Watermelon Volcano Experiment – Summer Activity for Preschoolers
Looking for fun things to do with watermelon for your upcoming watermelon theme or National Watermelon Day on August 3rd? Kids will go nuts over this watermelon volcano project! This watermelon experiment allows kids to witness the chemical reaction when baking soda and vinegar mix . This summer activity for kids is such a fun and easy volcano experiment perfect for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, and 2nd graders to try.
Watermelon Volcano
Every kids needs to try the a volcano experiment at some point. While young kids may not understand about volcanoes or be ready to make a complex project, they will appreciate the WOW effect in this chemistry experiment. This volcano science experiment combines a watermelon activity with fun summer activities for preschoolers, toddlers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, and gade 3 students. This watermelon volcano is so simple it will only take you a couple minutes to pre and a couple minutes to watch the watermelon explosion! Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooeler – you will want to add this to your watermelon day activities or summer camp ideas!
Easy Volcano Experiment
All you need to try this simple watermelon project are a few simle materials that you already have on hand. This kitchen science project is perfect for busy families as you can do this summer science activity in just a couple minutes with common things you already have on hand!
- watermelon – any size you like
- knife (for adult to use and supervise)
- spoon or scoop
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup dish soap
- red food coloring
- vinegar
Watermelon Activities
Start by preparing your watermelon to become a volcano. You can use any size of watermelon you like, just adjust the baking soda and vinegar accordingly for a big erruption! Cut a hole in top of watermelon that is just big enough to scoop, but the smaller the hole, the better for your volcano erruption as the lava will all be forced up the hole. Scoop out the inside like you carve a pumpkin. The reason we scoop it out isn’t for the science experiment with a watermelon, it is to avoid being wasteful with food! All we need for this watermelon activity is the watermelon container or shell, so-to-speak.
Watermelon Science
When you are ready for your erruption take your watermelon fruit outside or put on a tray with the surrounding surfaces covered – just in case! Now add baking soda, dish soap, and red food coloring (the more the better for a deep red color).
NOTE: You don’t need the dish soap to make the summer science experiment work, but it will make it bubble!
Watermelon Experiment
Pour in vinegar, about 1-2 cups, until you get some fun fizz starting to come up.
Watermelon Activities for Preschoolers
The volcano will begin to fizz and flow the “lava” from the inside down the side of the watermelon!
Watermelon Theme
Your kids will love this fun and silly summer experiment!
Easy Summer Activity
Make sure you do this easy summer experiment on a baking dish with a lip or outside to contain all the red lava that comes out.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction
This easy summer science is super CHEAP! Just use a watermelon you were going to eat anyway, and add some inexpensive baking soda and vinegar, some food coloring for color, and wala!
Vinegar and Baking Soda Reaction
If your kids can’t get enough of this science experiment, it’s normal. Ours begged to do it again and I was happy to oblige! Just dump in more baking soda and vinegar, plus food coloring and dish soap if you wish. No need to rinse or clean the tray unless you are out of room on the tray. That’s part of why we like to do our project outside. As you can see ours was more pink the second time because I used most of our food coloring the first time around. But guess what, the kids didn’t care – they though it was still super cool and giggled with excitement.
Summer Activity for Preschoolers
So what is happening in this cool fizzy chemistry experiment? Basically you are creating an acid and a base experiment. The vinegar is an acid and the baking soda is a base. When they mix they produce carbon dioxide. This fizzing gas will take up more and more space forcing the liquid in your watermelon to be forced up and out to create room for all the newly created CO2.
