Erupting lemon volcanoes is a fun and easy fizzy science experiment for kids! This simple to set up STEM activity is the perfect activity for home or in the classroom.

Erupting Lemon Volcanoes Easy Science Fun

Creating lemon volcano at home is one of those super easy kitchen science experiments, every child should experience. When I set this up for my kids, they absolute loved it. Baking soda fizzy experiments are always a huge hit on our house. The colours, the smells, the sounds and the bubbles! This fun and easy chemical reaction was equal parts science and sensory!

Science for All Ages

One of the great things about this activity is that its safe for toddlers and preschoolers but exciting enough to entertain older grade school age kids as well! The main ingredient for this chemical reaction are baking soda, a common kitchen household item that is easily available at the grocery store.

Easy Baking Soda Experiments

Do you want to try more experiments with baking soda. You can also try our other fizzy experiments like our Awesome Fizzy Ice Cream Shop Sensory Bin or Fizzy Sun Sensory Bin: Summer STEAM or Super Fun Fizzy Paint Easter Bunny Craft or Fizzy Shapes Sensory Bin or Love Potions Sensory Bin: Valentine’s Day STEM or Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment for Kids.

Science Behind Lemon Volcanoes 

What happens when you combine baking soda with an acid? Fizz! Unlike other baking soda experiments for this one we actually don’t need to add vinegar to act as the acid.

Why is that? Because lemons are very, very acidic and we can use the lemon juice instead to create the reaction with the baking soda.

What is Citric Acid?

The acid found in lemons is called citric acid. Citric acid is naturally found in citrus fruits like lemons. It’s the citric acid that gives lemons their tart and sour taste. Lemon juice contains citric acid which when mixed with the base, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), reacts to form carbon dioxide and sodium citrate which causes the liquid to fizz and bubble.

Just like when you combine baking soda with vinegar, when you combine baking soda with lemon juice a chemical reaction occurs. When an acid and a base mix they produce a gas called carbon dioxide. When you pour the lemon juice on to the baking soda, carbon dioxide bubbles form. And since we are adding some bubble bath, you will also get bubble bath bubbles as well!

Lemon Juice Science

Using lemon juice straight for this experiment will create a large and quick eruption and since each lemon probably only gives a little bit of juice each, I added some water to our lemon juice to make it last longer. If you have a bottle of lemon juice that you want to use, go ahead. This experiment works amazingly well with watered down lemon juice as well as with concentrated lemon juice.

A fun experiment for older kids it to test how much water in the lemon juice would actually reduce the reaction to almost nothing!

How to Make Lemon Volcanoes

1. Cut lemons in half and squeeze out the juice into a measuring cup. Strain out the seeds.
2. Place the lemon halves into a sensory bin.
3. Add a few drops of food colouring into each lemon half.
4. Add a few drops of bubble bath into each lemon half.
5. Spoon in the baking soda into each lemon half. You will notice that it will start to bubble almost immediately. Thats the baking soda reacting to the residue lemon juice in the lemons! Don’t worry the really reaction is still to come.

6. Use craft sticks to push the baking soda down into the lemons.

7. Mix water with the lemon juice in the ratio 2:1. You can add less water if you were able to squeeze out a lot of lemon juice or if you are using a bottle of lemon juice. I added water to the lemon juice to make it last longer when doing this activity with multiple children.
8. Use an eye dropper to squirt it on the lemons and watch them explode with colour.
   

Age Suitability

This activity is good for kids 3 years and up. My kids are 4.5, 4.5 and 8 years old.

Mess Level

The mess level for this activity is high.

Difficulty to Create

Easy.

Skills Developed

Sensory play, language development, number recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Supplies

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

• Lemons
• food colouring
• eye droppers
• water
• baking soda
• knife (Adult use only)
• craft sticks
• measuring cup

Books, TV Show & Play Kits!

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon. 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles that show them how to think outside the box.

• 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
• Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
• Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to finally share my new crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched July 1 at on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube!

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create. 

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up. 

The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids

Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.

Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!

Shop our ready made play kits here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

WILL YOU MAKE FIZZY LEMON VOLCANOES FOR YOUR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER.