Weather Academy: Oozing Pumpkins

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - Today we’re taking a step away from the weather side and we’re holding on to spooky season just a little bit longer. So don’t throw your jack-o-lantern away just yet because today we’re going to be teaching you how to make an oozing pumpkin.

What you’ll need:

• Baking Soda
• Liquid dish soap (optional)
• Vinegar
• Food coloring
• Container (to catch the fizz)
• Your old Jack-O-Lantern

Steps

1. Take the Jack-O-Lantern and place it in your container.
2. Add 1 cup of baking soda into the pumpkin
3. Add a squirt of dish soap into the pumpkin (this step is optional but it should make our explosion foamier)
4. Add a few drops of food coloring into the pumpkin
5. Add 2-3 cups of vinegar into the pumpkin and step back!
6. The pumpkin should erupt!

A chemical reaction is occurring between the baking soda and the vinegar which is known as an “acid-base” reaction. The baking soda is our base and the vinegar is our acid. When the vinegar is added to our baking soda mixture inside of the pumpkin, the baking soda transforms into water and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide released during the reaction gives us the bubbling effect that we see coming out of the pumpkin’s mouth.

Now if you don’t want to do this experiment, don’t throw your pumpkin away. Go find a field or woods near you, smash them open, and leave them for the wildlife to eat. Pumpkins are safe for animals in the seeds act as a natural dewormer Be sure to break them up so they don’t get stuck on the deer’s head. 2.5 billion pumpkins are produced but only 1/5 get reused. The rest ended up in landfills so recycle these pumpkins to the wildlife or even ask a local farmer if they want them for their pigs or cows. This is a win-win for everyone.

Thank you for joining us on this week’s Weather Academy. If you do this experiment at home please make sure to upload your photos and videos here and they might be featured on Good Morning ArkLaMiss next week.

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