Watermelon Day Activities
Looking for another watermelon activity or two to make a week long watermelon theme or dive into the letter w is for watermelon? You will love these fun activities and free printables:
- Count playdough “seeds” with these adorable, Free Watermelon Printables
- Rows and rows of Watermelon Math Number Lines
- Cute Suncatcher Watermelon Craft
- W is for Watermelon HandArt Project
- Scented, Watermelon Kool Aid Play Dough Recipe for summer
- Squish Bag Watermelon Activities for Preschoolers
- Fun-to-play with Fluffy Slime Watermelon Activities for Preschoolers
- Watermelon Slime Activity for Kids
- Explode a Watermelon, Explore Potential Energy, and Disocver How Many Rubber Bands to Explode a Watermelon
- Watermelon Volcano Experiment – Summer Activity for Preschoolers
- Work on Counting with these Watermelon worksheet
- Hands-on Alphabet practice with this Watermelon Activity
- Watermelon All About Me Poster
- Find the Letter Watermelon Worksheets
- Watermelon Printable Counting Clip Cards
- Free Watermelon seed counting Activity with printable
- Hands-on Watermelon Activity adding seeds with kids fingerprints
- Watermelon Activities for Preschoolers
- Addition within 10 Watermelon Printable Math Activity
- Number Puzzles Watermelon Activities for Preschoolers
- Ryming Words Watermelon Activity
- Watermelon Letter Matching Game
- Fact Family Watermelon Worksheets
- Watermelon Life Cycle Spinner
- Plus don’t miss these Watermelon Activities
See all our watermelon activities for kids, watermelon activities (for older kids) and our watermelon activities for preschoolers
Baking Soda Vinegar Experiment
There are so many fun ways to play and teach kids about chemical reactions using a baking soda and vinegar reaction. Here are some of our favorite baking soda and vinegar activities.
- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF! Rocket Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment
- Dancing Raisins Experiment
- Look Inside a Volcano Experiment for Kids
- Science Play – Dinosaur Activities for Preschoolers
- Lemon Volcano Summer Experiment
- Glitter Volcano Pretty Science Experiment
- Science Powered Boats with Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment
- Rainbow Activities for Preschoolers
Summer Fun
Looking for more outdoor activities for kids and things to do in the summer? Your toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, and elementary age kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:
- Marshmallow Shooters – go over 30 feet!
- 2 ingredient Easy Slime Recipe
- How to Make a Simple Newton’s Cradle Science Experiment
- Super Simple Sand Slime
- EPIC Mentos and Soda Experiment
- How to Make a Lava Lamp – it’s super EASY!
- Kids will no nuts over this simple Pop Rock Experiment
- Easy Button Crafts for Kids
- Handprint Strawberry Craft for Summer
- Amazing Bubble Painting
- Mind Blowing Color Changing Playdough
- Egg Shell DIY Chia Pet Craft – Silly Spring / Summer Activities for Kids
- EASY Stained Glass Pasta Art for Kids
- Simple Flower Mason Jar Lid Crafts
- Silly Bandaid Art Craft for kids
- Blow GIANT bubbles with this Homemade Bubble Solution
- 20+ Printable Roadtrip Games
Fun Summer Activities for Kids
- Ice Cream Edible Playdough
- Whip up a batch of Kool Aid Playdough – it smells amazing!
- EASY, Vibrant Sidewalk Chalk Paint for Kids
- Color-Changing Flowers – Capillary Action Science Experiment
- Fun-to-play with Fluffy Slime Watermelon Activities for Preschoolers
- Leak Proof Bag – Amazing Science Experiment with Everyday Materials
- Mind-Blowing Magnetic Slime for Kids
- I Spy DIY Bottles are quick, easy and FUN!
- Amazing Tin Foil Art Project for Kids of all Ages
- Fun to play with Ocean Slime
- Summer Bucket List Printable with Ice Cream Theme
- How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag
- Ice Cream Playdough Patterns
- Head to the zoo with this FREE Zoo Scavenger Hunt – lots of choices for all ages!
- Make your favorite animal with one of these 100 animal crafts
- Try one of these fun Animal I Spy Printables
- Epic Squirt Gun Painting
- 10+ Pasta Flower Crafts for Kids
- Play with your food using this goldfish counting activity
- 107 Epic Summer Activities for Kids