Simple Apple Volcano Science Experiment for Kids

This post may contain affiliate links.

Setting up an apple volcano science experiment for preschoolers is a great way to engage them in an awesome STEM activity this fall!

As you begin planning your preschool apple theme, you won’t want to miss this awesome hands-on activity for little ones. They’ll love watching the bubbles pour out of their “volcano”!

If you’ve been teaching preschool for any length of time, you’ve probably got a good collection of back-to-school activities. I bet you teach apples during August or September.

Apple Volcano Science Experiment

This preschool science experiment is a great way to explore color mixing and chemical reactions with your preschoolers.

What You’ll Need

1 apple
1-2 tbsp. Baking soda
1-2 cups of Vinegar (in a squeeze bottle works best)
Spoon
Tray
(Optional: food coloring)

Preparing the Experiment

Adults will need to cut a hole in the top of the apple. Be careful with this step!

Then, place the apple in a tray to catch the spills.

What You’ll Do

Have your child fill the hole in the apple with baking soda.

Using the squeeze bottle, squeeze the vinegar onto the baking soda and watch the eruption!

When the fizzing slows down, add more baking soda and repeat the steps as many times as you wish.

Add fun food coloring if desired for more fun! For this experiment, we used the colors of the rainbow.

Refill the apple with more baking soda.

Add 1-3 drops of each color of food coloring around the baking soda.

Pour the vinegar in the center of the apple and watch the different colors start to flow from the apple!

Skills Taught

Hand-Eye Coordination – It takes a little practice to scoop the baking soda into the hole in the apple. At first, kids might make a bit of a mess as they get the soda close to the hole but not in it. With practice, they’ll get more and more accurate.

Fine Motor Skills – Squeezing the bottle of vinegar is a great way to strengthen fine motor muscles in your child’s hands and fingers.

Chemical Reactions – Kids will love watching the way baking soda and vinegar react. They’ll beg to do this activity over and over again.

Color Mixing – If you choose to add food coloring, you can introduce color mixing to your preschoolers. You can use all the colors of the rainbow. Or, you can explore mixing blue and red to make purple, yellow and blue to make green, and red and yellow to make orange.

PRESCHOOL BOOKS ABOUT APPLES

Fill your book basket with a great collection of books about apples. Most of these books can be found at your local library or used bookstore.

If you have a hard time finding them, you can order them through my Amazon affiliate links by clicking the images below.

Apples, Apples, Apples – It’s a blue sky autumn day and Minna, Pop, Mom, and Dad have decided to go on an outing to Long Hill Orchard. As the bunnies fill their baskets, Farmer Miller teaches them all about apples. This charming story is filled with fun facts, activities, and an applesauce recipe.

Pinkalicious: Apples, Apples, Apples – Pinkalicious and the Pinkertons are all excited when they return from their trip to the orchard with lots of Pink Lady apples to munch on! After realizing they have more apples than the family could possibly use, Pinkalicious finds ways to share the apples with others.

How Do Apples Grow? – Young children love to eat apples and go to orchards. Here’s a Hello, World! board book that teaches toddlers all about how apples grow—from seed to sapling to tree to applesauce.

RESOURCES I LOVE

Everyone loves an apple. Yum. Dig right into the core of the apple with this interactive felt labeling set. There are labels for the inside and outside including ones to show what happens to the flower during the apple life cycle.

Practice counting apples with this fun apple counting baskets felt board set. Children will love placing the correct number of apples in baskets. They’ll learn to recognize numerals, number words and counting to five.

Looking for a fun way to help your little ones practice counting and number recognition? These apple-themed fall number worksheets are perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners!