We had fun making a volcano in our backyard!
Here is a short clip we put together to show you how to do it too. We did this with the help of middle school kids—they got to make a volcano and make a video on how to make a volcano. We can integrate learning into many of our summer activities—STEM is in!
To make your own volcano, you will need a few supplies:
- Soda bottle (16 or 20 oz.)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 cup vinegar
- Red food coloring
If you want to add bubbles to your volcano, just add a bit of dish soap to the mix!
We went a bit crazy and used everything from moss to rocks to decorate our volcano—you can do as little or as much as you want.
Experiment
- Place the bottle in the middle of a flat surface. You can use a table, driveway, or patio.
- Put found materials around the bottle to make it look more like a real volcano or mountain. We used cardboard and tape and covered that with grass and moss. You can use dirt, rocks, and flowers—get creative!
- Pour the baking soda into the bottle.
- Add the red food coloring to the vinegar.
- Pour the vinegar into the bottle—we used a funnel to make sure it got in without making a mess.
- Stand back and watch the red “lava” flow!
We had a good time adding different measurements of baking soda and vinegar to see what would make the biggest explosion. Take notes and see what works the best for you!
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