Erupting Pumpkin Science Experiment

Pick a crisp autumn day to head outdoors and conduct this exciting science experiment. Aside from the pumpkin, most supplies for this activity are staples you already keep in your kitchen. As you experiment, be sure to adjust the amount of ingredients according to the size of your pumpkin.

Discussion Points
Explain that the eruption you see when you add the vinegar to the pumpkin is the result of a chemical reaction. When the vinegar (an acid) combines with the baking soda (a base), they form a bubbling gas known as carbon dioxide. It’s the same gas you see and hear fizzing in a bottle of soda when you twist off the cap. When this chemical reaction is confined to the small space inside a pumpkin, the bubbling carbon dioxide resembles a volcanic eruption as it escapes through the only available opening.

Sources:
Little Bins for Little Hands