You can make lemon volcanoes at home in just a few steps! Super easy and colorful too.
How to Make Lemon Volcanoes
The entire experiment is a lot less messy than a baking soda and vinegar explosion, and it teaches chemical reactions all the same.
Supplies:
For this experiment, you need:
- lemons
- food coloring
- dish soap
- baking soda
- craft sticks (or something similar)
Directions:
- Start by cutting the ends off the lemons so they will stand up.
- Then cut the lemons in half.
- Add a few drops of food coloring, a bit of dish soap, a sprinkle of baking soda and the fun can begin!
- Have the kids start stabbing the lemon with the craft stick and the lemon juice will mix with the baking soda creating the volcano effect. 👍🏻
Lemon Volcano Video
Here is a video we made of the kids making their own lemon volcanoes. As you can see, using food coloring makes the entire experiment a lot more fun!
What It Teaches
This experiment teaches kids a few things:
- Chemical reactions – what is reacting to make the reaction?
- Colors – as the colors blend, what new colors form?
- Acid – a lemon is acidic. What does that mean?
- Gross motor skills – poking the lemons takes a certain amount of strength.
Lemon Volcano Tips
Here are some things I learned after doing this experiment with 3 boys at once.
- Give each boy their own bowl – They were kinda crowded around the dish, but it still worked out pretty well.
- Don’t use sharp objects – the lemons slip around the dish, so a sharp object might cut a child. We used popsicle sticks without points and I’m so glad we did.
- Slice the lemons – they will slide less if they have a firmer base.
More Volcano Experiments
Want more explosive fun? Here are some more volcanoes we have made before, give them a try!