-on and perfect for independent play?
If you answered “Yes!” to any of the above, then baking soda & vinegar pumpkins are for you!
Related: Our GIANT 10-foot fall coloring banner is the cutest fall art project ever.
This easy pumpkin experiment is one of the best fall activities for kids
There’s something about Fall that just has excitement in the air.
Maybe it’s the fact that it’s not 115 degrees anymore.
Maybe it’s the fact that there are pumpkins EVERYWHERE. *heart eyes*
These sizzling pumpkins are just the cherry on top.
Looking for more fall activities for kids? I thought you might ask:
- Fall Directed Draws for Kids
- Paper Bag Fall Leaf Art
- Sunflower Still Life Fall Art
- Autumn Spice Play Dough with Whole Spices
Materials
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- Pumpkin with the top cut off – cutting for adults to do
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Shallow bowls – ours are discontinued, but this colorful 10-pack of bowls looks great
- Spoons
- Eye droppers
- Coloring – optional, but adds a ton of extra fun
- Large tray
How to make fizzy pumpkins
- Place the pumpkin in the center of a large tray.
- Set bowls of baking soda around the table. Add in spoons.
- If using coloring, add it to the vinegar and place those bowls around the table, too. Add in spoons or eyedroppers.
- Let the littles mix and match!
We like doing these kinds of activities on low tables so that the kids can see inside of the pumpkin as it’s fizzing.
💡 Teacher Tip: Sometimes, we add a few cups of baking soda into the pumpkin to start to give it some height. Our students love seeing it ooze out of the side of the pumpkin, and a bit of vinegar to begin helps to achieve this.
What else reacts with baking soda besides vinegar?
The sizzling of baking soda & vinegar is simply an acid & base reaction, and we can recreate this with baking soda & lemon juice.
We LOVE making lemon volcanoes, and you could easily add fresh lemons cut in half instead of or in addition to the vinegar.
If you are sensitive to the smell of vinegar, do this project outside. Personally, the scent of vinegar makes me 🤢, but projects like this don’t bother me at all when we are outside.
Ask juicy questions during the easy pumpkin science experiment to deepen the learning and fun!
When the kids are doing their thing exploring and experimenting, adults can engage them in open-ended questions to facilitate discussion and deepen the play.
Before the activity:
- How does the pumpkin smell?
- What is inside the pumpkin? How does it feel?
- Why do pumpkins have seeds?
- What do you think will happen when the baking soda and vinegar get mixed in the pumpkin?
During the activity:
- What sounds do you hear?
- How does it smell?
- What happens if you use a LOT of vinegar on a little bit of baking soda?
- Will this make the pumpkin explode?
Follow-up Fall activities for kids to try, too
Baking soda and vinegar trays: Spread a thin layer of baking soda on the bottom of a shallow tray. Invite your child to use eye droppers to add colorful vinegar on top.
Grow your own pumpkins: Remove some seeds and see if you can grow your own pumpkin plants!
Make your own pumpkin seeds to eat: There are a million recipes online for making sweet or savory pumpkin seeds. Scoop some seeds out before you begin and bake them up for a yummy, healthy snack.
Fall activities for kids just got a whole lot more fun with easy pumpkin science
Your kids are going to fall in love with this activity!
How many pumpkins are you going to make?
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the size of your pumpkin, but err on the side of having too much rather than too little. Also, if you mix your vinegar with water in a 1:1 ratio it will still fizz and last much longer.
Absolutely! This same idea is fun in a gourd, apple, or even regular bowls and cups.
They bubble because an acid is mixing with a base releasing carbon dioxide. So fun!
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