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Exploding Watermelon Science Experiment for Summer

June 2, 2021
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by Beth Gorden

This epic Exploding Watermelon activity is a fun, edible science experiment that helps kids of all ages learn about potential and kinetic energy. This summer activity for kids will allow kids to learn how many rubber bands to explode a watermelon! Try this watermelon rubber band with toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students.  You must add this to your summer bucket list!

This epic Exploding Watermelon activity is a fun, edible science experiment that helps kids of all ages learn about potential and kinetic energy. This summer activity for kids will allow kids to learn how many rubber bands to explode a watermelon! Try this watermelon rubber band with toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students.  You must add this to your summer bucket list!

Exploding Watermelon

Looking for really fun summer activities that sneaks in a hands on learning activity? You will love this EPIC Exploding Watermelon! This watermelon rubber band is a summer experiment for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 students. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler – you won’t want to miss this exploding watermelon with rubber bands. We just love easy science experiment for kids!

 

Potential and Kinetic Energy

The concept of potential and kinetic energy might seem hard for kids to grasp, but this simple science experiment for kids will not only help them understand, but remember!

Potential energy is anything that has the possibility of movement. stored energy an object has because of its position or state. A bicycle on top of a hill, a book held over your head, and a stretched out rubber band all have potential energy.

Kinetic Energy is anything that has movement. So wind blowing leaves, a soft ball that has been thrown, and an object falling all have kinetic energy.

So in other words, a stretched out rubberband has potential energy, but when you let go and it retracts the movement turns into kinetic energy.

Simple and fun watermelon science project to add to your summer bucket list

Exploding Watermelon Experiment

For this watermelon rubber band experiment you will need the following supplies:

  • medium watermelon
  • 400-600 rubberbands (how many depends on the size of watermelon you get)
  • table
  • 2 people to put the rubberbands on
  • bowl (optional, but super helpful in keeping the watermelon stationary)
  • gloves (optional, in case you break rubbebands to protect your hands)
  • goggles (optional – to avoid getting watermelon pieces in your eyes)
  • apron (optional – to keep your clothes watermelon free)

This amazing watermelon challenge is a must for your summer bucket list

How Many Rubber Bands to Explode a Watermelon

In this exploding watermelon science experiment you will observe the potential energy of a stretched out rubberband convert to kinetic energy as the rubberband retracts back to its original size. This movement from potential to kinetic energy will in essence cut the watermelon in half and make the fruit appear to explode.

A watermelon isn’t pliable, the rind gives this summer fruit a solid structure. You can’t deform the melon. If you remove the rubber bands, it will return to it’s original form. The rubber bands slowly break the structure of the rind until it can no longer hold together. The rubber bands apply force to the rind forcing it’s shape to change.

This edible science experiment not only teaches about kinetic and potential energy, but has an amazing WOW effect!

Watermelon Rubber Band Experiment

I highly suggest doing this watermelon challenge outside as it can make a mess as the name exploding watermelon suggests! Then again, that’s part of the reason it makes a great activity to add to your kids’ summer bucket list.

It is easiest to have 2-3 people to put the rubberbands on the watermelon. This way you gently slide it over the fruit to the midsection. Keep going, and going, and going!

This watermelon rubber band activity is an epic science experiment for kids of all ages

Watermelon Rubber Band

The more watermelon rubber bands you put on, the more potential energy the watermelon gains in the displacement of its shape and content.  If you only put 100 rubber bands on it won’t make the rubberband cut in half, but it may make it eventually create a seam in the fruit to release the tension.

You will need at least 400 rubber bands to complete this watermelon explosion experiment.

You will start to see the watermelon get a smaller waist, bubbles come out the top, and might hear a hissing sound.

watermelon rubber band challenge

If you are observant,  when you are getting close to exploding the watermelon, you will notice the fruit start to change shape slightly. Our fruit started getting  a smaller waist, bubbles came out the top, and we could hear a slight hissing sound.

When those things start to happen, GET READY! It will pop within a couple watermelon rubber band!

Really fun, exploding watermelon kids activity perfect for spring or summer

Watermelon Science

Even though we knew it was coming from the bubbling and bulging, it was still a shock and SOOOOO cool! The watermelon popped up at least 5 feet in the air and made a great splatter! The sequels of delight and exclamations that science was so cool made my day!

This edible science experiment does take some time to get all the rubberbands on, but there are no fancy supplies and it can be done by kids of all ages. You’ve GOT to try this!

