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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 .

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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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Top 10 Volcano Science Experiments

Welcome to our carefully curated collection of the best volcano science experiments.

We have selected these experiments for their educational value, safety considerations, and ability to captivate learners, fostering a deeper appreciation for the wonders of our planet’s volcanic activity.

These hands-on, enlightening experiments suitable for all age groups convey the magic of volcanic eruptions and foster a deep appreciation for Earth’s geological wonders.

1. Look Inside a Volcano

Engage budding scientists as they witness the power of nature firsthand, fostering a deeper understanding of volcanic processes and igniting a passion for earth sciences.

Learn more: 123 Homeschool

2. Underwater Volcano

By simulating the eruption of an underwater volcano, students gain a unique understanding of the explosive forces at play beneath the water

3. Volcano Slime

This exciting hands-on activity combines the thrilling eruption of a volcano with the mesmerizing texture of slime.

Learn more: Volcano Slime

4. DIY Volcano at Home

Not only does this experiment provide an entertaining sensory experience, but it also introduces students to the concepts of chemical reactions and viscosity.

5. No Vinegar Volcano Science

By substituting vinegar with other safe and easily accessible ingredients, students can still witness the captivating chemical reactions that mimic volcanic eruptions.

Learn more: No Vinegar Volcano Science

6. Color Changing Volcano

Learn how to take the basic baking soda and vinegar volcano to the next level. This color changing volcano is really simple made and this tutorial includes very detailed step-by-step instructions and a helpful video.

Learn more: Color Changing Volcano

7. Sand Volcano

Engage students in a thrilling journey of discovery as they explore the fascinating world of volcanoes through the mesmerizing medium of sand. Watch their scientific curiosity erupt as they bring their own sand volcanoes to life!”

Learn more: Sand Volcano

8. Make a Lemon Volcano

By combining the natural acidity of lemons with a few household materials, students can witness an exciting chemical reaction that mimics the explosive eruptions of a volcano.

9. Clay Volcano

This hands-on activity allows students to mold their own volcano using clay and witness the thrilling eruption that follows. By combining artistry with scientific exploration, students can learn about the geological forces at play in a visually captivating way.

Learn more: Clay Volcano

10. Magma in a Bag

Encourage students to explore the fascinating world of volcanoes through this hands-on experiment that brings the marvels of geology right into their hands.

Learn more: Leslie John Stone

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1. Learn about volcanoes

2. prepare your crater, 3. make your volcano erupt, 4. form the lava flow, 6. make more eruptions, 7. trade your volcano, 8. take core samples, 9. record your findings, 10. compare your map.

Learning Space

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Make a Volcano

Make a volcano with baking soda, vinegar and play dough. Then, add multiple layers that you can investigate like a NASA scientist. Test your family and friends to see if they can guess what's inside your volcano!

Watch the Tutorial

See below for materials and step-by-step instructions. For more video tutorials and activities like this one, visit Learning Space .

Watch en Español : Seleccione subtítulos en Español bajo el ícono de configuración.

In this episode of Learning Space, you will make a volcano with baking soda, vinegar and play dough. Then, add multiple layers that you can investigate like a NASA scientist. | Watch on YouTube

Piece of cardboard OR a cookie sheet

3 or more colors of play dough ( download recipe ) or soft clay

Baking soda

Paper towels

Colored pencils OR crayons (ideally matching the colors of the play dough)

2 sheets of graph paper OR plain paper

1-3 clear plastic drinking straws

Find out how volcanoes form and what causes them to erupt . Then click the planets in this interactive image to learn about volcanoes on planets throughout our solar system. Get inspired before you create your own volcano by checking out these images of volcanoes on Earth .

› Learn more about this image

Cut off the top of the paper cup so it's only about 0.5 inches (1-2 cm) tall. Place the paper cup at the center of your piece of paper and trace around the bottom to make a circle. The circle and the cup represent the crater inside your volcano. Tape the cup to the piece of cardboard or a cookie sheet. Mark north, east, south and west on both the paper and the cardboard or cookie sheet.

Fill the cup with a spoonful of baking soda. Then, slowly pour in enough vinegar to make the mixture foam up and flow out of the cup. This simulates an eruption and lava flowing out of your volcano.

If possible, use a colored pencil to trace around the edge of where the lava flew out of your volcano. Dab up the fluid with a paper towel. Then, cover the area inside the line you traced with a thin layer of one color of play dough to mark where the lava flowed.

On your graph paper, use a colored pencil that matches the color of the play dough you put down to draw the shape of your lava layer. This is the start of a map that will show where lava flowed during each eruption of the model volcano. Be sure the orientation of the cardinal directions on your map match the ones on your model volcano.

Repeat steps 3-5 three or four more times. Each time, put down a new layer of play dough and then map it out by drawing the shape of that layer on your graph paper. If you have more than one color of play dough, change colors between eruptions so it's easier to see the different layers.

If possible, trade your volcano with another person, so you can investigate one that is unknown! If you can't trade with anyone, find a family member who didn’t watch you build the volcano and challenge them to do the next steps.

Cut a plastic straw into thirds or fourths. Push an open end of the straw straight down through the play dough lava flows until you reach the bottom. Twist the straw in place and lift out a sample. This is what's called a core sample.

