best volcano experiment recipe

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5 Ways To Make a Volcano

There is more than one way to make a chemical volcano. Actually, there are several methods. Here are some of the best, from the tried-and-true baking soda and vinegar volcano to the most exotic dry ice volcano.

Make the Volcano Cone

You can use a bottle or can or really any container for your volcanic eruption, but it’s easy to make the volcano shape by coating your container with clay or papier mache. Here is a simple recipe for a homemade clay volcano:

• 6 cups flour
• 2 cups salt
• 2 cups water
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. It’s easiest if you stir the flour, salt, and oil together first and then mix in the water. You can add more water if needed. You want a firm, smooth dough.
• Stand an empty soda bottle or can in a pie tin or baking pan (so your ‘lava’ won’t make a mess) and mold the dough into a volcano shape. Be sure you don’t drop dough into the bottle or cover the opening.
• If you want to paint the volcano, wait until the dough is dry.

Now for the recipes! Most use common ingredients that you have at home.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

This is the classic science fair project volcano. The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) reacts with the vinegar (weak acetic acid) to produce carbon dioxide gas. The detergent traps the gas, which is heavier than air, so it flows down the side of the volcano.

• liquid dishwashing detergent
• red or orange food coloring
• baking soda
• Pour warm water into the volcano until it is 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full.
• Add several drops of food coloring.
• Add a squirt of detergent. This helps the ‘lava’ foam up and flow.
• Add a couple of spoonfuls of baking soda.
• When you are ready to start the eruption, pour vinegar into your volcano.
• You can recharge the volcano with more baking soda and vinegar.

Note: If you don’t have vinegar, you can use another acidic liquid, like lemon juice or orange juice.

Yeast and Peroxide Volcano

• packet of quick-rise yeast
• hydrogen peroxide (3% sold in stores or can use 6% from beauty supply stores)
• food coloring
• Pour the hydrogen peroxide solution into the volcano until it is nearly full. The 3% household peroxide is safe to handle, but wear gloves and use extreme caution if you use the 6% peroxide, which can give you chemical burns!
• Add several drops of food coloring for your lava.
• When you are ready for the eruption, add the packet of yeast to the volcano.

Ketchup and Vinegar Volcano

This volcano bubbles and oozes lava. The eruption is not so dramatic, but is interesting and long-lasting. The acidity of the vinegar and tomatoes in the ketchup reacts with the baking soda to produce carbon dioxide gas, which gets trapped as bubbles by the detergent.

• dishwashing liquid
• Mix together ketchup, warm water, and a squirt of detergent to make lava.
• Pour the mixture into the volcano so it is nearly full.
• When you are ready for the eruption, add baking soda.

Mentos and Diet Soda Volcano

This volcano erupts instantly and spectacularly. For a truly memorable volcano, use diet tonic water instead of diet cola and shine a black light on the volcano. This produces a vivid blue glowing eruption!

• diet soda (regular soda works too, but produces a sticky mess)
• Mentos candies
• Fill the volcano full of soda (or you could have molded the volcano around a full soda bottle.
• When you are ready for the eruption, drop all of the Mentos candies into the mouth of the bottle at once. One easy way to do this is to roll a sheet of paper around the candies, put your finger beneath them to hold them in place, and release the candies over the hole. Be prepared for a major splash!

Dry Ice Volcano

This volcano appears to smoke, releasing a cascade of bubble lava.

• Fill the volcano with warm water.
• Add a bit of dishwashing liquid.
• When you are ready to start the eruption, use gloves or tongs to drop a piece of dry ice into the volcano.

Do you need more ways to make a volcano ? You can bake a souffle to model the geological processes or make a realistic wax volcano .

Related Posts

Preschool Inspirations

Preschool Activities and Learning

Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano Eruption for Kids

May 28, 2014 by Katie T. Christiansen 5 Comments

Need a super simple baking soda and vinegar volcano recipe? This one takes about three minutes to prep (and the kids get to help). It uses six common ingredients,  and there is no mess to clean up afterward! If simple and no cleaning is music to your ears, you’re in the right place. We’ve made this five times in the past two weeks, so it’s definitely a loved activity here.

I have always loved making volcanoes with my kids, but they can be time-consuming and require lots of prep. Well, “lots” may be stretching it, but in my world, if it’s not simple, it doesn’t usually happen. The sad truth is that while I’ve thought about making a volcano tons of times, I’ve only made it happen a few. I wanted to change that by making it a super easy process. I hope you absolutely love it!

And if you love these types of science experiments, you can see even more baking soda and vinegar experiments that are simple and so fun! They are also an awesome addition to a preschool curriculum .

Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

How do you make the easiest volcano recipe in the world?

Ingredients

• Plastic cup (We tried a water bottle, but the plastic cup worked much better)
• 3-4 Tbs of baking soda at least (we usually do 4-6 which makes it extra foamy and will do 2-3 eruptions)
• 1 tsp of dish soap
• 1 cup (8 oz) of Vinegar to start with per eruption…then they’ll be asking for more 🙂

Location: an area with pea gravel, sand, or dirt

While you mix the base ingredients, have the kiddos make a mound out of pea gravel (or you could certainly do this with dirt). Once you have a mound, put the cup on top of it, and turn it into a mountain.  How easy is that!

We give it a good stir just before adding the last ingredient. Now it’s time for the eruption! Pour in the vinegar until it starts foaming over, pouring it’s lava all over the rocks.

The pictures really don’t do this justice, but our pea gravel mountain was just under a foot tall (30 cm).

Here’s our bubbly red lava taking over the rocks. In the background here, I’ve been hearing “there she blows!”

It is also super fun to mix up the colors a little bit! We can pour the vinegar in about three times before we need to add more baking soda to our solution.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano Video

Want to see it in action? Here’s the video!

Since we can’t get enough of this, here are some more snapshots of our other volcano eruptions.

 What does it look like afterward? Here’s a picture of ours once we took away the plastic cup. You can hardly even tell we did anything, and the rocks must be nice and clean with the baking soda and vinegar. If the washable paint doesn’t come off the rocks right away, it will within a few days or the next rain.

If you want to see what this looks like with dirt, check out these fun volcano posts!

Easy Backyard Volcano by Mom with a Lesson Plan

Erupting Volcanoes in Preschool by Teach Preschool

Or if you have the time to make it a little fancier, here are some more great ideas:

Build, Paint, and Erupt Volcano by Fun at Home With Kids

Erupting Volcano Dinosaur Printable from Fun at Home With Kids

Comparing Homemade Volcano Recipes by Still Playing School

How to Build a Volcano by Kids Activities Blog

Ice Volcanoes by Reading Confetti

Messy Play Fun with Shaving Cream from Fun-A-Day!

Erupting an Easy Homemade Volcano by Mom to 2 Posh Lil’ Divas

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September 13, 2016 at 8:32 am

My son tried this Has lots of fun!

February 28, 2018 at 4:38 pm

I like the idea I have to try it thank you Katie from preschool inspirations I love it and it looks fun and cool because I have a science fair at Edison elementary and I think it would be cool thanks

April 29, 2018 at 5:51 pm

Can you do this without the paint too?

May 2, 2018 at 9:19 am

Hi Amanda, it works without paint. It just won’t be colored. Have fun!

[…] sort of guided activity during my break time. For example some fun science experiments. Making a baking soda and vinegar volcano is super easy and fun. It doesn’t take too long either so you can easily do this with your […]

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How To Make a Volcano for Kids

Want To See A Volcano Erupt Up Close? Make Volcanoes Erupt In Your Backyard With The Volcano Science Experiment . The best way to help your child learn puzzling acids and base concepts is by conducting a simple volcano experiment for kids at home. A baking soda vinegar volcano is the best way to teach children about the chemical reaction between acids and bases. Help your child learn how to make a volcano for kids.

• Things You Need For The Volcano Science Project

A Step-By-Step Guide On How to Make A Volcano For Kids

The science behind the volcano eruption experiment, 5 creative ways to make a volcano at home.

A volcano science experiment is a great way to help children understand the lesson on acids and bases. Help your child understand the chemical reaction between acids and bases using this simple science experiment for kids at home. 

Things You Need For The Volcano Science Project 

Making a volcano at home is an easy and fun project to do with your kids. Here is a list of things you need to perform the volcano science project. Most of the materials on the list are inexpensive and easily available. In fact, you might even find them in your pantry.

Things You’ll Need For Volcano Experiment For Kids:

• 100 ml of warm water
• 10 ml of dish soap
• 400 ml of white vinegar
• Empty 2-litre soda bottle
• 2 drops of red food coloring
• Baking soda slurry ( ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup water)

Wondering how to make a homemade volcano? It’s pretty simple. Here is a step-by-step guide to performing the volcano science experiment with your kids.

• Step 1: Mix the dish soap, water, white vinegar, and food coloring and pour it into the empty soda bottle.
• Step 2: Make a baking soda slurry with ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup water. Mix it thoroughly with a spoon, until it’s completely dissolved.
• Step 3: Now, it’s eruption time! Quickly but carefully pour this slurry into the bottle and step back.  Now, watch the volcano erupt and spill out red lava!