This watermelon summer science is such a fun kids activity

Watermelon challenge

Although this summer science did make a big impression, it wasn’t a ridiculously big mess. All the watermelon pieces, rind, and rubber band landed within a 2 foot radius of where it started. It was easy to pick up the pieces and let the upcoming rain clean off the surfaces for us.

Super cool watermelon fun activity that is edible

Exploding Watermelon Experiment

And as far as the clean-up of the watermelon, but kids took care of that! The pieces that flew were the perfect size for eating.

And my little ones grabbed a spoon and took care of the half that stayed put on the table.

This is such a fun rubber bands activity for kids of all ages

Exploding watermelon with rubber bands

Are you wondering how many rubber bands to break a watermelon? It was interesting, after we got over the excitement of the fruit explosion, we couldn’t find the rubber bands anywhere around the explosion. We kept looking and finally found all the 400+ rubber bands. We were shocked to see all of them had stayed together in a big ball. How cool, is that!

WOW your kids with this Watermelon Volcano! This summer activity for kids is a great way to sneak in a science experient. find the letter watermelon worksheets  watermelon printable rhyming words worksheets

Watermelon Activities

Looking for more watermelon activity ideas or two to make a week long watermelon theme or dive into the letter w is for watermelon? You will love these fun activities and free printables:

See all our watermelon activities for kids, watermelon activities (for older kids) and our watermelon activities for preschoolers

DIY Lava Lamp - super easy way to make your own lava lamp with simple things you have around your house. This homemade lava lamp is such a fun science project for kids of all ages to sneak in some summer learning. This science experiment is for toddlers, preschoolers, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and kids of all ages at home, homeschool, summer camps, classroom, etc. Looking for a really fun and memorable science experiment for kids? You will love these EPIC pop rocks experiment. Try this pop rocks science experiment with preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students to try a simple chemical reaction. This Whether you try this pop rocks science experiments for homeschool science, at a science birthday party, or as part of a summer science project - this is a MUST try,  really cool science experimentkids will LOVE. 100 Amazing Food Experiments for Kids - so many clever edible science projects for kids of all ages to explore chemistry, biology, physics, and earth science! #scienceexperiment #scienceproject #kidsactivities capillary-action-science-experiment-for-kids

Summer Experiment

Looking for more outdoor activities for kids and things to do in the summer? Your toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, and elementary age kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:

If you are looking for a fun unique activity using eggs, you will love this silly egg head craft. This egg shell diy chia pet is cute, simple and silly spring activities for kids. This egg shell craft is fun for toddler, prsechool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, and 2nd graders too! Looking for a fun, engaging pasta craft? This pretty stained glass pasta project has so many different possibilities to let your children explore their creativity, create something unique and beautiful, and strengthen coordination with those little hands. In this pasta art you will use dyed pasta to creat a beautiful stained glass craft. This stained glass art for kids is perfect for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, and 2nd graders. Spring is the time for field trips to the local zoo. In an attempt to make our homeschool field trips extra fun (and educational) I created these super cute, zoo scavenger hunt templates. We have lots of choices with these zoo scavenger hunt printable pack to accomidate kids of all ages from toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten to elementary age students in first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students. Whether you use the simple animal scavenger hunt or learn about endagered animals or animal habitats in one of these zoo scavenger hunt ideas - kids will have fun learning about zoology in science. Simply download free printable scavenger hunt pdf file and you are ready to learn about animals with this printable scavenger hunt at your local zoo. Have you ever heard of a lemon volcano? Kids are going to love this fun, creative,volcano experiment that screams summer! This simple lemon volcano experiment is perfect for curious kids from toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd graders too. All you need are a few simple materials to make some amazing erupting lemon volcanos!

Summer Activities for Kids

Edible Ice Cream Playdough Recipe - amazing 2 ingredient playdough recipe perfect for toddler, preschool, kindergarten and kids of all ages for an ice cream thing, kids activity, or summer bucket list #playdough #playdoughrecipes #icecream This vinegar and baking soda rocket is an out-of-this-world fun AND educational summer activity for kids! Preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students will enjoy making the baking soda rocket. This how to make a bottle rocket project is one of those really cool science projects your kids will remember forever! Tin Foil Art This EPIC summer activities for kids uses a really fun technique to make squirt gun painting! This water gun painting is such a fun summer art project for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th graders. The squirt panting is as much fun to make as it is to look at afterwards with the unique patterns. This Summer Painting for kids is a MUST for your list of summer activities for preschoolers!

Fun Summer Activities for Kids

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About the author

Beth Gorden

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! She has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids ABCs, science, English grammar, history, math, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables - www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

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