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This epic Exploding Watermelon activity is a fun, edible science experiment that helps kids of all ages learn about potential and kinetic energy. This watermelon rubber band challenge is a fun summer science where kids will complete the watermelon challenge to learn how many rubber bands to explode a watermelon! Try this watermelon science with toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students.  You must add this exploding watermelon experiment 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 activity for kids that sneaks in a hands on learning? This EPIC Exploding Watermelon is an outrageously fun summer experiment that allows kids to learn about potential and kinetic energy. All you need for this simple, watermelon rubber band project is a watermelon and a large pack with hundreds of rubberbands. Children from toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 students will learn how many rubber bands to explode a watermelon!  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 like this watermelon rubber band experiment!

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

How Many Rubber Bands to Explode a Watermelon

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

Watermelon Rubber Band

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 Challenge

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 Exploding

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.

Rubberband Watermelon

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

How many rubber bands does it take to explode a watermelon

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

Watermelon Explosion

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

Rubber Band Watermelon

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!

 

Watermelon Theme

Looking for another watermelon activity 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

Fun things to do in the summer

Summer Printable Activities

Playdough Recipes

Playdough Activies

Summer Activities for Kids

Summer Activities

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:



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