Download How To Make Volcano Printable

The volcano science experiment will leave your kids in awe as the homemade volcano erupts and spills out red lava. Help them understand the science behind the experiment by asking them questions and giving them hints. Here is a list of questions to help you start.

• What did you learn from the volcano eruption experiment? 
• Why do you think the liquid in the soda bottle erupted when you added the baking soda slurry to it?
• How does the volcano science project work?

The homemade volcano erupts because of a chemical reaction between an acid and a base. The acetic acid present in the vinegar reacts with the sodium hydrogen carbonate in the baking soda and produces carbon dioxide. The base (sodium hydrogen carbonate) undergoes a decomposing reaction when it is exposed to the acid. This produces a gas called carbon dioxide, which causes the homemade volcano to “erupt!” The dish soap becomes foamy and the bubbles and spill out like lava.

Do you know there are several ways to make a volcano at home? Now that you know the science behind volcano eruptions, here are 5 more ways to make a volcano at home!

Tape Volcano

Things you need:

• Tall plastic container
• Baking soda
• Acrylic paints
• Plastic plate

Instructions:  

• Step 1: For this baking soda vinegar volcano, tape the top of your tall plastic container to the side of your plastic plate. The plate serves as the base for your volcano. Continue to add tape around your container in this fashion. 
• Step 2: Paint your ‘volcano’ with acrylic paint. (We recommend using brown paint) 
• Step 3: Once you’re done making your volcano, add a few drops of baking soda and vinegar inside the volcano and watch it erupt! You can add some red food coloring to make the volcano look more realistic with red lava spilling out.

Ice Volcano

• Plastic wrap
• Small bowls
• Step 1: To build an ice volcano, place a ball (that doesn’t float) at the bottom of each bowl. Line each of these bowls with plastic wrap. 
• Step 2: Next, add a mixture of baking soda, water, and food coloring to these bowls so that they completely cover the ball underneath. 
• Step 3: Place these bowls in the freezer for some time. 
• Step 4: Once they’re frozen, pry out your ‘volcano’ from the bowls and add a few drops of vinegar into it. Your ice volcano will erupt as soon as the vinegar touches it!

Sand Volcano

• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 2 cups vinegar
• Empty plastic bottle
• Red/orange food coloring

Instructions: Want to build a sand volcano in your backyard? Here’s how you can do it. 

• Step 1: First, place an empty plastic bottle in a mound of sand. 
• Step 2: Use a funnel to add some baking soda to the bottle. 
• Step 3: Mix some food coloring and vinegar together and pour this mixture inside the bottle and watch your volcano erupt!

Mini Volcanoes

• Red, blue, green, yellow, orange and pink food coloring

Instructions: Here’s how to make a volcano for kids using an egg carton. 

• Step 1: Cut out the bottom of each egg holder in your egg carton and flip it over. You’ll notice that each slot now looks like a mini volcano. 
• Step 2: Pour some baking soda into each slot. 
• Step 3: Then, add some colored vinegar solution (vinegar + food coloring) into the slot. You can create several different colored eruptions in this way. The colorful eruptions will leave your child in awe.

Newspaper Volcano

• Large plastic bottle
• Cellulose adhesive

Instructions: Make a volcano at home using newspaper! 

• Step 1: First, place a bottle in the middle of your cardboard base. Apply the adhesive paste all over the cardboard and glue the crumpled newspaper over it. 
• Step 2: Then, glue the newspaper around your bottle too, and paint the entire structure to ensure it looks like a volcano. Set it aside and allow it to dry for a couple of hours or days. 
• Step 3: When it’s ready, ask your child to pour the baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring into the bottle to make the volcano erupt.

We hope you enjoy making these volcano science projects with your little one. These experiments hone their understanding of science and instill in them a sense of creativity and imagination. 

For more fun kids learning games and activities, check the rest of our website!

Frequently Asked Questions on How To Make a Volcano for Kids

What are the materials used for making a volcano for kids.

The materials used for making a volcano for kids are luke warm water, white vinegar, soda bottle, dish soap, red coloring solution, and baking soda slurry.

How To Make a Volcano for Kids?

To make volcano for kids, firstly take a soda bottle and mix water, dish soap, food coloring and white vinegar. Then, make baking soda slurry and add slowly to this solution. Let the children watch the volcano erupt and understand the concept of eruption properly.

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Science Fun

Baking Soda And Vinegar Volcano Kitchen Science Experiment

In this fun and easy kitchen science experiment for kids, we’re going to use baking soda and vinegar to create an erupting volcano. 

• Measuring cup
• Baking soda
• Liquid dish soap
• Red food coloring
• Baking pan or plastic bin
• Plastic water bottle

Instructions:

• Fill the plastic water bottle about halfway full with baking soda.
• Add a squirt or two of dish soap to the bottle. 
• Pile the sand up around the plastic water bottle to make it look like a volcano. Be sure to leave the mouth of the bottle open and unobstructed.
• Measure out ½ cup of vinegar.
• Add a drop or two of red food coloring to the vinegar.
• Pour the vinegar into the plastic water bottle and observe.

EXPLORE AWESOME SCIENCE EXPERIMENT VIDEOS!

How it Works:

The baking soda is a base and the vinegar is an acid. When the acid and base combine, an endothermic reaction occurs and releases carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide gas rushes toward the bottle opening and also causes the dish soap to foam. The gas and foam quickly fill the bottle an erupt from the top and causes a cool looking “lava flow” down the side of your volcano. 

Make This A Science Project:

Try different amounts of vinegar. Try different amounts of baking soda. Try different sized and shaped bottles. 

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How To Make A Volcano For Kids

Have you ever made a homemade volcano project where you built the volcano from scratch? If not, we’ll show you how! Find out how to make a volcano model that erupts at home or in the classroom! A homemade volcano is a great science fair project ! Getting started with science is easy; getting kids to stop once they’re hooked is not so easy!

WHAT IS A VOLCANO?

The easiest definition of a volcano is a hole in the earth, but we recognize it as a landform (usually a mountain) where molten rock or magma erupts through the earth’s surface.

There are two main shapes of volcanoes called composites and shields. Composite volcanoes have steep sides and look like cones, whereas a shield volcano has more gently sloping sides and is wider.

TRY: Learn about volcanos with this edible plate tectonics activity and layers of the earth model. Plus, check out more fun volcano facts for kids!

Volcanoes are classified as dormant, active, and extinct. One of the most active volcanoes today is in Mauna Loa, Hawaii.

Is it magma or lava?

Well, it’s actually both! Magma is the liquid rock inside the volcano, and once it spills out of it, it is called lava. Lava will burn everything in its path.

You May Also Like: Geology Activities For Kids

HOW DOES A VOLCANO ERUPT?

Well, it’s not because of baking soda and vinegar! But it is due to escaping gasses and pressure. But in our homemade volcano below, we use a baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction to mimic the gas produced in a volcano. Baking soda and vinegar are the best ingredients for a homemade volcano!

The chemical reaction produces a gas (read more about how it works further on) which pushes the liquid up and out of the container. This is similar to an actual volcano where gas builds up underneath the earth’s surface and forces the magma up through the hole in the volcano, causing an eruption.

Some volcanoes erupt with an explosive spray of lava and ash, whereas some, like the active volcano in Hawaii, the lava flows out the opening. It all depends on the shape and the opening! The more confined space, the more explosive the eruption.

Our sandbox volcano is an excellent example of an explosive volcano. Another similar example is our mentos and coke experiment .

Read more about the science behind baking soda and vinegar experiments .

VOLCANO PROJECT FOR KIDS

Working on a science fair project? Then check out these helpful resources below and make sure to grab our free printable science fair project pack below and look for a volcano activity pack at the very bottom of this page!

• Easy Science Fair Projects
• Science Project Tips From A Teacher
• Science Fair Board Ideas

Grab this FREE Science Project Pack to get started today!

SALT DOUGH VOLCANO

Now that you know a little more about volcanoes, how about we make a simple volcano model. This baking soda volcano is made with our simple salt dough recipe. The extra time and effort it takes to make this volcano will be well worth it and is an excellent project for kids of all ages.

If you want a mess free volcano project, check out our paper volcano diorama!

• A batch of salt dough
• Small plastic water bottle
• Baking Soda
• Food Coloring
• Dish soap (optional)

HOW TO A MAKE A VOLCANO

STEP 1:  First, you will want to whip up a batch of our salt dough.

• 2 cups all-purpose bleached flour
• 1 cup of salt
• 1 cup of warm water

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl, and form a well in the center. Add the warm water to the dry ingredients and mix until it forms a dough.

TIP: If the salt dough looks a little runny, you might be tempted to add more flour. Before you do this, allow the mixture to rest for a few moments! That will give the salt a chance to absorb the extra moisture.

STEP 2:  You want to form the salt dough around a small empty water bottle. Create a composite or shield volcano shape that you learned about above.

Depending on the shape you want, the time to let it dry, and the bottle you have, you might want to make two batches of salt dough! Set your volcano aside to dry for at least 24 hours.

We made a composite-shaped volcano! 

TIP: If you have leftover salt dough, you can make these earth-inspired ornaments!

STEP 3:  Once your volcano is dry, it’s time to paint it and add your creative touches to resemble the actual land form.

