We at Steve Spangler Science have demonstrated Exploding Pumpkins for over 15 years. This year, we tried experimenting with small and large pumpkins to see which one would produce the biggest bang and test our timing skills. With the help of the morning and afternoon 9News anchors, we carved a few jack-o-lanterns to celebrate Halloween. You decide – in which segment did we do our best carving work?
Editor’s Note: This experiment was presented for educational and demonstration purposes only. We DO NOT recommend trying this experiment in the classroom or at home unless you have had proper training. Do NOT do this at home.
Q: Tell us a little about who you are…
A: My name is Blake James, and I am all about creativity. I enjoy graphic design, writing/producing music, photography, and long walks on the beach!
Q: What do you do at Steve Spangler Science?
A: I have the privilege of designing things like catalogs and web pages for Steve Spangler Science. I am also known in the front office for my extremely corny jokes.
Q: What do you like best about what you do?
A: My favorite part about what I do for Steve Spangler Science is the environment that I get to work in. The energy in the office is always explosive (sometimes literally). The people I work with are funny, intelligent, and spontaneous. I get everything I need from the people I work with, the projects I’m working on, and even the building itself, to keep my creativity fueled all day long.
Q: What is your favorite Steve Spangler Science moment?
A: My favorite SSS moment…. it’s really hard to pick just one favorite moment! I guess I would have to say that my favorite moment was when I found out that our company was awarded Website of
I’m not sure if Halloween was better for me as a kid or right now as an adult… okay, it’s better now! It’s no secret that I make the most out of every Halloween – from the oozing slime at school to the ghoulish fun at home, Halloween is the perfect time to let your creativity out for an evening of fun.
I think it all started growing up in a family where my parents turned Halloween into a full fledged show. I learned not to bother my Dad after about two o’clock in the afternoon on Halloween because he was getting the entry way of our home ready for those poor unsuspecting Trick-or-Treaters. My favorite memory was getting to sit in his home-made electric chair – complete with blinking lights and giant sparks of static electricity coming from the metal hat. It was great! When the doorbell rang, it was showtime… and my job was to yell at the top of my lungs, “Hey Mister… all I wanted was a lousy piece of candy!” We never gave away much candy on Halloween – no one ever stuck around long enough
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Just call it the Halloween After-Glow. No, it’s not the warm feeling you get in your heart when you think of all of those darling little Trick-or-Treaters or think of the fun kids had opening their candy. The “After-Glow” refers to the light coming from inside the pumpkin after the kaboom! Hundreds of chemistry teachers from across this great land of ours joined together yesterday to share their favorite Halloween science demonstrations.
Here’s your next question… How do you do it? Since this is a classic chemistry teacher demonstration, it’s best to consult your favorite chemistry teacher or let your fingers do a little “googling” to research the various ways to produce the small amount of acetylene gas in the pumpkin… or just read through the comments below.
Editor’s Note: This experiment was presented in this forum for educational purposes only. We DO NOT recommend trying this experiment in the classroom unless you have had proper training to do so. Please note that Steve Spangler Science takes no responsibility for comments posted on this site.
On a personal note, I know that Steve practiced this experiment at least 20-30 times with trained professionals, in …
Television viewers in Denver woke up this morning to the sounds of exploding pumpkins. It was actually a new version of my self-carving pumpkin trick for Halloween. See the Exploding Pumpkin video that aired live on the NBC affiliate 9NEWS earlier this morning. It was great to see the news anchors scream! You can see more videos here.
Editor’s Note: This experiment was presented in this forum for educational purposes only. We DO NOT recommend trying this experiment in the classroom unless you have had proper training to do so. Please note that Steve Spangler Science takes no responsibility for comments posted on this site.
On a personal note, I know that Steve practiced this experiment at least 20-30 times with trained professionals, in a controlled environment, before presenting the experiment on the air. Even for television, the experiment was performed with safety personnel and fire officials on-site. This is not a do-it-yourself activity.
Please have a safe and happy Halloween – the Editor
Just call it the Halloween After-Glow. No, it’s not the warm feeling you get in your heart when you think of all of those darling little Trick-or-Treaters or think of the fun kids had opening their candy. The “After-Glow” refers to the light coming from inside the pumpkin after the kaboom! Hundreds of chemistry teachers from across this great land of ours joined together yesterday to share their favorite Halloween science demonstrations.
Television viewers in Denver woke up this morning to the sounds of exploding pumpkins. It was actually a new version of my self-carving pumpkin trick for Halloween. 
