One of my favorite parts of teaching is creating fun seasonal learning activities for my kiddos.
During the fall, this means pumpkins, acorns, fall leaves, and all things autumnal. Fall STEM activities are a fun way to bring STEM activities and learning into the classroom during the fall season, mixing learning with elements of the season.
This particular salt crystal pumpkins science experiment is a classroom-friendly science activity that shows the basics of crystals, ionic bonds, and evaporation. This simple activity can be the baseboard for multiple science lessons.
Follow along to make your own salt crystal pumpkins.
How to Do the Salt Crystal Pumpkin Experiment
This fun science activity shows how salt crystals form in a fun fall-themed way.
What you’ll need to make salt crystal pumpkins:
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- Boil a cup of water in a small pot.
- Add enough salt so that crystals form on the surface of the water. It will look like a sheet of thin ice.
- Remove the water from the heat.
- Place your pumpkins onto a large plate.
- Pour the salt water over the pumpkins, making sure some of the salt at the bottom of the pan is left on the top of each pumpkin.
- Set the plate in a dry location and wait for a few days until the water evaporates.
- Examine the remaining crystals left on the pumpkins.
If you’ve done the salt crystal leaves or salt crystal apples experiment, compare how the pumpkins have a different appearance. Why would the crystals form differently under wet and dry conditions?
Salt Crystal Science
Salt crystals form when a solution of water becomes over-saturated with salt. As the water evaporates, the salt crystals cling to one another, forming large squares of salt, just like are found in nature. Kids will be fascinated by the ionic bonds that salt makes, creating perfect squares and rectangles every time.
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