Why not conduct a safe internet search or look through books to get an idea of colors and textures for your volcano. Make it as authentic as possible. Of course, you can add dinos for a theme or not!

STEP 4: Once your volcano is ready to erupt, you need to prepare for the eruption. Add a tablespoon or two of baking soda, food coloring, and a squirt of dish soap to the opening.

STEP 5: Time for the volcano to erupt! Make sure your volcano is on a tray to catch the lava flow. Pour the vinegar into the opening and watch. The kiddos are going to want to do this one over and over again!

HOW DOES A BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR REACTION WORK?

Chemistry is all about states of matter , including liquids, solids, and gases. A chemical reaction occurs between two or more substances that change and form a new substance.

In this case, you have an acid (liquid: vinegar) and a base (solid: baking soda), reacting to make a gas called carbon dioxide. Learn more about acids and bases . The gas is what produces the eruption, you can see.

The carbon dioxide escapes the mixture in the form of bubbles. You can even hear them if you listen closely. The bubbles are heavier than air, so the carbon dioxide collects at the surface of the salt dough volcano or overflows depending on how much baking soda and vinegar you add.

For our erupting volcano, dish soap is added to collect the gas and form bubbles that give it a more robust volcano lava-like flow down the side! That equals more fun! You don’t have to add dish soap, but it’s worth it.

MORE FUN BAKING SODA VOLCANOES

There are so many fun ways to experiment with a baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction , Why not try one of these cool variations…

• LEGO Volcano
• Pumpkin Volcano
• Apple Volcano
• Puking Volcano
• Erupting Watermelon
• Snow Volcano
• Lemon Volcano (No Vinegar Needed)
• Erupting Volcano Slime

VOLCANO INFORMATION PACK

Grab this instant download for a short time! Click here for your volcano activity pack .

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How to Make a Soda Bottle Volcano

Last Updated: December 11, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 978,620 times.

Making a soda-bottle volcano is a classic science experiment that doubles as a great excuse to make an explosive mess. There are multiple combinations of materials that will lead to a fun explosion. Two of the classic soda-bottle volcanos are made with soda and Mentos candy mints(which can produce eruptions of up to 18 feet if done correctly) or a combination of baking soda and vinegar. Gathering a few household items can lead to a fun afternoon of volcanic explosions in the backyard.

Designing the Volcano

• If you’re working with scrap material, consider decorating the base to look like a flat landscape. You may want to paint it, cover it with moss, apply green felt to indicate grass, attach miniature trees, etc.

• A caramel-colored soda will probably look the most like lava when your volcano erupts, so avoid clear drinks. Both diet and regular soda work for this experiment, but diet soda erupts higher.
• If gluing the bottle, let the bottle reach room temperature. A cold, sweating soda bottle will never glue properly. Avoid using hot glue, which might melt the bottle and make a mess.
• If you’re doing a vinegar and baking soda volcano, you will attach an empty bottle to the board.

• Avoid covering the cap of the bottle or you won’t be able to activate the volcano. Ensure you have access to the opening so you can add Mentos or baking soda for the eruption!

• You may even want to press pebbles, dirt, and moss into the surface to give it a more natural appearance.

Using the Soda and Mentos Method

• This experiment is best done outside, but if you must be inside, lay down a large plastic tarp first.

• Warn any spectators to stand back.

• Method 1: Make a paper tube with the same width as the bottle neck. It should be long enough to fit the number of Mentos you want to put inside. Place an index card over the bottle mouth, place the tube over the hole, and fill it with Mentos. When you are ready to erupt, you will slide the card out, releasing the Mentos into the bottle. [4] X Research source
• Method 2: Loosely scotch tape the entire roll of Mentos together. When it’s time, you will drop the taped chain directly into the open bottle.
• Method 3: Insert into the bottle a funnel with a mouth that is wide enough to allow the Mentos to pass, but small enough to fit inside the neck of the bottle. You will drop the Mentos through the funnel and remove the funnel once the Mentos are in the bottle.

• If using the paper tube method, remove the card holding the Mentos in place and let them all slide into the bottle at one time.
• If using the tape method, simply drop the piece of taped-together Mentos into the mouth of the bottle.
• If using the funnel, drop all the Mentos into the funnel at the same time. Remove the funnel once they’re all in and run back.

Using the Baking Soda and Vinegar Method

• Do a little experimentation to find the proper amounts of each material to get the size of eruption you want.
• Use red-wine vinegar for the best lava coloring. Alternatively, you can also add red or orange food coloring to white vinegar.
• You can use a smaller plastic bottle, but will have to adjust the ingredients accordingly.

• If the weather is agreeable, place the volcano outside.

Community Q&A

• If you drink soda and then eat Mentos, do not worry at all; the acid in your mouth and stomach will stop it from reacting with the soda in your belly. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Don't use a 3- or 1-liter bottle, as the neck-to volume-ratio is too large. A 3-liter bottle results in about a 6-inch tall fountain and a 1-liter bottle it will just foam over the top. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
• Stay away from the immediate area after starting the volcano. It will get messy. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Things You'll Need

Volcano and Base

• Scrap wood or cutting board for a base
• Play dough or clay
• Chicken wire
• Strips of paper
• White craft glue
• Acrylic paint

Soda and Mentos Method

• 2-liter bottle of soda (diet is preferable)
• Roll or box of Mentos (mint works best)
• A funnel, one index card, or scotch tape

Baking Soda and Vinegar Method

• Empty 2-liter bottle
• Baking soda
• Red-wine vinegar
• Food coloring

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/make-a-volcano/
• ↑ https://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-volcano-soda-bottle.htm
• ↑ https://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/how-to-make-a-volcano/
• ↑ https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-make-a-volcano.html

About This Article

To make a soda bottle volcano, first combine 2 parts vinegar, 1 part water, and a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Then, put the mixture in an empty 2-liter soda bottle and add a spoonful of baking soda, which will react with the vinegar to make your volcano erupt. Alternately, you can drop Mentos candies into a 2-liter bottle of cola. You can then watch the eruption, which happens when the candies react with the carbon dioxide in the soda to push the liquid out of the bottle. Just be sure to move away quickly, since the eruption can make quite a mess! To learn from our Scientist reviewer how to get all the Mentos into your soda bottle at the same time, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Make a Volcano Experiment

Creating a volcano experiment is a classic science lab project that offers a spectacular display of chemical reactions. This interactive project offers not just a stunning visual display but also serves as an enriching learning experience, showcasing the concepts of chemical reactions, pressure dynamics, and the study of Earth sciences. Below is a guide to crafting your very own erupting volcano, perfect for students, teachers, and anyone with a curiosity about how these magnificent natural phenomena can be modeled at a small scale.

Materials Needed for Volcano experiment:

• A small bottle or container (this will be the volcano’s “chamber”)
• Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• Vinegar (acetic acid)
• Liquid dishwashing soap
• Food coloring (red or orange for a lava-like effect)
• Modeling clay or playdough (to mold the volcano)
• Tray or a large plate (to catch the overflow)
• Safety goggles (always wear goggles when performing any experiment)

IMPORTANT: Ensure your child wears goggles and is always under adult supervision for their safety while performing the volcano experiment.

Instructions For the Experiment

Construct the volcano:.

Use the modeling clay or playdough to make a cone shape of a volcano around the bottle. Don’t put clay on the bottle’s opening as this will be the crater from which your volcano will erupt. Place your volcano bottle on the tray or large plate to catch any overflow and avoid the table getting dirty.

Prepare the Eruption Mixture:

Fill the bottle almost halfway with warm water and add a few drops of food coloring.

Add in a good amount of liquid dishwashing soap into the bottle and stir the mixture gently. The soap helps to produce more foamy lava during the eruption.

Add Baking Soda:

Add two tablespoons of baking soda to the mixture in the bottle. This will act as the base of the chemical reaction.

Let it Erupt:

Now for the exciting part! Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle and watch as your volcano erupts with bubbly, colored lava.

Volcano Experiment Explained:

This experiment simulates a volcanic eruption through a chemical reaction between baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid). When these substances mix, they react to form carbonic acid, which immediately decomposes into water and carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas builds up pressure inside the bottle until it pushes the mixture out, mimicking a volcanic eruption. The dish soap added to the mixture helps create more foam, making the eruption even more spectacular.

Variations of the Volcano Experiment:

Experiment with proportions:.

Change the amounts of baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap to see how it affects the eruption’s size and duration.

Color Variations:

Use different food coloring to simulate different colors of volcanic eruptions or lava flows.

Surface Textures:

Modify the surface of your volcano with paint, real rocks, and sand to make it more realistic.

Eruption Strength:

To increase the strength of your eruption, you can experiment with adding a spoonful of dry yeast to the vinegar before adding it to the baking soda solution. The yeast accelerates the production of carbon dioxide gas, resulting in a more vigorous eruption.

This volcano experiment is a fascinating way to bring the dynamic processes of the Earth to life. It allows participants to engage directly with the materials and witness the exciting reactions that occur. Whether you’re conducting this experiment at home, at school, or as part of a science fair project, it’s sure to provide an educational and entertaining experience for everyone involved.

