Super Simple Science - Volcano Experiment

The joy of watching things shoot up, multiply, and make a mess was quite unparalleled in my childhood. I loved watching colors blend, magnetic powder move on its own, and coca cola shoot up by adding mints! Luckily, Vivaan shares my fascination for all things scientific.

For the longest time, Vivaan has loved the Lava Song. For those of you who haven't heard it, you must, must, must listen to it! I'm providing the link here. It is a cute little love song between two volcanoes in Hawaii; one is above water, and one below, and it's the story of how they find each other. It. Is. Adorable.

So, one day, while I was listening to him hum it, I thought about making him a volcano at home! I did my research, and decided to a simple version which didn't require ingredients like hydrogen peroxide (which I don't think I've ever had in my house!). I wanted it to be quite straightforward so Vivaan could help me from start to finish.

So, here it is! How to make your very own volcano! :)

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/2370fb_e2585d8882ce4a45b9ee93c4d8bf6979/720p/mp4/file.mp4

What you need:

Tray or box (at least 2" or taller)

A small plastic bottle

Wheat flour - 1.5 cups

Water - as needed

Paint brush

Water colors

Grass/leaves - as needed

Flowers - as needed

Pebbles/rocks - as needed

Baking soda - 3 tsp

Dish-washing liquid - 2 tsp

Food coloring - a few drops

Vinegar - as needed

Take the wheat flour in a bowl and add enough water while kneading to make a firm dough.

Take the plastic bottle and cut the top off - this is based on the height of the volcano that you would like to make. I took an empty 500 ml coke bottle and cut it into half.

Next, place the bottle in the middle of your tray or box. We used the top of one of his old board games. Shape the dough into a mountain around the bottle, leaving an opening on the top. Let the outer part of the dough become dry to touch, around 15 minutes.

Once the dough is dry, it is time to start decorating! Here's where the kids can really take over! Begin by painting the mountain - we used shades of black, brown and orange. Then arrange the grass, flowers, and pebbles around it any way you want.

For the final step - add the baking soda and the dish-washing liquid to the plastic bottle inside your mountain and mix them slightly. Also, add a few drops of food coloring to this mixture to add to the theater - we used orange and red.

Now pour the vinegar into the bottle and watch the magic happen!

The science? The chemical combination of baking soda and vinegar releases a gas called carbon dioxide which needs to escape through an opening, resulting in a foamy eruption!

This doesn't cause a huge eruption per say but it is advisable to keep your kids at a safe viewing distance. Also, the more vinegar you add, the more 'lava' will form and flow!

This experiment took up an hour of our time from start to finish, mostly because we spent a lot of time outside collecting our leaves, rocks and flowers! So, if you're getting bored and are having trouble thinking of something to do - give this a go and I'm sure your kids will love it!