Stephen's Place

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Pumpkin Volcano Experiment for Adults with Special Needs

‘Tis the season for everything pumpkin. This fall science experiment for adults with special needs is quick, easy and super fun. It’s great for all levels of learner. We’ve made lemon volcanoes and mentos rockets before, and this one has the same science behind it as those.  This science experiment uses mini pumpkins as volcanoes, so the cleanup is easy. 

You will need

  • As many mini pumpkins as you want to make into volcanoes
  • White vinegar (or any vinegar, it’s just that some vinegars will significantly change the color of your lava)
  • Baking Soda
  • Dish soap 
  • Food coloring (any color/colors you like)
  • A plate or tray to catch the foam

Instructions

  1. Place your pumpkin onto a tray or plate.
  2. Cut around the top stem of the mini pumpkin,  in the same way you would a regular-sized pumpkin if you were going to be doing pumpkin carving.
  3. Remove the piece you just cut out and set aside.
  4. Hollow out your pumpkin, removing seeds and softer flesh.
  5. Set the softer flesh and seeds aside if you'd like to use them to make scented pumpkin slime.
  6. At this point, you can carve a face for your pumpkin, or just leave it as is. 
  7. Once that’s done, add 2-3 teaspoons baking soda into the pumpkin.
  8. Add a few drops of food coloring.
  9. Now for experiment time. Slowly add the vinegar. The baking soda and vinegar will react and you should have colored lava spewing from the pumpkin!

About Stephen’s Place

Stephen’s Place is an independent apartment community for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, located in Vancouver, WA (7 minutes from Portland, OR).

If you have a loved one with developmental or intellectual disabilities, who is looking for a community to live in, please contact us for more information. 

Stephen’s Place is a private-pay apartment community due to our state-of-the-art amenities and programs. We are a nonprofit and do not profit from our community. We are private pay because we spend more than some housing communities to ensure that our residents are comfortable and can safely live their lives with independence and dignity.