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How to Make an Awesome Volcano Science Project

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Want to know how to make a volcano with your kids? Making a volcano that erupts is one of those good old classic science projects that kids just love doing! I am surprised that I don’t have this one on my site yet, because it’s a favorite! Also, grab your free printable Volcano Diagram Worksheets, too!

My husband found an old book this past week for my son called  101 Cool Science Experiments  by Glen Singleton. We flipped through the book together marking all of the pages of the experiments that we want to try. He is a little bit of a science fanatic like me. We both get excited about new experiments! He was most excited to try making a volcano!

It’s funny, so many of my experiments were done with my two older kids and now we are really enjoying recreating them with the younger half of the family. This was a favorite of my oldest son snd now the younger kids had a blast with it! Get ready for mess.

Also check out out our Erupting Dinosaur Extinction Slime !

How to Make a Volcano

Watch it all here, or read on for the written instructions.

We made our volcano model with salt dough. Salt dough is super simple to make and can be air dried if you want to make it ahead and save it for a science fair project.

Salt Dough Recipe

6 cups of Flour

2 cups of Salt

2 cups of Water

2 Tbsp of Cooking Oil

Coloring (you can use food coloring or liquid water color)

Mix the best you can with a spoon, but you may need to just dig in with your hands. That’s what I had to do. This is a hard dough so you can mold it and make it stand up around the bottle for your volcano filling. You may need to add a little bit more water depending on your climate. I added 1/4-1/3 cup more after I got into it.

You may notice the gray swirls in our dough. We tried to color our dough with some black  liquid watercolors , but it would have taken the whole bottle, so we gave up!

Building the Volcano

You will need a bottle in the center. You can use a soda bottle a water bottle or a glass bottle like we used. Whatever you have on hand that has a smaller opening on top should work just fine!

Place the bottle in the center of a large cookie sheet. Mold the salt dough into a volcano shape around the bottle making sure to leave an opening at the top to add your volcano’s “lava” filling.

This is tons of fun to shape it to look like an amazing volcano. My kids were creating paths for the lava to flow through.

How to Make a Volcano Erupt (With Baking Soda & Vinegar)

Now to make the eruption solution! Making the volcano erupt is fun, messy and is over pretty quick, so don’t blink! 😉

Ingredients to Make your Volcano Erupt:

Red Food Coloring- Or red  liquid watercolors

A few drops of Dish Soap- about a Tablespoon

2 Tbsp Baking Soda

Mix the red coloring, water, and some dish soap together. We used about 2 cups of water, but you’ll just need to fill your bottle about 3/4 of the way full.

Put 2 Tbsp of baking soda into the bottle.

Pour in your vinegar and watch the eruption go! Now is the perfect time to teach about the chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.

Can we do it again?!  (That’s what your kids will say.)

I am loving that I captured their excited expressions!

Have you done this fun, classic experiment with your kids?

Volcano Variations:

Make a volcano erupt with smoke by adding dry ice! Check out my  smoking dragon post  for tips.

Make a thicker lava by trying  elephant toothpaste  in the bottle!

Volcano Diagram Worksheets

Extend the learning with these Printable Volcano Diagram worksheets!  This printable set includes color and black and white diagrams with both labeled and unlabeled versions. You can use them for learning and for quizzing later!  Download your Volcano Diagrams now!

Learn about Real Volcanos and how they really erupt by reading some books on Volcanoes!

Volcanoes! Mountains for Fire by Eric Arnold is a great place to start.

We also like the Magic School Bus Blows its Top by Gail Herman

You may also enjoy:   30 More  Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments! It has some more fun ways to experiment with this chemical reaction.

Check out my Science Book! Science Art and Drawing Games for Kids

Former school teacher turned homeschool mom of 4 kids. Loves creating awesome hands-on creative learning ideas to make learning engaging and memorable for all kids!

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You've Got Ingredients for a Chemical Volcano

11 Ways To Make a Chemical Volcano Erupt

• Projects & Experiments
• Chemical Laws
• Periodic Table
• Scientific Method
• Biochemistry
• Physical Chemistry
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• Chemistry In Everyday Life
• Famous Chemists
• Activities for Kids
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• Weather & Climate
• Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

There are several ways to model volcanic eruptions using simple chemical reactions. Here's a collection of some of the best chemical volcano recipes that you can use for a volcano demonstration or make just for fun.

Classic Baking Soda & Vinegar Volcano

Chances are if you have made a model volcano, this was how you did it. The baking soda and vinegar reaction is nice because it's non-toxic and you can recharge your volcano to make it erupt again and again and again.

Yeast & Peroxide Volcano

The yeast and peroxide volcano is another safe choice for kids using common household ingredients. This volcano is a little foamier than the baking soda and vinegar variety. You can recharge this volcano, too.

Pro tip: Add a bit of dry ice to the volcano to make it smoke.

Mentos & Soda Eruption

Michael Murphy/Wikimedia Commons

This fountain or volcanic eruption can be done with other candies and any type of carbonated beverage. If you use a diet soda or an unsweetened drink the resulting spray will be a lot less sticky.

Glowing Eruption

This volcano glows blue under a black light . That doesn't make it any more like a volcano than the other projects , except that lava is hot and glows. Glowing eruptions are cool.

Fountain Firework

This particular volcano erupts with smoke and fire, not lava. If you add iron or aluminum filings to the mixture, you can shoot a shower of sparks.

Ketchup & Baking Soda Volcano

The acetic acid in ketchup reacts with baking soda to produce an extra-special type of lava for a chemical volcano. This is a non-toxic volcano recipe that is sure to please.

Lemon Fizz Volcano

We colored this eruption blue, but you could just as easily make it red or orange. When you stop to think about it, you can react any acidic liquid with baking soda to create lava.

Vesuvian Fire

Ben Mills/Wikimedia Commons

'Vesuvian Fire' is one name given to the classic tabletop chemical volcano made using ammonium dichromate. This is a spectacular demonstration, but chromium is toxic so this reaction is only carried out in the chemistry lab .

Color Change Chemical Volcano

This chemical volcano involves a color change of the 'lava' from purple to orange and back to purple. The volcano can be used to illustrate an acid-base reaction and the use of an acid-base indicator .

Pop Rocks Chemical Volcano

Catherine Bulinkski/Flickr.com

You don't have baking soda or vinegar to make a homemade chemical volcano? Here's a simple 2-ingredient volcano using Pop Rocks candies to produce the eruption. If you use red or pink pop rocks, you'll even get a nice color to the lava.

Sulfuric Acid & Sugar Ash Column

If you add a bit of sulfuric acid to sugar you'll create a glowing column of hot black ash.

• Examples of Chemical Reactions in Everyday Life
• 10 Cool Chemistry Experiments
• 10 Examples of Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Mixtures
• Take Your Volcano Science Project to the Next Level
• What Is Alum and How Is It Used?
• How to Make a Volcano Using Pop Rocks
• Baking Soda and Vinegar Chemical Volcano
• How to Make a Homemade Volcano That Smokes
• How to Make a Baking Soda Volcano
• Ketchup and Baking Soda Volcano
• Color Change Chemical Volcano Demonstration
• Baking Soda Science Projects
• Easy Science Projects
• How to Make a Mentos & Diet Soda Chemical Volcano Eruption
• Science Projects Photo Gallery
• Safe Science Experiments

Easy Volcano Eruption Experiment for Kids (3 Methods & Beautiful Results)

• August 19, 2019
• 3-4 Year Olds , 5-6 Year Olds , Chemistry , Fizzy Science , Outdoors , Taste-safe

Are you looking for an easy fun and intellectual science experiment for your kid’s science fair!? If yes, then you are on the right page where you will get three easy simple and super fun experiments that works better as a science project. What’s that!? It’s a ‘Volcano making’ at home with your kids.

After watching a documentary on television regarding volcanoes, aroused an interest to create fake volcanoes. Immediately I shared my idea with my girls of 5 and 7 years old. They were very excited by listening the name itself. That is how I started experimenting this super fun activity at home.

Method-1: Making Volcano using Baking Soda and Vinegar

You will need few simple things that you can find in your home or stores easily. The supplies required to mimic the lava that of a real volcano are listed below:

• Baking soda
• Food colouring (your preferred color)
• Dish wash soap
• Volcano mold (you can create one using play dough)
• Kids toys (optional)

[*Product links are affiliate links. Your support is highly appreciated]

1) Take a ready-made Volcano or you can make it at home using plastic bottles. Fill the volcano with white marble stones to give it a colorful look as well as kids can get better view on the white background.

2) You can also decorate around the volcano with some kid’s toys to make it more attractive and catchy. Adding kid’s toys to the volcano also grabs kid’s attention as toys are never boring for any kids or even adults. J

3) Find some private space since the volcano eruption makes a mess. As we are using ready-made volcano plate, hopefully the mess is only inside the plate.

4) Do some preparations or trials before you start the actual experiment in order to learn proper amounts of ingredients that decide how big your volcano should be!

5) Now my elder daughter Prithika added required amount of baking soda (one of the magical ingredients) into the volcano. She is always interested in adding ingredients. In one way, it helps her to learn more about mixing and measurement concepts.

