It's October, the month of monsters, goblins and ghouls! That's right, Halloween is fast approaching and over the next few weeks I will be bringing you a series of "ghastly" Halloween themed experiments and activities. Time to turn the kids into "mad scientists" by stimulating their minds and feeding their creativity. Over the past few days I have added the following entries to my Halloween series:

1. 2 Ghostly Experiments For Kids

2. Sensory Play With Ghost Mud

3.  Monster Slime - (Halloween Activity and Science Experiment)

Today's addition:

Oozing Jack o' Lantern (Science Experiment) 

Children will get a real thrill out of this fun experiment and it is easy and affordable enough to do over and over again! It's a perfect "trick" to do both indoors and outdoors and can be used as Halloween decor too - so impress your neighbors with this oozing and horrifying Jack o' Lantern!

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Here's a list of what you will need to get going:

• Ready to carve pumpkins
• Dish washing liquid
• Baking Soda
• Vinegar
• Food coloring and glitter (optional)
• A tray, measuring cups and containers on hand

Instructions:

1. Start by carving out your pumpkins. If you are doing this activity with young kids, make sure they have adult supervision at all times, or pre-carve the pumpkins yourself. Use your creativity to carve scary looking jack o' Lanterns.
2. Add a few scoops of bank soda to the inside of your lantern.
3. At this point you can add a few drops of food coloring and glitter too.
4. Add a table spoon of dish washing liquid (for more oozing bubbles)
5. Lastly, pour about a cup of vinegar into the Jack o' Lantern, on top of the baking soda, food coloring and dish soap.
6. Watch as a foam formula is created!
7. Continue to add baking soda and vinegar until you run out or until the foam starts oozing through your carvings.

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The Science Behind This Experiment 

So what's the science you ask? This experiment is a perfect way to show kids how substances have a chemical reaction when mixed together. The eruption of foam is called a chemical reaction and the foam you see is caused by the result of the reaction, which is carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide is a gas and it is this gas that causes the bubbling and foaming action. The addition of the dish washing liquid simply adds to the bubbling experience (makes bigger bubbles) and doesn't need to be used for the success of the experiment. 

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Source: https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/halloween-ghost-pumpkin-science-activity/

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Keep a look out for more Halloween experiments from @sweetpea - I will be bring you some messy, ooey, gooey games too!

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Much love - @sweetpea

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