Pumpkin Potions! Fun Autumn Activity
How to Make a Pumpkin Potion (scroll down for the How To Pumpkin Potion Video!)
One of the hands-on activities we had planned for Elodie’s Harry Potter Party, was ‘potion making’ but we ran out of time at the party, so we decided to try some potion making with different type of pumpkin this week as a fun Autumn Pumpkin Science Activity which is great for curious kids! One of the fun ideas was just simply Pumpkin Potions like a pumpkin volcano using the usual vinegar and bicarbonate of soda chemical reaction trick that we used in our Erupting Volcano Experiment – it never gets old and is great for older kids and kids of all ages! We made two pumpkin potions and the kiddos had plenty of fun making a ton of mess doing cool experiments! It’s the perfect way to learn about different parts of a pumpkin. We used mini pumpkins but equally you could use large pumpkins or small pumpkins and carve them and then it would be fun to see the potion exploding out of the pumpkin’s eyes and mouth so that it looks like a puking pumpkin (O.K that’a a little ghoulish but it would be a good Halloween Activity and perfect for a Halloween party!) This is great for little kids to develop their fine motor skills cutting the pumpkin. And if you like this experiment than you’ll love our mud explosion experiment – where you can make mud monsters with exploding mud!
STEM activities for Kids
Fall science experiments for Kids
I love all the different types off fresh pumpkins and squash that have been in the shops recently and this is a great way for little scientists to learn the different ways to explore parts of the pumpkin – we made a little pumpkin Autumnal display at home and then used the mini pumpkins for our potions for a bubbly science experiment. First wash the pumpkins in soapy water. and then cut off the top of the pumpkin. We scooped the pumpkin insides and seeds out (or as Finlay called it – ‘the Pumpkin guts!) little hands love this activity! Save the pumpkin guts to learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin and set them aside as you can use them in one of your halloween Science experiments later!
Pumpkin Science Activities using Real Pumpkins
If you live near London, here’s our favourite place to pick pumpkins near SE London with kids!
Amazing Pumpkin Science Experiments
Pumpkin Science Activity
Next, we filled small glass beakers with vinegar and stirred in some liquid soap colourant. The glass beakers are obviously optional and plastic would be safer – needless to say Archie was having a nap so we felt safe to use the glass beakers which make you feel like a proper Scientist! You could easily use food dye and change the scientific method but we had some leftover soap colouring from making slime at Elodie’s party so we used that to make a fun experiment. Soap Colouring which can be found here is kinder on your hands and doesn’t stain as much as food dye does. The kiddos had fun mixing and colouring the vinegar to make it look like a real potion. Then we filled our pumpkins with bicarbonate of soda (or baking powder works too) we added around 4-5 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda into the pumpkin to make the bubble science experiment and Using some of these plastic pipettes, the kids dropped vinegar into the pumpkins until the potion fizzed and exploded out of the pumpkin! The vinegar reaction took a while and I think using the pipettes built up the excitement a little more! This pumpkin experiment is a great sensory experience! You can also try adding lemon juice for a different reaction.
Fun Pumpkin Science Experiments
More Pumpkin Science Experiments and pumpkin activities for Kids!
For the second experiment, we mixed some shaving foam with the ‘pumpkin seeds and pumpkin guts’ and some drops of food colouring soap colourant and then added to the inside of the pumpkin (we had to pour out the bubbling experiment first!) The kids spent ages doing this – so much fun – changing the colours and used their hands to scoop it in! It was pretty messy to say the least. Finlay spent ages spooning his mixture in and out of his pumpkin and then changing the colour – he was quite the little inventor! You could add any old kitchen ingredients or toiletry ingredients so the kids could mix up and create their own potions in their own pumpkins (the kids still talk about this outdoor kitchen cabinet leftover experiment!!)
It did keep the little people busy for at least a couple of hours – they stirred, mixed and poured their own potions happily like little chemists. A tip for the least mess would be to make the potions over a garden tray or tuff spot – this saved most of the mess from our table and then it was easily washed outside with the garden tap! You obviously wouldn’t need pumpkins – all you need is some mixing containers, colourant of some sort, powders and liquids to mix and you’ve got yourself a fun filled afternoon!
Go here for the Ultimate Guide in Autumn Outdoor Activities for Kids
More Autumn Crafts for Kids
If you’d like some other Autumn Craft Ideas, have a gander at these…….
Fun Autumn Sensory for Toddlers
Crafts to make with Autumn Leaves
And for more Pumpkin Specific Autumn Crafts – try these 36 Cute Pumpkin Crafts
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