Now let us jump into the second method of making homemade volcano which is as simple as first method.

Method 2 Volcano in the bowls using same ingredients

• Soap liquid
• Food colour
• Bowls (make sure the bowls are neatly washed as the volcano is not formed if there are any other chemical substances which may get react and form other reactions)

1) Take four bowls and arrange them neatly on the work table or work place. It is suggested to take the bowls in a wide and big plate so that the eruption will flow or spread wide area and be within the plate.

2) Add different food colours to four different bowls so that it gives different coloured volcanoes. My daughters are excited to add their favorite colours. In fact this is their most favorite step in every activity we does (if there are chances to add any colours while experimenting).

This is the simple and easiest way to attract or fascinate the people at the science fair.

Method 3 Creating Volcano experiment with Lemon

Make lemon volcanoes (ideal experiment) along with your kids using kitchen ingredients. The end result is wonderful that leaves a surprise on kid’s face. This is another easiest method to create colorful volcano using lemons. Let us see how we can amaze children using lemon.

Materials required

All you need are:

• Tray or a white plate
• Cutting knife or Butter knife
• Spoon or Fork
• Food coloring

Instructions

1) Take a medium sized lemon and cut into 3/4 th using butter or cutting knife.

2) Squeeze out the seeds and some lemon juice (leaving some juice) with the help of spoon or fork.

3) Add few drops of food colour to the inside of the lemon. Choose some bright colours to see bright and colourful lemon volcanoes. We used red orange and yellow food colours to get orange-red lava! Kids enjoyed watching bright display of volcanoes.  

4) Put some baking soda on top of the lemon to see the amazing results.

5) Use spoon or fork to let the baking soda inside the lemon.

As soon as you add the baking soda to the lemon, there happens a chemical reaction again between the lemons (acidic in nature) and the baking soda (base). This chemical reaction leaves a gas known as carbon dioxide which is responsible for the frothing and fizzing of the eruption coming out of the lemon.

A volcano is a typically conical mountain or hill that has lava coming out from a magma chamber under the surface of the ground. The materials include in the volcano are lava, gaseous sulfur compounds, steam, heat, broken rock pieces and ash. The volcano erupts and explodes all these materials out when there are right conditions like high temperature and pressure.

However, in our home experiment of creating fake volcano gives an idea of how a volcano looks like when the lava erupts. This is a simple classic science experiment works based on a chemical reaction and showing physical volcano eruption. The chemical reaction is nothing but a reaction between the baking soda and vinegar results in the release of a gas called carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the same gas which is used in sodas for the purpose of carbonation. You can observe the same reaction what you see when the soda bottle is shaken up and remove the bottle cap. The pressure created while shaking make the gas molecules to spread out as there is no enough space to spread, it comes out of the bottle when the cap is opened. In the same way, the carbon dioxide released (because of the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar) builds up enough pressure inside the volcano finally results in the eruption in order to exit the bubbles.

In other words, the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar is said to be an ‘Acid-Base Reaction’. Because the chemical reaction is happening between the acetic acid (vinegar) and a base (sodium bicarbonate). The acetic acid (a weak acid) reacts with and neutralizes the base ( sodium bicarbonate ). The gas released during the reaction is the carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the main culprit for the fizzing and bubbling of the wonderful ‘eruption’.

This project takes not more than 30 minutes to complete. I could say that it is a classic science experiment because kids will get to learn chemical reactions and observe what is happening when a volcano erupts. Sounds cool right!!? Did you know the carbon dioxide gas released during the experiment is also present or produced during real volcanoes!! Hope you all enjoyed to learn about colorful fake volcanoes in three different methods. Happy experiment!!

Some Q&A for your interaction with kids

In our experiment, baking soda and vinegar are the magic ingredients to create a volcano at home. When the baking is combined with the vinegar, there happens a chemical reaction producing a gas called carbon dioxide which causes a volcano to erupt (looks similar to the real volcano eruption). The carbon dioxide gas creates pressure to throw out the gas bubbles inside the volcano thus exit the volcano like real ones.

We always have to be very careful while adding ingredients in right amounts in order to get our wonderful results. We may not get our desired results if we miss to add right amounts of ingredients. In our experiment, we require 2 table spoons of baking soda to mix in 1/4th cup of vinegar to erupt a beautiful volcano at home.

Take your chemical volcano project to the next level and make it more exciting by creating glowing volcano. For a glowing lava, use tonic water instead of vinegar and a black light. You can also use both the ingredients i.e. take equal quantities of vinegar and tonic water to make erupting glowing volcano under a black light. Tonic water consists of fluorescent compound called quinine, which is responsible for glowing volcano eruption. The other way to create glowing volcano is to wrap the volcano around the tonic water bottle and just drop the Mentos candies into the bottle. You can see the amazing glowing volcano at home. One more method to see colorful glowing volcano is to mix the chlorophyll with vinegar. The chlorophyll when expose to ultra violet light, starts glowing in red. Hence, you can see the red glowing volcano.

You see a lot of bubbling and foaming while erupting volcano. Formation of bubbles and foam is due to the combination of baking soda and vinegar. When the baking soda (a base, sodium bicarbonate) is mixed with the vinegar solution (an acid), there happens a chemical reaction releasing a gas known as carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is unstable and fills the volcano with a lot of bubbles. Due to the pressure builds up in the volcano due to carbon dioxide gas, the gas bubbles gets exit the volcano like a real volcano eruption.

Both the ingredients are responsible for the chemical reaction because baking soda is a base (called sodium bicarbonate) reacts with the vinegar, an acid producing carbon dioxide.

According to the studies, using baking soda is completely safe since it is mild and unscented for kids. Baking soda has both the alkaline and antiseptic properties that soothes the acidic nature of skin and protects it from infections. It tastes bitter so kids obviously would not like to put in their mouth. However, it is always good to take extra care while using baking soda very often.

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How to Make a Volcano at Home in 3 Easy Steps

By: Author Teresa

Posted on Last updated: May 26, 2021

Categories Kids Games & Activities , STEM

If you’re like me you might be a little intimidated about doing science experiments for kids at home. But it’s easier than you think. Your kids will love this simple volcano science experiment.

Follow along and learn how to make a volcano at home with baking soda and vinegar in this step by step guide. An easy Stem activity for kids when their home in summer or during school shutdowns. They will want to do it over and over again.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases . If you choose to buy something using my link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclaimer here .

Volcano Materials & Ingredients You’ll Need

• You will need something to mix up your volcano. I suggest something clear so the kids can see the full impact of the exploding volcano. We used a spaghetti sauce jar but you could also use a clear plastic cup, water bottle or anything else you have at home.

Tip: Pick something you can throw away afterward to make clean up easy.

• A foil tray or newspaper to put under your jar. This way when the volcano explodes you have easy clean up. You could also do this out in your yard and spray it down after with a hose.

Ingredients

• Water – Fill up your container 2/3 full
• 4-5 Tbs of Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Dish Soap
• 5-6 Drops of Food Dye – any color you like
• 8 oz (1 cup) Vinegar

Step by Step Guide to Making a Volcano

Fill up your container 2/3 full of water

Add to the water – 4-5 tbs Baking Soda, 1 tsp Dish Soap and last 4-5 drops of Food Dye then stir together.

Tips: Give the kids a minute to watch the food dye mix into the water before you stir it all together. It’s pretty cool to watch the food dye in the jar.

Get the kids ready to see the explosion in this last step. Add in the 8oz of Vinegar and step back.

Yes, it’s that easy to do! When it settles pour out the mixture and do it again with a second food dye color. Kids will love watching it over and over again.

Are you ready now to do this fun Stem activity for kids at your house? Learning how to make a volcano at home is so easy and a great way to mix fun and education for your kids.

More STEM Activities

Looking for more fun STEM experiments at home? Here are some of our reader’s favorites.

Dinosaurs Frozen in Ice . It’s a simple at-home experiment with balloons, water, and small dinosaur figures. Kids will love figuring out how to melt the ice to discover the dinosaurs.

Rain Clouds in a Jar – Teach kids how rain comes from clouds with shaving cream, food dye, and water. Super easy and really cool to watch.

Ice Balloons – Cool Colored Ice Gems kids can explore. Do a fun Salt and Water Melting experiment or add them to their snow castle outdoors.

DIY Cardboard Marble Run  – Make a cool Marble run with an old box and paper towel rolls for a fun STEM project at home.

If you looking for more fun STEM experiences at home we love the monthly Tech kits from Creation Crate . Each month you get all the components to create a new electronic project with video & paper instructions.

Our kids look forward to Creation Crate’s arrival every month !

Need More Fun Activities for Kids at Home?

At Happy Mom Hacks we have tons of  Kids Activities  for both indoors and outdoors to fend off hearing kids say the dreaded I’m Bored. Here are a few Reader Favorite Activities:

Fun Outdoor Activities for Kids with Water Toys – Cool Water Toys for Your Backyard for Toddler to 10-Year-olds.

Minute to Win It Games for Kids  – Kids can play these by themselves racing the clock or against family and friends.

Fun Rainy Day Indoor Activities for Kids  – Fun games to play when your stuck indoors for the day.