Looking through the clear straw, you can see the layers underneath the surface of the volcano. You can use this sample to investigate how the layers of the volcano formed over time. Repeat this step with each of your three or four straw pieces. Think about the best places to collect samples so that you can get as much information as possible.

On a blank piece of graph paper, draw a circle and cardinal directions like you did in Step 2. Use your core samples to make a prediction of where each layer of the volcano you’re studying begins and ends.

Then, use colored pencils that match the colors you find in the volcano to draw the layers on your graph paper. Try to get as close as you can with as few samples as possible!

Once you’ve created a map of your predictions, compare it with the known map from steps 2-6.

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How to make a volcano

Volcanic eruptions are one of the most powerful natural forces on our planet.

Making your own miniature erupting volcano is a great, safe way to start learning about these incredible geological features. 

Watch the video above to find out how to make a volcano model from household items, then stand back and watch it erupt.  

Read on for written instructions and to discover more about volcanoes.

How to make an erupting volcano model

For the volcano model:.

• Two A3 sheets of card
• 200 ml plastic bottle
• Paint and paintbrushes

For the eruption:

• 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 tbsp washing up liquid
• 2 tbsp water
• ½ cup vinegar
• 1 tbsp red food colouring

1. Place your bottle upside down in the centre of a sheet of card and draw a small circle around the neck.

2. Cut a straight line through the card to the middle of the circle, and cut it out.

In the middle of the card, draw around the bottleneck and cut out the circle

3. Overlap the two sides of the card to make a cone shape. Tape this into place, leaving a hole where you cut out the circle. Cut around the base of the cone so that it sits flat, but make sure that it is still taller than your bottle.

4. Place the cone over the bottle. Tape the top of the paper cone to the neck of the bottle to hold it in place. Tape the base of the cone to the other sheet of card.

5. Use paint to decorate the cone and make it look like a volcano. Allow your model to fully dry. 

Cut away the card at the base of the cone so that it sits flat

6. In a bowl, combine the bicarbonate of soda and washing up liquid. Add the water and mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture into your volcano.

7. In a cup, mix together the vinegar and food colouring.

8. When you're ready, pour the vinegar into the bottle with the bicarbonate. Wait for it to erupt and watch how the lava flows.

9. Experiment with different amounts of bicarbonate and vinegar and see how the volcano's eruption changes.

Stand back and watch your volcano erupt

Take care when handling the eruption ingredients and stand back when watching the eruption to make sure you don't get any in your eyes. Make sure you are working in a well ventilated area.

To make cleaning up easier, it's best to stand your model on a wipe-clean surface.

What is a volcano?

Rather than being one solid surface, Earth's crust and the uppermost parts of the mantle (together called the lithosphere) are broken into several tectonic plates that float over the asthenosphere. This is a deeper layer of rock that is a solid but flows very slowly.

This slow process moves the plates further apart (divergent boundary) or closer together (convergent boundary), or causes them to slide past each other (transform boundary).

Volcanoes typically form at divergent and convergent boundaries, but are also seen in hot spots in the middle of tectonic plates. 

Mount Fuji is one of the world's most famous active volcanoes. It last erupted in the early 1700s and is located about 100 kilometres from Japan's capital city, Tokyo, although some smaller cities sit much closer. © Marion & Christoph Aistleitner via Wikimedia Commons ( CC0 )

Volcanoes are an opening of the Earth's crust through which molten rock, gases and ash can escape. This mixture of materials is called magma while it's underground, lava when it is erupted and igneous rock once it's cooled and solidified on the surface.

Volcanoes are typically high ground or mountains, sometimes with very steep sides made from the magma that erupted.

Types of volcano

Volcanoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, primarily caused by the different types of magma, but also by how volcanoes behave and where they're located.

Stratovolcanoes

Stratovolcanoes are the most common and perhaps most recognisable type of volcano. Stratovolcanoes are steep-sloped and cone-shaped. They are also known as composite volcanoes.

They mostly produce explosive eruptions and are most commonly associated with convergent plate boundaries. Their lava is sticky (viscous), which means that it doesn't usually spread too far before cooling on the surface, giving the volcano a tall and cone-shaped profile.

Mount St Helens, a stratovolcano in the United States, famously erupted in May 1980. An explosive lateral blast occurred when a strong earthquake caused a massive landslide that collapsed the northern face of the mountain. This reduced pressure and allowing the volcano to explode from its side. © Harry Glicken , USGS/CVO via Wikimedia Commons

The violent 79 AD eruption of the still-active stratovolcano Mount Vesuvius in Italy is regarded as the deadliest in European history. It may have killed more than 16,000 people in total.

Several settlements were destroyed by its pyroclastic flow, the most famous being the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. Pyroclastic flow is a very hot mixture of ash, gases and other volcanic materials that moves at high speed along the flank of the volcano.  

This was a Plinian eruption, with jets of magma and gases emerging from the volcano at high speeds. These types of eruptions can last for several days and cause a plume of superheated ash and gas that can expand and reach a height of 55 kilometres.

Stromboli is another of Italy's active stratovolcanoes, but it behaves differently to Vesuvius. This island volcano has been exhibiting a pattern of eruption for 2,000 years. Mildly explosive blasts of magma - called fire fountains - consistently occur from a few minutes to a few hours apart. This type of eruption is known as strombolian and is exhibited by other volcanoes around the world, such as by Mount Erebus in Antarctica.

