How to Explode a Watermelon with Rubber Bands

To me, watermelon is the epitome of summer! Nothing says summer like eating a big slice. With 2 active boys at home, we like to find ways to have rowdy, but safe fun! When my husband showed me a video on YouTube on exploding a watermelon with rubber bands, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous…but was intrigued at the same time!

This was a very messy, but fun activity that our whole family, friends, and neighbors enjoyed! We have exploded watermelons a couple of summers now, and it’s the perfect way to close it out with a bang!

Supplies needed

  • Watermelon (we found the smaller, round ones explode faster.)
  • Several bags of thick rubber bands
  • Eye Protection (such as goggles or sunglasses)

  • Bowl to hold the watermelon
  • Chalk or other activities to keep children entertained during the long process

  • Time and patience

Helpful Hints for How to Explode A Watermelon

We discovered a few tricks after having done this a few times.

  • Place the watermelon in the bowl to keep it from rolling.
  • It’s helpful to have 2 adults and as many little helpers as fit around the watermelon.
  • Place the rubber bands around the middle of the watermelon.
  • We placed the card table on the driveway so we could easily hose off the explosion mess and the kids!

It is fun to have the kids draw their predictions of what the watermelon will look like exploding.

It may feel like it takes all evening to get the watermelon to explode. It won’t, but it will take 30-60 minutes depending on the size of the watermelon.

When it gets to the point where the watermelon is bulging on either side of the rubber bands, you are getting close to an explosion! Cracks may or may not appear. 

We have found that this is a fun way to meet the neighbors and entertain children of all ages! Our kids love this because it’s the only exception we’ll make to the “No Food Fights” rule in our house. And it’s a huge (and fairly cheap) memory-maker! Enjoy!

 

 

Amy Foster
Amy is a lifelong Wichita-area resident, with the exception of her college and grad school years. Amy has worked as a pediatric physical therapist for a local non-profit organization during her 22 year career. She married Brett, a youth pastor turned special education teacher and coach, and can be seen supporting Andover Middle School with her two boys, aged 13 & 11, only 18 months apart! They keep her occupied in athletic activities . When she isn't busy momming, she likes to walk her dog in her neighborhood, and do embroidery by hand.