60 Fun & Free Things to Do with Kids Screen-Free  – Entertaining activities for kids at home and in their local community.

Easy Coffee Filter Butterflies Kids Craft – Simple at-home craft for kids.

Fun Sidewalk Chalk Drawing Ideas & Shadow Art for Kids – The kids will love this fun outdoor art activity

Summer Camp at Home

Don’t stress about keeping the kids busy this summer! Plan a fun  Summer Camp at Home . It’s easier than you think with our complete  Summer Camp Planner . 30+ printable pages with 8 weeks of pre-planned themes, activities, schedules & more. Check it out and be ready for an unforgettable summer.

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Bonus , you’ll get our free printable  Would You Rather Game  to use as a hilarious birthday party game or fun family game night.

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One Crazy Mom

How to make a Volcano for kids

Published on July 24, 2023

, Updated on October 12, 2023

by Carrie Barnard

Learn how to make a volcano for kids in just a few simple steps. This cool DIY volcano for kids will leave everyone amazed.

Homemade Volcano for Kids

This easy volcano experiment will be a blast for everyone.  Whether you love doing science experiments at home or the kids have one for a homework assignment, give it a try. This outdoor volcano experiment is so fun but also a great way to learn at the same time.

I love when we can do things together that are fun and learn new things as well. Plus, we are making lasting memories and making a baking soda volcano.

The kids will be super impressed with how this volcano erupts while learning how science works. You only need a few things to make a volcano for this cool science project.

The Science Behind the Volcano Eruption

The eruption happens due to a reaction between an acid and a base. The acetic acid in the vinegar reacts with the sodium hydrogen carbonate that is in the baking soda.

This produces carbon dioxide. The base has a reaction when exposed to the acid. Then the gas results in the eruption inside the DIY Volcano.

What do you need to make a volcano?

• Used and Empty Water Bottle with the top cut off
• 1 cup Water
• 4 Tablespoons of Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon of Dish Soap
• Food Coloring of your Choice
• 1 cup of Vinegar

How do you make a volcano explode :

• Step 1. Cut the neck off of the top of the plastic bottle to make the volcano shape. You can also utilize an empty soda bottle for this classic science project.
• Step 2 . Place the water bottle on the location where the eruption will occur.  I used a jelly roll pan and covered it in foil first for easy clean up. However, you can also do this volcano science experiment outside so clean up is even easier!
• Step 3. Put the warm water, baking soda, dish soap and drops of food coloring in the water bottle.  We used drops of red food coloring for the lava baking soda slurry but you can use any color you want. Gently combine this liquid mixture with a spoon so that they are combined for the baking soda and vinegar reaction.

• Step 4. Next have the kids gather around the water bottle to get ready for the experiment. It is eruption time! The vinegar added to baking soda create carbon dioxide gas.
• Step 5. Then use a separate cup to pour vinegar into the water bottle ingredients and watch the volcano erupt from the chemical reaction in this vinegar volcano.

This experiment is quick and easy. The kids can easily take turns creating their own real volcanoes. We absolutely love science experiments for kids that are fun and teach simple science ideas.

This volcanic eruption is one of the easiest kids activities and so much fun. While other types of experiments use playdough, flour, salt dough or other ingredients, this is very simple with baking soda, vinegar and other basic supplies.

Print the instructions for how to make a Volcano for Kids:

How to Make a Volcano with Kids

Instructions.

• Cut the neck off of the top of the water bottle.
• Place the water bottle on the location where the eruption will occur.  I used a jelly roll pan and covered it in foil first for easy clean up but you can also do this experiment outside so clean up is even easier!
• Put the water, baking soda, dish soap and food coloring of your choice in the water bottle.  Gently mix these ingredients so that they are combined.
• Next have the kids gather around the water bottle to get ready for the experiment.
• Next, use a separate cup to add the vinegar to the water bottle ingredients and watch the eruption that occurred.
• This experiment is quick and easy that the kids can easily take turns creating their own.

More Fun Activities for Kids:

• Elmer’s Glue Slime
• Water Activities for Kids
• DIY Glow in the Dark Bouncy Balls

Try these other recipes

How to Make Oobleck for Kids

How to make Butter Slime

The Absolute Best Slime Activators

Best Christmas Books for Kids

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Thank you I really do appreciate your help! This is an amazing page for reference. Sometimes it’s hard being used to being provider for the whole family and more to nothing at all .This article really helps get motivation .#STARTAG

This was great! I did it for a science project, and it worked like a charm.

Woohoo! So great to hear – thank you for sharing!

Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano for Kids

We’re big fans of science experiments and STEM activities like this play dough Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano Science Experiment. My kids love trying new science experiments. However, sometimes the classic science experiments really are the best. Like how to make a volcano for kids… with play dough… science fair, anyone? Whether you are a teacher or a parent, this volcano science experiment is sure to be a hit with your kids!

Recommended Grade Level:

Kindergarten

Early Elementar y

• Supply List
• Coordinating Activities

Materials for the Play Dough Volcano Science Experiment:

• Plastic Beaker
• Baking Soda
• Washable Paint

Classic Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano Science Experiment

Create the best play dough volcano science experiment in the world with these simple instructions:, what else can i use to create an eruption, what can i use besides play dough to create a volcano, what happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda in the volcano science experiment, cool science experiments with baking soda and vinegar:.

• More Activities You'll Love:

More Science Experiments for Kids:

We’ve turned the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment for kids into a volcano more times than I can count, but my kids still love trying it over and over.

This time, we kept things really simple by making this easy baking soda and vinegar volcano experiment out of play dough and a beaker.

The play dough volcano was a hit with both elementary and preschool kids , and even the clean up was easy for this one. If you need a low-mess science experiment , this one definitely fits the bill.

How do you make a baking soda and vinegar volcano science experiment with play dough?

Teaching kids how to make a volcano with baking soda and vinegar is super easy!

Since this baking soda and vinegar science experiment makes the play dough wet, it is a great way to use play dough that is about to dry out or play dough that is all combined with other colors. You could also use homemade play dough to make this volcano.

Materials for the Play Dough Volcano:

How to make a vinegar and baking soda volcano science experiment:.

Create the mixture to put inside the volcano.

• Mix up to a cup of baking soda and 1-2 oz of paint together along with a small amount of dish soap, about 1 tsp. The dish soap will help the volcano erupt slower, making this easy volcano experiment last longer.
• Add a touch of water if the mixture is too thick.
• Pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup baking soda mixture into the beaker.

Place the beaker on your tray. You can secure it in place with a bit of masking tape as you get ready to create your volcano with play dough.

Figuring out how to build a play dough volcano with a beaker or soda bottle is also a great way to sneak in some fine motor skills practice with your kids.

(I always love sneaking in fine motor skills with my kids…even the older ones who seem to use their thumbs for texting more than anything else…sigh.)

Place the play dough around the beaker to make it look like a volcano. Don’t cover up the opening of the beaker because you will need the vinegar to get inside to create the chemical reaction.

Pour a small amount of vinegar into the beaker or soda bottle to create the baking soda and vinegar reaction , then, watch the volcano erupt. Keep adding vinegar a little at a time and watch as the vinegar reacts with the baking soda until the volcano no longer erupts any longer.

Of course, the baking soda and vinegar reaction is also great as a drain cleaner, but I think the kids will enjoy this experiment more as them make a vinegar volcano with baking soda & vinegar.

More Science Experiments for Kids

This classic science experiment i s always a fun one for kids, and no matter how many times they make it, they still love watching the baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction over and over.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When  vinegar and baking soda  are first  mixed  together, hydrogen ions in the  vinegar (acetic acid) react with the sodium and  bicarbonate  ions in the  baking soda . The result of this initial reaction is two new chemicals: carbonic acid and sodium acetate. The second reaction is a decomposition reaction and carbon dioxide is released. (which is what creates the bubbles)

While you can create an ‘explosion’ simply mixing baking soda and vinegar in any tray or container, you will get the most volcano-like eruption by using a tall, narrow container like a glass, vase, water bottle, canning jar or even an aluminum can. This allows the eruption to build higher before erupting and spilling over the sides.

If you don’t have baking soda and vinegar on hand, there are many other ways that you can create a volcano science experiment.

You can try soda and Mentos candy , soda and Pop Rocks , and also baking soda and citrus fruits.

What kids will really care about more than a scientific explanation is how big their volcano is!

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16 Red-Hot Volcano Science Experiments and Kits For Classrooms or Science Fairs

Kids will erupt with excitement!

Is there any school science project more classic than the exploding volcano? Every generation of kids loves this explosive (and messy!) experiment, which is usually a take on acid-base reactions. Here are our favorite volcano science experiments and projects, along with some well-reviewed DIY kits that make the process easier.

(Just a heads up—WeAreTeachers may collect a small share of sales from links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

1. Classic Baking Soda Volcano Experiment

This classic experiment teaches kids about simple chemical reactions and physical properties. The best part? It’s easy to do and uses only a few basic ingredients. Check out the link below for a step-by-step guide and free printable student recording sheet.

Learn more: Baking Soda Volcano Experiment

2. Papier-mâché Volcano Experiment

Here it is, the original papier-mâché volcano! The volcano is built around a jar inside that holds the vinegar and baking soda for the eruption itself. Add a little dish soap to make the “lava” foamier and more impressive.