A gouache painting by Mauton of Mount Vesuvius erupting in 1836. Image courtesy of  Wellcome Collection , Public Domain

Shield volcanoes

Shield volcanoes are generally not as tall as stratovolcanoes, although they can still reach great heights. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano on the planet Mars . It's the largest volcano in the solar system at around 25 kilometres tall and 624 metres in diameter.

A shield volcano's eruptions are usually gentle and non-explosive and are instead known for their lava flows and fountains. Shield volcanoes have runny lava (low viscosity) that travels further than the stickier lava of stratovolcanoes. This flowing lava results in the far-reaching, gently sloping sides of these volcanoes.

Mauna Kea is a dormant shield volcano in Hawaii. Its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii, at 4,207 metres above sea level © Nula666 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Shield volcanoes are typically located on hot spots found across tectonic plates rather than at the boundaries. The best known are the Hawaiian volcanoes such as Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Kīauea.

Other volcanoes around the world also exhibit gentle Hawaiian eruptions. This type of eruption can produce lava fountains that can be hundreds of metres tall and travel at speeds of up to 100 metres per second.

Cinder cones

Cinder cones are relatively small volcanoes made from loose volcanic material. Most are short-lived and can grow on the sides of larger volcanoes. They typically form through an explosive eruption or lava fountain from a single vent.

One of the best known is Parícutin, a volcano that suddenly formed in a cornfield in Michoacán, Mexico, beginning in 1943. Due to its continuous strombolian eruptions, the volcano grew until its eruptions ceased in 1952. It had reached 300 metres tall.

Parícutin was the first time that volcanologists were able to document the full life cycle of a volcano. 

The cinder cone volcano, Parícutin, erupting in 1943 © Bodil Christensen via Wikimedia Commons

Supervolcanoes

The largest and most explosive volcanoes on Earth are popularly called supervolcanoes , although this isn't a scientifically defined type of volcano. These enormous volcanoes produce giant calderas - volcanic craters formed by the collapse of the volcano itself when the magma chamber below was emptied by an eruption.

One of the most famous is Yellowstone in the United States, which has a caldera around 72 by 55 kilometres. The Yellowstone supervolcano last erupted around 630,000 years ago. 

The Yellowstone supervolcano is well known for its geothermal activity in the form of hot springs, fumaroles and geysers 

There are around 20 known supervolcano sites around the world. The most recent supereruption was of Taupo volcano in New Zealand around 26,500 years ago.

The eruption of the Indonesian supervolcano Toba around 73,000 years ago is also thought to have triggered a drop of 2-3 degrees Celsius in air temperature globally, causing a five- to seven-year volcanic winter. This eruption may have had an profound impact on the course of the human species.

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How to Make a Soda Bottle Volcano

Last Updated: July 18, 2024 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 982,850 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 0 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 0
• Stay away from the immediate area after starting the volcano. It will get messy. Thanks Helpful 0 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

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• ↑ 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 an Awesome Volcano Science Project

This post may contain affiliate links.

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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I couldn’t find the instructions but some how i found out how to do it with now instructions

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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 Do the Classic Baking Soda Volcano Science Experiment

Categories Science Experiments

For our creative STEM activities for kids series, I wanted to do science experiments for kids that were easy, but also impressive at the same time. This made a volcano science experiment a must.

We’ve made a volcano science experiment before, but this time, we decided to make it look a little more impressive by adding a play dough mountain around our bottle and making the inside of the volcano a deeper red.

Although everyone has does the volcano science experiment at least once (at least everyone should!), it still remains a classic science fair project. If your student(s) haven’t tried this project yet, add this activity to your list of elementary school science fair projects .

The Classic Volcano Science Experiment for Kids

Every child should get to make a volcano as a science project at least once! Follow along with these instructions if you’re making a ketchup and baking soda volcano!

How to Turn the Volcano Science Experiment into a Science Fair Project

A science fair project requires variables. Good variables for this project is to test if different acids create bigger or smaller eruptions. Kids may also want to try different bases or what happens when they add other materials to the volcano to see how the reaction changes with each variation.

What Makes the Baking Soda and Ketchup Reaction?

What causes the volcano to explode in the volcano science experiment is the reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.

Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid. When a base and an acid are mixed, it creates a byproduct of carbon dioxide, which causes the mixture to overflow just like a shaken soda bottle.

When dish soap is added to the mix, it makes things even more foamy and bubbly.

Supplies for the Volcano Science Experiment

Here is what you will need to complete the volcano experiment as an addition to classic science fair projects .

• Ketchup or tomato paste
• Baking soda
• Small bottle

What You Need for a Science Fair

You’ll want to have these supplies on hand before doing your science fair project. Shop the included Amazon storefronts to make things easier and don’t forget to download the free science fair planning checklist before getting started!

Science Fair Project Planning

When you’re planning your project, you want to keep everything organized. Click the image below to get my free science fair project checklist so you can start organizing your project from the start.

You may also want to check out this list of science fair project research supplies.

Supplies for a Science Fair Project

There are so many supplies for science fair projects that are individual to each project, but if you want a general list of possible supplies and inspiration for your project, check out my selection of science fair experiment supplies on Amazon.

Supplies for a Science Fair Presentation

Your science fair presentation is important! It should look presentable and eye-catching. Check out this list of my favorite science fair presentation supplies.

