Guest Post by McKenzie’s
Volcanos are fascinating. There are about 1,500 active volcanoes in the world, and about 500 have erupted in the historical timeline. The school holidays provide time for slow days where you can watch YouTube documentaries about the world, read books at the library and do creative projects. You can even do themed days and do all three! If your child is interested in volcanoes, you can make your own erupting volcano science experiment too. Below are instructions how to do it.
Erupting Volcano
Materials
- Volcano Shell (instructions below)
- Thick piece of cardboard
- Newspapers
- Glue + Water Mixed Together (PVA Glue works best)
- Water
- 4- 5 drops Dishwashing Liquid
- Red Food Colouring
- 2 tbsp McKenzie’s Bi-Carb Soda
- ¼ cup of Vinegar
Method
Making Volcano Shell
Step 1: To make the basic shape of a volcano cut the middle of a plastic bottle out and then overlap the two ends together securing it with masking tape on a piece of cardboard as the base.
Step 2: Now for the fun part: Apply paper mache to the volcano using small strips of newspaper dipped into a gluey water mixture. To make the paper mache glue, mix two parts glue to one part water. Once you have the volcano shape, allow to dry.
Step 3: When the paper mache is dry, get the kids to paint the volcano.
Making the Eruption
Step 1: Fill the bottle almost full with water. Put four to five drops of dishwashing liquid into the water followed by two drops of red food colouring.
Step 2: Add the Bi-Carb to the mix. Put the Volcano over the bottle so it is in place and ready to go.
Step 3: Pour the vinegar into the Volcano bottle and watch it erupt. Kids love this project. It’s a good one for the school holidays.
Note: Always supervise young children
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