Learn more: Craft Cue

3. Salt Dough Volcano Experiment

Salt dough is a little easier to work with than papier-mâché, and you can make your volcano pretty realistic looking. Otherwise, the process is the same, and so is the fun!

Learn more: Teach Beside Me

4. National Geographic Ultimate Volcano Kit

Make things easier by getting all the supplies you need in a volcano science experiments kit. This one has thousands of positive reviews on Amazon and comes with a volcano mold you can use again and again.

Learn more: National Geographic Ultimate Volcano Kit/Amazon

5. Playdough Volcano Experiment

Want a quick version of the volcano experiment? Use playdough to build a volcano around a small beaker, then create the baking soda and vinegar reaction. Fast and fun!

Learn more: Life Over Cs

6. Snow Volcano Experiment

Volcano science experiments can be messy, there’s no doubt about it. That’s why this snow volcano is so brilliant! Take the mess outside and let nature help with cleanup.

Learn more: Science Sparks

7. Playz Volcanic Eruption & Lava Lab Science Kit

This volcano science kit comes with not one but two erupting volcanoes! There are enough supplies for multiple eruptions too.

Learn more: Playz Volcanic Eruption & Lava Lab Science Kit/Amazon

8. Lemon Volcano Science Experiment

Lemon juice is full of acid, so this fruit is the perfect material for volcano science experiments. Just add a little dish soap (and food coloring for fun). Then top with baking soda and watch the fizzy eruption! Enjoy this one? Try it with apples too!

Learn more: Lemon Volcano/Beyond the Playroom

9. Learning Resources Beaker Creatures Bubbling Volcano Kit

This kit is perfect for the younger crowd. It includes several different fizzing experiments, including a “reactor pod” that you drop into your volcano to reveal a collectible little Beaker Creature.

Learn more: Learning Resources Beaker Creatures Bubbling Volcano Kit/Amazon

10. Pop Rocks Volcano

Watch a volcano video and you’ll hear all sorts of popping and cracking sounds. You can recreate that effect in your DIY experiment by adding Pop Rocks candy to make a sound volcano!

Learn more: Growing a Jeweled Rose

11. Stemclas Volcano Science Kit

If you’re looking for a truly basic volcano kit, this is the one. No frills, no extras—just a model volcano and the materials you need to make it erupt.

Learn more: Stemclas Volcano Science Kit/Amazon

12. Rainbow Volcano Experiment

Lava can take on different colors depending on the temperature and chemical composition. So make a rainbow of fizzing “lava” of your own using food coloring!

Learn more: Green Kids Crafts

13. Underwater Volcano Experiment

Not all volcanos erupt on land—some are found underwater. This experiment uses the different densities of hot and cold water to make the volcano “erupt.”

Learn more: Mombrite

14. Fizzing Volcano Lava Slime

Volcanoes plus slime? It’s every kid’s dream! Mix up some fizzing lava slime that’s much safer to play with than real molten lava! (Make this project even easier by getting all the supplies you need in the Volcano Slime Kit from KiwiCo .)

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands

15. Look Inside a Volcano Experiment

This volcano science experiment digs deeper, laying out items like the magma chamber, crater, and central and secondary vents. The eruption is impressive, and now you can see how happens!

Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me

16. Pumpkin Volcano Experiment

When is a pumpkin not a pumpkin? When it’s a volcano! This is an awesome project to take out onto the playground on a sunny fall day.

Learn more: Hillary’s Teaching Adventures

Want more hands-on science fun? Try these Incredible Electricity Experiments .

Plus, get all the latest teaching tips and tricks straight to your inbox when you sign up for our newsletters , you might also like.

How To Make a Baking Soda Volcano With Free Observation Sheet

This experiment will have kids erupting with applause! Continue Reading

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How to Make a Volcano Erupt

Last Updated: May 31, 2022 References

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 15 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 44,277 times.

Creating a model volcano and making it erupt is a fun science experiment that teaches kids about chemical reactions. There are several variations on this experiment. You can create the volcano with dough, insulating foam or paper mache, and you can also make the volcano erupt with baking soda or soda pop.

Baking Soda and Dough Volcano

• Cut out several strips of cardboard that are 3 inches by 6 inches (7.5 by 15cm) for the supports.
• Tape them with masking tape, electrical tape or duct tape. Avoid packing tape because it is too slick.

• For example, you may want to paint the volcano brown with green near the bottom.
• Illustrate the eruption by painting red lava flows down the side. [3] X Research source

Mentos and Foam Volcano

• Use very sturdy cardboard for this tray.
• You can also use several thick sheets of cardboard for a stronger base.

• You may want to try Great Stuff Insulating Foam Sealant.

• The porous surface of the Mentos causes the rapid formation of carbon dioxide. This chemical reaction produces foam. [5] X Research source
• Remove your 2 l bottle of soda from the bottom of the cardboard. Insert another bottle and do it again.

Community Q&A

• Although dough and insulating foam create a quick volcano, you can make your volcano using paper maché for either the baking soda or Mentos method. Mix a combination of water and glue. Dip strips of paper into it and smooth them over your bottle and supports. Repeat until the volcano is formed. Allow it to dry overnight before painting it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Things You'll Need

• Plastic bottle
• Cardboard box
• Scissors/box cutter
• Cooking oil
• Tempera paints
• Paint brushes
• Baking soda
• Food coloring
• Cardboard sheets
• Aluminum foil
• 2 l bottles of soda
• Insulating foam
• Papier mache mix (water and glue)

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://sciencenotes.org/5-ways-to-make-a-volcano/
• ↑ https://artfulparent.com/volcano-eruptions-in-our-kitchen/
• ↑ http://www.stormthecastle.com/how-to-make-a/how-to-make-a-fast-easy-volcano.htm
• ↑ http://www.stormthecastle.com/how-to-make-a/how-to-make-a-spectacular-volcano.htm
• ↑ http://mentalfloss.com/article/48759/why-do-diet-coke-and-mentos-react

About this article

To make a volcano erupt, start by securing a bottle of soda to a cardboard tray. Then, spray insulating foam around the soda bottle to create a mountain, and wait for it to harden. Next, paint the dried insulating foam so it looks like a volcano, and attach a paper cylinder to the very top. Finally, drop a few Mentos into the paper cylinder so they fall into the bottle of soda, and wait for the eruption. To learn how to make a volcano erupt with baking soda and dough, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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10 Ways to Make a Volcano with Kids

Volcanoes are a classic science activity for kids. All you need are baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, and a volcano-shaped container. Check out these  10 Ways to Make a Volcano with Kids I’ve collected from around the web.

Easy to Make Tape Volcano  – Forget plaster or play dough. To make this volcano, use tape in the color of your choice or paint it.

Pop Rocks Volcano – Here’s a slight twist on the classic baking soda and vinegar volcano. Use pop rocks and soda to make a noisy volcano. Can you change how fast the volcano erupts by using different ingredients?

Ice Volcano – I love these ice volcanoes from Reading Confetti . Such a fun idea!

Snow Volcano – Science Sparks shows how to make one!

Backyard Volcano – Build a volcano in your backyard and use a secret ingredient to make the eruption extra special. ( Kids Activities Blog)

Sand Volcano – This idea is from Growing a Jeweled Rose.

Mini Volcanoes – These little volcanoes are so cute. Hop over to Blog Me Mom to see how they’re made.

Coconut Volcano – Change up the volcano’s container and use a coconut! ( Parent Teach Play }

TP Tube Volcano  – Toddler Approved used a cardboard tube to help make the volcano.

Papier Mache Volcano – This volcano from Zing Zing Tree is just gorgeous. Read about how you can make an extra large volcano, too!

Learn about how volcanoes are formed – Visualize how volcanoes erupt using toothpaste and dirt. Learn Play Imagine has the instructions.

Have you ever made a volcano? How did you make yours?

More Science Activity Collections

You might also want to check out these 20 baking soda science ideas for even more baking soda and vinegar fun!

How to Build a Boat: 25 Designs and Experiments  is our most popular science collection. This post is full of great ideas.

20 Ways to Build a Rocket is also pretty popular around here. You’ll find rocket experiments and crafts that kids will love.

Subscribe to the Inspiration Laboratories weekly newsletter? Each issue has exclusive hands-on science explorations for children, a recap of our latest activities, and special resources selected just for you!

This post was originally published on June 12, 2014.

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Volcano Eruption Experiment: Creating a Model Volcano with Baking Soda and Vinegar

The volcano eruption experiment is a classic and exciting way to simulate a volcanic eruption using household items. By combining baking soda and vinegar, you can create a visually captivating eruption that mimics the explosive release of gases and lava from a volcano. This experiment provides a hands-on introduction to chemical reactions and geology.

Materials Needed for this science experiment:

• Small plastic bottle (empty and clean)
• Modeling clay or playdough
• Baking soda
• Dish soap (optional, for foamy lava)
• Red food coloring (optional, for realistic lava color)
• Protective cover for the workspace

1. Set Up the Workspace: Choose a clean and well-protected area for the experiment. Place a protective cover on the surface to catch any spills.