How to Make a Baking Soda Volcano

Place about 2 tablespoons of baking soda into a bowl. Add about 10 drops of dish soap on top of the baking soda and about ¼ of a cup of ketchup or tomato paste.

Mix together gently with a spoon so you don’t make too many suds at once.

Cover the bottle with play dough and place it on a tray. We put ours in a garden box. Carefully pour the baking soda mixture into the bottle using a funnel.

Add vinegar to the bottle slowly, a little at a time. We ended up adding too much vinegar to ours (as you can see in the video), which made our eruption a little less impressive.

Monkey loved seeing the science demonstration and had a lot of fun setting up the volcano and watching the reaction.

If you want to go further with this experiment, you can experiment with various additives to the vinegar and baking soda mixture to see if you can make the eruption more impressive or change the speed at which it leaves the bottle.

More Volcano Experiments for Kids

Colorful Snow Volcano Experiment Using Real Snow

Pumpkin Volcano Experiment for Kids

Easy DIY Volcano Slime Recipe that Really Erupts!

Apple Volcano Experiment

Share this project with a friend!

• Grades 6-12
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How To Make a Baking Soda Volcano With Free Observation Sheet

This experiment will have kids erupting with applause!

The classic baking soda volcano experiment has been entertaining kids (and adults) of all ages for decades. But it’s more than just a lot of fun. This experiment also teaches kids about simple chemical reactions and physical properties. The best part? It’s easy to do and uses only a few basic ingredients. Read on to see how to conduct the baking soda volcano experiment, and fill out the form on this page to grab your free recording sheet!

How does the baking soda volcano experiment work?

This experiment involves pouring vinegar mixed with dish soap into a small amount of baking soda. The baking soda acts as a base while the vinegar is an acid. When the base and the acid come together, they create an endothermic reaction that produces carbon dioxide. The dish soap helps to create the foaming effect as the “lava” pours out of the volcano.

What does the baking soda volcano teach?

The baking soda volcano experiment is a great way to demonstrate a chemical reaction between an acid and a carbonate. When the carbonate (found in the baking soda) is exposed to the acids (found in the vinegar), it creates a decomposition reaction that releases carbon dioxide as gas. While this experiment is an example of an acid-base reaction, it’s also a great simulation of a real volcanic eruption.

Is there a baking soda volcano video?

This video shows how to make a volcano erupt using ingredients you can probably find in your kitchen.

Materials needed

To do the baking soda volcano experiment, you will need:

• Baking soda
• Food coloring
• Mini Paper Cups
• Plastic Volcano Form

Our free recording sheet is also helpful—fill out the form on this page to grab it.

Baking soda volcano experiment steps:

1. to start, place a tiny paper cup into the hole at the top of the plastic volcano mold..

2. Once your volcano is set up, pour 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda into the paper cup.

3. Next, add about a half cup of vinegar into a plastic measuring cup.

4. Add a few squirts of dish soap to the vinegar solution.

5. Add some squirts of red and yellow food coloring to the vinegar mixture.

6. Use a plastic spoon to mix all the ingredients in the plastic measuring cup together.

7. Pour the vinegar solution into the small paper cup at the top of the volcano.

8. Finally, watch and enjoy the eruption!

Grab our free baking soda volcano experiment worksheet

Fill out the form on this page to get your free worksheet. The worksheet asks kids to guess the correct order of the steps in the experiment. Next, kids must make a prediction about what they think will happen. They can use the provided spaces to draw what happens before and after they add the ingredients. Did their predictions come true?

Additional reflection questions

• What role does the dish soap play in the reaction that occurs?
• How would it be different if you added baking soda to the vinegar instead of the other way around?
• What do you think would happen if you added a different liquid than vinegar?
• What do you think would happen if you added more baking soda?

Can the baking soda volcano experiment be done for a science fair?

Yes! If you want to do this experiment for a science fair, we recommend switching up some of the variables. For example: Does the amount of baking soda matter? Does the type of dish soap? Form a hypothesis about how changing the variables will impact the experiment. Good luck!

Looking for more experiment ideas? Check out our  big list of experiment ideas here.

Plus, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters for more articles like this., you might also like.

Make a Volcano Model

Introduction: (initial observation).

When a volcano erupts, large masses of molten rocks along with smoke and dust exit the top of the volcano known as vent.

Have you ever wondered why these materials come out of a volcano?

Can it be caused by the underground pressure of gases?

In this project you learn about the parts of a volcano, different kinds of volcano and volcanic eruption. You will also make a model of a volcano and display the eruption process and the release of lava or magma caused by the pressure of gases.

This project guide contains information that you need in order to start your project. If you have any questions or need more support about this project, click on the “Ask Question” button on the top of this page to send me a message.

If you are new in doing science project, click on “How to Start” in the main page. There you will find helpful links that describe different types of science projects, scientific method, variables, hypothesis, graph, abstract and all other general basics that you need to know.

Project advisor

Information Gathering:

Find out about volcanoes. Read books, magazines or ask professionals who might know in order to learn about the causes and the locations of volcanoes. Keep track of where you got your information from.

Following are samples of information you may find:

A volcano is a geological landform (usually a mountain) where a substance, usually magma (molten rock of the Earth’s interior) erupts. The name “volcano” originates from the name of Vulcan, a god of fire in Roman mythology. The study of volcanoes is called vulcanology (or volcanology in some spellings).

