My son is fascinated with volcanoes. As we drive he will often comment that a certain mountain looks like a volcano, mainly because it is cone shaped and flat on top. Then he worries that it might erupt and cover us with hot lava. I am constantly explaining that it is not a volcano but a plateau. If you have a volcano lover like my son or just a child that likes to see things erupt this project is perfect for you. Remember it can get kind of messy so take the eruption outside.
The first step is to construct the volcano, the exploding part will come later.
You will need:
A cookie sheet
Clay (Families.com has several recipes: clay, play dough)
Small empty soda bottle
Directions:
Place the soda bottle in the middle of the cookie sheet. Then take the clay and begin sculpting it around the soda bottle. Until you have formed a mountain. Do not cover the top of the soda bottle with clay. If you want you can add small twigs or rocks for effect Let the clay dry completely. To help it dry faster you could bake it in the oven for a couple of hours at 225 degrees. At this point you can paint the volcano to look more like a mountain if you want.
Now that your volcano is completed it is time to make it erupt.
You will need:
5-6 drops of liquid dish soap
3-4 drops of red food coloring
1 cup of water
4 TB of baking soda
ΒΌ cup vinegar
Funnel
Directions:
In a cup mix the water, food coloring, and baking soda. Using a funnel fill the bottle with the red colored water. Add the liquid dish soap. Finally, using the funnel add the vinegar. Quickly remove the funnel as the liquid will immediately begin foaming and flow down the sides of your volcano.