Learning with Pumpkins-Science Experiments for Little Ones

Science Experiment with Pumpkins volcano pumpkins with vinegar and baking soda

I always said I wanted to homeschool. We decided we wouldn’t and chose a wonderful school for Bennett. Then 2020 happened, and everyone’s world was turned upside down. We decided we were going to pull Bennett from school and begin homeschooling. This experience has been wonderful, and I have a true passion for it. I also love spending every day with these sweet boys. They make my heart so happy. The oldest absolutely loves science–so any time we can incorporate science he excels.On Friday we had a blast learning all about pumpkins–this is very easy and can be changed based on what your child is learning.

Science experiment for kids, pumpkin investigation taking the seeds out and weighing them.

We started our experiment by cutting and opening our pumpkins. Once we had it open, we took all the seeds and strands out, and put them in a cup that we would then measure. If you have a child that is sensitive to textures grab some gloves–even if they aren’t sensitive, some kids don’t like the cold feeling of the inside of the pumpkin.

After we dug all the seeds and strands out we weighed everything we dug out to see which one weighed the most. My oldest was shocked his didn’t weigh more even though his was bigger. It was definitely a learning moment, and they also started weighing different things around the house to see who could find the heaviest item.

Using our pumpkin seeds to grow more pumpkins in the windows.

A little later after we had soaked and dried the seeds, we hung them up in the window to grow! We have learned a lot about plants this year, so they were excited to grow their own in their classroom.

pumpkin investigation measuring our pumpkins

We practiced addition with the pumpkins height with the unit cubes. My oldest’s pumpkin was 10 cubes, which made it perfect to make addition sentences. He would create different patterns and write down the addition problem. It was a great way to incorporate the addition we have been working on.

The moment they waited for finally came! The experiment time. We took the pumpkins outside and I gave them a gallon of vinegar and 2 boxes of baking soda, and told them to have at it. They did this for a good 15 minutes–they also added green food coloring to make it a little more scary. We had such a blast and will continue our learning about pumpkins this week. I created these little matching sheets to practice our letter recognition and addition facts. Download them below! Do you do science experiments with your little one?