The Three Big Ones The last three volcanic eruptions to cause major loss of life were Krakatoa, Indonesia, where 32,000 were killed in 1883; Mt. Pelee, Martinique, where 29,000 were killed in 1902; and Nevada del Ruiz, Colombia, where 23,000 were killed in 1985. Fiery lava was not the culprit in any of these disasters. Details…

A volcano constitutes a vent , a pipe , a crater , and a cone .

The vent is an opening at the Earth’s surface.

The pipe is a passageway in the volcano in which the magma rises through to the surface during an eruption.

The crater is a bowl-shaped depression at the top of the volcano where volcanic materials like, ash, lava, and other pyroclastic materials are released.

Solidified lava, ashes, and cinder form the cone . Layers of lava, alternate with layers of ash to build the steep sided cone higher and higher.

Source…

Information about volcano models are available at: _ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_models/models.html _ http://www.madsci.org/experiments/archive/854444893.Ch.html _ http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/Input/lahr/taurho/volcano/volcano.html _ http://www.rockhoundingar.com/pebblepups/volcano.html _ http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ekrauss/ _ http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Products/Pglossary/volcano.html

Question/ Purpose:

We want to see what happens that a volcano erupts. A review of current and past volcano eruptions indicates some kind of under ground pressure that forces the lava out of a volcano. Can we simulate such underground pressure?

Identify Variables:

We use different kind of material that may release gas and create a display similar to a real volcanic eruption. Such material and their quantity are our variables.

Hypothesis:

Baking soda and Vinegar can produce enough gas to simulate a volcanic eruption.

Experiment Design:

Mix baking soda and vinegar in a plastic bottle in different ratios and see which combination and rates of mixture will create the most foam and is the best for a volcanic eruption display.

After you find the best setup and combination, cover the bottle by papers, aluminum foil, clay and other material to make it look like real volcanic mountain. So in the center of your volcano model will be a bottle with chemicals that create the eruption.

In your first experiment use a small cup of vinegar and start adding baking soda to that. Initially baking soda will release gas as soon as it gets to the vinegar. But if you continue, at some point there will be no gas any more. In this way you record the amount of baking soda and vinegar that create gas with each other.

In the second experiment check to see which substance must be at the bottom to create a better and faster reaction, baking soda or vinegar.

In the third experiment add some liquid detergent and some red food coloring to vinegar before reaction with baking soda. Liquid detergent may help the foams last longer and food coloring gives a better look to the erupting volcano. You may also add some flour to the baking soda that you are using to create a more viscose lava.

When the chemical composition is experimented successfully, mount the bottle on the center of a card board and cover it with newspaper and aluminum foil to look like a real volcano.

Baking soda and vinegar are frequently used for volcano projects simply because they are easily accessible and less dangerous. Personally I prefer other methods that create better display and of course have more risk. In one example you fill up your volcanic cone with Ammonium bichromate and light it up at the display. Ammonium dichromate is a flammable solid and burns very similar to a volcano. It has a nice display and creates a lot of smoke. Use heavy aluminum foil to cover your card board and construct your cone and do your display in an open area. If you want to do this, make your volcano as small as possible (about 2″ high).

The other method that I like is using a solid acid instead of vinegar. Citric acid for example, specially if you get it in powder form can be a good choice. You can mix it dry with baking soda, paint powder such as Iron oxide (red) and detergent powder. So when you are ready to do your demonstration you just add some water and reaction starts.

Need a volcano related graph for your display?

If you need a graph as a part of your display, you must first come up with a question that its answer or data are in the form of a table. You will then gather the information and fill up your data table. Finally you can use your data table to draw a graph.

Following are some sample questions.

What are the numbers of active volcanoes in different continents?

For this question your data table will look like this:

How many volcanoes are there in each state of USA?

You can use the following website for data that you need.

http://www.volcano.si.edu/gvp/world/

Materials and Equipment:

• Plastic bottle (Wide mouth, 5 to 9 inches tall)
• Baking soda
• Liquid detergent
• Food coloring (red)
• Aluminum foil
• Masking tape

Results of Experiment (Observation):

Experiments showed that the reaction between baking soda and vinegar creates some gas, but it is not fast enough to create a violent reaction and simulate a real volcanic reaction. We can stir or shake the mixture to create more gas, but it is not very realistic to shake a volcano to cause eruption.

To speed up the reaction we must fill up the plastic bottle with baking soda while leaving an empty hole in the center of that for adding vinegar.

This hole should be as wide as possible so your bottle will hold more vinegar than baking soda. To do this you need to make paste of baking soda. Take one spoon liquid detergent, two spoons water, a few drops of food coloring and start adding baking soda slowly while mixing. Continue adding baking soda until you get a sticky paste. If your bottle is very small and your volcano is small too, this should be enough. For larger bottles you may need to repeat this part to make more paste. Apply a thin layer of this paste to the inner sides of your bottle (about 1/4″ tick).

The reason that we add liquid detergent is that bobbles are unstable and disappear very fast. Liquid detergent will make bubbles last for a few seconds. Do this a few times and add vinegar to see how much foam comes out. After a few experiments you will be ready for your final product.

When your bottle is ready for final volcano, take a card board and using a masking tape secure the bottle in the center of the card board. Before you start building your volcanic mountain around the bottle, you may also want to use some glue or masking tape around the neck of the bottle. This will prevent the foam from going inside your mountain.