2. Build the Volcano: Use modeling clay or playdough to create the shape of a volcano around the plastic bottle. Mold the clay to form a conical mountain shape, leaving the top open to insert the eruption mixture.

3. Prepare the Eruption Mixture: In a small cup or container, mix baking soda with a few drops of red food coloring (for lava color) and a drop of dish soap (for foamy lava). The dish soap will help create a foaming effect as the mixture reacts.

4. Place the Bottle: Place the plastic bottle in the center of the volcano structure, with the top of the bottle extending above the volcano’s top.

5. Add the Eruption Mixture: Pour the baking soda mixture into the plastic bottle. Make sure not to let it spill over the edges.

6. Add Vinegar: Pour vinegar into the plastic bottle containing the baking soda mixture. As the vinegar reacts with the baking soda, it will produce carbon dioxide gas, which causes the eruption.

7. Observe the Eruption: Watch as the mixture inside the bottle reacts with the vinegar. You’ll see a foaming eruption that mimics the flow of lava from a volcanic vent.

8. Reflect on the Science: Explain to children that the eruption occurs due to a chemical reaction between the baking soda (a base) and the vinegar (an acid). This reaction produces carbon dioxide gas, which creates the bubbling and foaming effect.

9. Experiment Variations: You can experiment with different amounts of baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap to see how they affect the eruption’s intensity and duration.

10. Cleanup: After the eruption, carefully dispose of the remaining mixture and clean the plastic bottle and volcano structure for future use.

11. Safety Note: Make sure to avoid getting the mixture or vinegar into your eyes or mouth. Also, the eruption can be messy, so perform the experiment in an easily cleaned area.

The Volcano Eruption experiment is a hands-on and engaging way to introduce children to chemical reactions and geology concepts. It allows them to witness a volcanic eruption in a controlled and safe environment, sparking their curiosity about the natural world and the forces that shape it.

More Science Experiments

Explore similar educational resources that improve a variety of skills and cultivate a love for learning.

Pendulum Painting Experiment: Creating Unique Art with Swinging Pendulums

Magnet Maze Experiment: Guiding a Metal Object Using Magnets

Soda and Mentos Geyser Experiment: Creating a Fizzy Explosion

Magic Milk Experiment: Exploring Surface Tension and Chemical Reactions

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How to make a "Volcano Experiment" Easy and Fun

How to Make a Volcano

Making a volcano experiment can be easy and fun if you have all the supplies you need on hand and teach kids how to make a model that's relatively quick. This allows them to get to the fun part of the experiment sooner. This project works for a classroom demonstration or a group project. Kids can work in teams on the volcano experiment or each can build an individual model.

Show pictures or videos of real volcanoes. Discuss the purpose of the experiment, such as explaining how a volcano erupts . The lava for the experiment works because of the chemical reaction between vinegar's acid and the base baking soda.

Prepare for the mess. Conduct the experiment outside, if weather permits. Alternatively, cover a table with plastic, such as a drop cloth or cut-open garbage bag and cover the plastic with newspaper.

Place cardboard inside a cookie tray for each volcano experiment. This provides a support for the model and the cookie baking sheet catches the lava flow from the eruption.

Make a modeling clay volcano. This version is more durable than paper mache or homemade clay volcanoes and it's ready to erupt as soon as it's built, without the drying stages and extra time to paint the model that can be frustrating for kids.

Show the kids how to glue the base of a 16-oz soda bottle in the center of the cardboard base. Direct them to form the shape of the volcano by smoothing balls of modeling clay around the base of the bottle and tapering the shape of the volcano as they add more clay up to the top of the bottle.

Guide the kids through creating the lava mixture. A 16-oz. soda bottle in the middle of the volcano model works well for a lava tube. Direct the kids to pour 1 cup of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of dish soap, eight drops of red food coloring and three drops of yellow food coloring into the bottle, and then to add 2 tbsp. of baking soda in a twist of tissue to set off the eruption.

Let the kids repeat the volcano experiment multiple times for the fun of making the volcano erupt.

Things You'll Need

Wear old clothes to avoid the risk of staining good clothes with the food coloring. Cut the top off the plastic bottle for the lava tube at an angle to resemble the natural opening of a volcano. Use a scissors to carefully poke a hole through the plastic 1 inch or more below the neck of the bottle and cut the top off at a 30 degree or greater angle. For a group project, prepare all the bottles in advance, both for safety and to save time.

Avoid using glass bottles of food coloring to prevent the risk of broken glass and spills. The small kits of food coloring that come with multiple small plastic bottles make it easy for kids to squeeze drops of color for the lava mixture without the risk of spills or injuries. Put the caps back on the food coloring and remove the bottles from the work table when you're finished with them.

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• Montana Tech: Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology; Let's Make a Volcano

About the Author

Gryphon Adams began publishing in 1985. He contributed to the "San Francisco Chronicle" and "Dark Voices." Adams writes about a variety of topics, including teaching, floral design, landscaping and home furnishings. Adams is a certified health educator and a massage practitioner. He received his Master of Fine Arts at San Francisco State University.

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Simple Science: How to Make a Volcano with Kids

By: Author Sara McClure

Posted on Published: July 23, 2013  - Last updated: September 20, 2022

Categories Homeschool , Kids Activities , Preschool , Science

Sharing is caring!

Everyone should know how to make a volcano with kids ! This DIY volcano is at the top of the list of easy science experiments for kids . Little ones are fascinated by the fizzy baking soda and vinegar volcano "lava" and can't wait to do the activity over and over again.

There are a lot of ways you can make a volcano with kids, but for this version, you will need some sort of container to hold the ingredients and then you will also need something to help build up the volcano shape around the container.

Playdough works wonderfully for this, but there are many other options that take even less prep than the instructions we are sharing here.

You can even skip the playdough all together and just use the cup to see the fizzy baking soda and vinegar reaction overflow.

I'm telling you, it doesn't get much easier than this!

Volcano Experiment Ingredients

• small disposable paper cup
• baking soda
• red food coloring

How to Make a Homemade Volcano

There are lots of ways you can make a homemade baking soda and vinegar volcano, but I have found it easiest to have a small container you can place the baking soda in.

I cut a small disposable paper cup in half, about 2 inches from the bottom to hold the baking soda.

Note:If you have a recycled mini ice cream cup leftover from a party, that would work great!

Next we used some old playdough that was starting to dry out to make a base for the volcano. My son placed the bottom part of the cup on top of a ball of playdough to form the base.

Then, my son used more playdough to build up around the base and make it look more like a volcano shape.

Once the volcano is ready, take it outside. Pour a little baking soda into the top of the volcano.

Pour vinegar in a cup.

Add a drop or two of red food coloring .

Pour the red vinegar into the top of the volcano and watch what happens!

My son loved this! He has worked with baking soda and vinegar before, but he didn't remember how the two react to each other. He was excited because he was allowed to do all the steps by himself and took ownership of his learning. He wanted to see the fizzing volcano more than once, which led to an afternoon of giggles.

Volcano Books for Kids

Pair this easy science experiment for kids with these volcano books for kids to help them learn about real volcanoes.

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[…] Make Volcanoes – This experiment is classic! This activity adds another level of enrichment by encouraging kids to make their own volcano using a plastic cup and playdough. The baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring foam is easy to buy and cleanup, and kids will want to watch it over and over again. […]

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Mom on the Side

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Homemade Erupting Playdough Volcano

June 19, 2017

If you are looking for a fun experiment for kids, give this Homemade Erupting Playdough Volcano a try! With just a few simple household ingredients, you can create squeals of excitement with this easy kids project.

Check out the recipe for this homemade playdough volcano and lava below to recreate it yourself.

Ingredients for Playdough Volcano

• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup table salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cream of tartar

“Lava”

• Red food coloring
• White vinegar
• Homemade playdough
• 20oz or smaller plastic bottle
• Baking soda

How to Make a Homemade Erupting Playdough Volcano

First, combine flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a small sauce pot, and mix well. Next, add in water and vegetable oil, and mix well. Now, turn the burner to medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes while scraping the bottom and stirring constantly with a spatula.

After about 1 minute your mixture should get clumpy and after 2-3 minutes should then start to form into a ball of play dough. Let your playdough cool on a plate or piece of parchment paper for about 15 minutes before you use it.

To begin forming your playdough volcano, cut the bottom 1/2 of your plastic bottle off. Keep the cap on, turn upside down, and fill halfway with baking soda.

Next, take a small golf ball sized piece of play dough off, stick it onto the open bottom of your plastic bottle, then carefully stick onto a plate. Use the rest of the homemade playdough to stick to the sides of the plastic bottle (it helps if you start at the bottom and work your way up).

Now it’s time to head outside for this erupting playdough volcano experiment! Unscrew the lid and form the playdough around the top so you can see the lid. Add a few drops of red food coloring to your bottle of vinegar and shake with the lid on.

Remove the lid from your bottle of red vinegar and pour into the volcano to watch it erupt!

This homemade Playdough Volcano Project for kids makes for great afternoon fun. Just a few simple ingredients will have the kids busy for at least an hour as they create and erupt their volcano. Give this playdough volcano experiment a try and let me know what your kids think!

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