You can almost use anything that can look like a mountain to cover your bottle. I used some packing paper and cut a cross on the center of that to make it easier to be attached to the neck of the bottle.

Cover the bottle with your mountain material such as paper or aluminum foil and paint it. Since my paper was not large enough, I has to use some extra magazine paper to give more body to the mountain.

Before painting, cover the the bottle with something to make sure that paint will not enter the bottle. I used spray paint, but you can use any latex paint as well. (Don’t add water).

I painted my volcano in the backyard, spray paints release harmful fumes and it’s better not to use them inside a building. While the paint was still wet, I also spread some sand to make it more natural. Paint will act like a glue and holds sand in place.

When your volcano is ready and it is your turn to display, fill up a small bottle or a test tube with vinegar and pour it in to your volcano. The eruption will start in a few seconds and lasts for a few minutes.

Remember you can do it only once and when the volcano erupts, it gets wet and you can not repeat your display unless you build everything from the beginning.

Final display that will last only a few seconds may look like this. As you notice I did not use food coloring and my lava is white. Also I used black color to paint the mountain that is not the best choice. If you have enough time for your project, you may use multiple colors and food coloring to get a better display.

Calculations:

Calculate what ratio of baking soda and vinegar produce the most gas.

Summery of Results:

Summarize what happened. This can be in the form of a table of processed numerical data, or graphs. It could also be a written statement of what occurred during experiments.

It is from calculations using recorded data that tables and graphs are made. Studying tables and graphs, we can see trends that tell us how different variables cause our observations. Based on these trends, we can draw conclusions about the system under study. These conclusions help us confirm or deny our original hypothesis. Often, mathematical equations can be made from graphs. These equations allow us to predict how a change will affect the system without the need to do additional experiments. Advanced levels of experimental science rely heavily on graphical and mathematical analysis of data. At this level, science becomes even more interesting and powerful.

Conclusion:

Using the trends in your experimental data and your experimental observations, try to answer your original questions. Is your hypothesis correct? Now is the time to pull together what happened, and assess the experiments you did. The pressure of underground gases in a volcanic mountain will force the molten material out of the volcanic mountain.

Related Questions & Answers:

Q. How can we make a volcano that errupts more than once?

A. Instead of attaching the bottle to the base board, make and attach a cylinder from heavy paper that can hold the bottle. In this way you will be able to remove the bootle for refill or just use a second bottle that you have already prepared to repeat the erruption test.

When you do one eruption experiment, your volcano will get wet. So for multiple eruptions make your volcanic mountain from more durable material. Heavy paper with lots of paint can resist a few tests, but for more tests, make your volcanic mountain from plastics, aluminum foil, wood or even chalk (Plaster of Paris) that will be much heavier.

Possible Errors:

If you did not observe anything different than what happened with your control, the variable you changed may not affect the system you are investigating. If you did not observe a consistent, reproducible trend in your series of experimental runs there may be experimental errors affecting your results. The first thing to check is how you are making your measurements. Is the measurement method questionable or unreliable? Maybe you are reading a scale incorrectly, or maybe the measuring instrument is working erratically.

If you determine that experimental errors are influencing your results, carefully rethink the design of your experiments. Review each step of the procedure to find sources of potential errors. If possible, have a scientist review the procedure with you. Sometimes the designer of an experiment can miss the obvious.

References:

Other receipes attached may also give you new ideas on how to make your model.

Model Volcano Project

James Signorelli

Dwight Morrow High School

Science Department

The purpose of this project is to produce a model that simulates the building processes found in actual volcanoes. These processes include the layering of ash from the eruption to builds the cinder cone. They also show how the mass of the cone in time causes the Caldera to form when the crater collapses in on itself. A model can also be made that simulates the violent eruptions of a composite volcano. For this model, additional chemicals are required to produce the violent explosive eruption responsible for hurling dust and pyroclastic bombs into the air.

Phase #1 – the mountain

A. Obtain a piece of thick corrugated paper and line with several layers of aluminum foil. This is your primary fire shield.

B. Place a large, ceramic crucible in the center of the board and anchor with wall board joint compound. [available from Home Depot at $ 10.00 / 5 gallon pail]

C. Make a skeleton of the mountain with shaped layers of corrugated paper in the form of a top-o-graphic map.

D. Cover the layers with the wall board joint compound until your mountain has the desired shape.

E. Allow model to dry for several days. You may scratch in detail such as ravines and depressions before the plaster hardens. Plaster has a natural tendency to shrink and crack, adding realism to the surface of the model.

F. Paint the model by first spraying with BBQ black. Use Tempera paint for all other detail.

Phase #2 the chemicals [cinder cone model]

Perform this Demonstration in a fume hood or outdoors for proper ventilation. Treat the ash as hazardous chemical waste and recycle for proper disposal. Vacuum or sweep up all ash.

A. Obtain Ammonium Dichromate from the chemical storage area of your school. It is stored in the oxidizer cabinet.

B. Place approximately one table spoon of Ammonium Dichromate into the crucible.

C. Light the chemical with a match and step back. The effect is more graphic in a darkened room.

D. The orange Ammonium Dichromate burns in a firey plume (fountain) into chromic oxide, a green colored ash.

E. The ash builds layer upon layer to form the cone.

F. As the ash cone reaches higher and higher, it becomes unstable and collapses in on itself to form the broad Caldera, from the crater.

Phase #3 the chemicals [composite volcano model]

This model requires the use of an explosive mixture of chemicals. Do Not use more than ½ teaspoon and do not pack it into the crucible.

A. In a non-flammable container, mix equal parts of table sugar and Potassium Chlorate. Stir, do not use a mortar & pestle.

This mixture does not like friction !

B. Place approximately ½ teaspoon of the mixture into the large crucible.

C. Completely cover this mixture with the Ammonium Dichromate as in the Cinder Cone model. None of the sugar mixture should be visible. This works best if ¾ inch or more of the dichromate crystals covers the sugar mixture.

D. Light the model as in phase #1. Stand back! When the dichromate eventually reaches the sugar layer, the volcano becomes Mt. Saint Helen. The carbon balls (pyroclastic bombs) land several inches from the model. The center of the cinder cone is blown away, producing a very wide crater. If you dont tell the students that this final reaction is due any minute, the surprise really gets their interest!

Please& Use professional judgement.

Dont allow students to handle any of the chemicals.

Practice safe use of all chemicals

Start with small quantities and develop your learning curve before trying this in front of a class.

Treat all fuel, ash and waste as a hazardous chemical. Dispose of properly.

• 1 cup vinegar
• Red food color
• 2 generous drops of dish washing soap
• 2 tablespoons of baking soda

Build a volcano of clay around a container that is thin and tall. You can use an empty tin can. You cut the top off a soda bottle or use pint milk cartons. Instead of clay you can mix flour with water into a paste and let it dry. Plaster of paris is also good for the outside. Mix the liquids together. When 2 tablespoons of baking soda are added a bright red foamy lava comes out.

Experiment:

• Present two clear containers (bottles, jars,) of equal volume and shape. Add 1 cup of vinegar to each container. You will need a tray to catch the overflowing foam.
• In one container add the drops of dish washing soap. Do not add any soap to the other.
• Measure the tablespoons of baking soda into two other cups so that it can be dumped into the two containers of vinegar at the same time.
• Have the students name the only difference between the mixtures in the two containers. (One has soap.)
• Have students speculate or predict in writing if the two will appear different or not and what we will see.
• Dump the baking soda from the cups into the containers at exactly the same time.
• Have students read what they wrote and use adjectives to describe how the two mixtures are different. Does one formula last longer? What was the only difference between the two cases?

It is always important for students, parents and teachers to know a good source for science related equipment and supplies they need for their science activities. Please note that many online stores for science supplies are managed by MiniScience.

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Science Project

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.

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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. 

EXPLORE TONS OF FUN AND EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS!

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more in Experiments

Make your own volcano.

Check out the GIANT version!

You will need

• A volcano – Talk to an art teacher about how to make a volcano out of paper mache or plaster. You can also use clay or if you’re in a hurry to make your volcano, use a mound of dirt outside.
• A container that 35mm film comes in, and old pill bottle, a baby food jar, or similar size container.
• Red and yellow food coloring (optional)
• Liquid dish washing soap
• Go outside or prepare for some clean-up inside
• Put the container into the volcano at the top
• Add two spoonfuls of baking soda
• Add about a spoonful of dish soap
• Add about 5 drops each of the red and yellow food coloring

Now for the eruption!: Add about an ounce of the vinegar into the container and watch what your volcano come alive.

A VOLCANO is produced over thousands of years as heat a pressure build up. That aspect of a volcano is very difficult to recreate in a home experiment. However this volcano will give you an idea of what it might look like when a volcano erupts flowing lava. This is a classic experiment in which a CHEMICAL reaction can create the appearance of a PHYSICAL volcano eruption. You should look at pictures of volcanoes to be familiar with the different types. (A SHIELD volcano, for example is the most common kind of volcano, and yet few people know about them) The reaction will bubble up and flow down the side like a real volcano (only much faster!) Look for videos of volcanoes erupting and be sure that you understand how heat and pressure work to really make volcanoes erupt.

MAKE IT AN EXPERIMENT

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1. Does vinegar temperature affect how fast the volcano erupts? 2. Does the shape of the volcano affect the direction the eruption travels? 3. What can be added to the “lava” to slow it down and make it more like real lava? 4. What combination of vinegar and baking soda creates the biggest eruption?

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How to Make a Volcano Experiment!

Our lava might have been home made but the real stuff comes right out of volcanoes! Let’s have a go at making our own volcano with a twist!

TOP TIP:   An awesome extra idea is to decorate your volcano so it looks realistic, paper mâché and paint and all the rest! 

Here I just want to show you how to make sure it works – so your volcano erupts with a bang!

What Do I Need?

• Washing up liquid
• Cup or glass
• Baking soda

How Do I Do It?

STEP1  -  Fill your glass just over half full with water, add 3 tea spoons full of baking soda and give it a good stir until most of the baking soda dissolves.

STEP2  -  Add a good squirt of washing up liquid into the cup and once again give it a stir.

STEP3   - Make sure your volcano is in the kitchen or outside (or somewhere you don’t mind making a mess).

STEP4  -  Quickly pour in just under a quarter of a cup of vinegar and enjoy your very own volcanic eruption!

What’s Going On?

Congratulations - You just made your very own chemical reaction! 

Mixing the acid (vinegar) and the alkali (bicarbonate of soda) and releasing bubbles of carbon dioxide CO2. 

The washing up liquid is just there to trap those bubbles so it flows over the ‘volcano’ like real lava!

More Fun Please! - Experiment Like A Real Scientist!

Try different amounts of both the vinegar and the baking soda and try and make the perfect eruption!

If you’re feeling brave (and are somewhere where it’s ok to make a big mess) then add some red food colouring into your mixture before you add the vinegar to make it look just like lava!

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10 of the Best Colourful Science Experiments

September 5, 2024 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

Colourful science experiments are often much more engaging for younger children than less colourful activities. Adding colour to a lava lamp, volcano or density demonstration makes the activity feel extra special.

I’ve pulled together a list of my 10 favourite colourful science experiments for kids of all ages.

10 Colourful Science Experiments for kids

Create a skittles rainbow.

The infamous Skittles experiment will never let you down. It’s inexpensive, simple and looks fantastic.

Children can turn it into an investigation by using different temperature water and arranging the Skittles in different ways.

Rainbow in a hosepipe

Create a rainbow on a sunny day day using just a hosepipe. All you need to do is stand with your back to the sun, spray the hosepipe and a rainbow will appear in the droplets!

DIY Colour Mixing Wheel

A colour mixing wheel is a fun way to learn about primary and secondary colours. Children can create their own or use my handy template.

Another fun way to learn about colour mixing is to make colour mixing squishy bags .

Colourful Jar Activity

Creating firework type swirls of food colouring in a glass of water is a brilliant, very visual science activity for kids of all ages.

Colourful Potions

Baking soda and vinegar potions can be made colourful by adding food colouring or using red cabbage indicator . Red cabbage indicator is especially fun to use as it changes colour depending on whether you add an acid ( vinegar ) or alkali ( baking soda ).

The addition of a little dish soap makes an extra foamy potion.

Coloured Density Jar

A multicoloured density jar can be made from water, salt and food colouring!

The blue-coloured water contains salt, which makes it denser than the orange water, which does not contain salt. The denser liquid stays on the bottom and does not mix with the less dense liquid on the top. If the glasses were placed with the salt water on top, it would sink to the bottom and the colours would mix.

Colourful Flowers

White flowers can be made colourful by placing them in a vase of coloured water. The colourful water rises up the stem into the white petals, filling them with colour.

This is a great science activity for demonstrating transpiration .

Colourful Baking Soda Volcano

A baking soda volcano is an ever popular science activity. We made this one extra special by using two colours for the lava!

If you have snow this winter, snow volcanoes are easy to set up and almost mess-free. We made four different colour volcanoes a couple of years ago.

Paper Chromatography with Felt Tip Pens

Colourful paper chromatography is a simple science activity that can be done using paper towel if you don’t have filter paper.

The different inks in the felt-tip pens move through the kitchen towel at different speeds, separating the colours.

Black pens often contain the most different colour inks and are a great example of how this technique can be used as a method of separation.

Colourful Salt Crystals

Creating colourful salt crystals is a fun science activity for a hot day and a visual way to learn about evaporation.

More colourful science experiments

Set up a walking water experiment . This is a fantastic way to learn about capillary action and looks brilliant when it’s complete.

Learn about surface tension with a magic milk display .

Create a colourful slushy drink using the cooling power of ice and salt.

Do you have a favourite colourful science activity?

Last Updated on September 5, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

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September 5, 2024

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Researchers prove 120-million-year-old volcanism on moon

by Chinese Academy of Sciences

Extensive geologic evidence of ancient volcanic activity can be found on the moon, but how long this volcanism persisted has been unclear. However, Prof. Li Qiuli's Lab at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS) has identified three volcanic glass beads from lunar soil samples collected by the Chang'e-5 mission.

Their research shows that the beads were formed 123±15 million years ago (Ma), thus representing the youngest lunar volcanism confirmed by radioisotope dating so far. The study was published in Science .

Dating of lunar volcanic basalt samples returned to Earth by the Apollo and Luna missions or delivered to Earth as lunar meteorites has shown that lunar basaltic volcanism continued until at least 2.9–2.8 billion years ago (Ga). However, analysis of lunar samples returned by China's Chang'e-5 mission has demonstrated that basaltic volcanism persisted until at least 2.0 Ga.

Remote sensing observations have indicated potentially even younger volcanism during the late Copernican era (<0.8 Ga) on the moon. However, none of these remote observations provide a precise date for the potential volcanism. In addition, the proposed extrusions of late-Copernican mare basalt cover only restricted areas, no samples of which are available.

Eruptions of gas-rich magma can generate magma fountains, which produce submillimeter glass beads. Such beads could potentially be deposited over wide areas and subsequently be transported further across the lunar surface by impact. The volcanic glasses could be a trace component in existing samples.

Under the guidance of Profs. Li Qiuli and He Yuyang, graduate student Wang Biwen and postdoctoral researcher Zhang Qian investigated ~3,000 glass beads in lunar soil samples and identified three volcanic glass beads, based on their textures, major- and trace-element compositions, and in situ sulfur isotope analyses.

The δ 34 S values of the three volcanic glass beads apparently differs from impact glass beads, thus providing criteria for distinguishing volcanic glasses from impact glasses. Uranium-lead dating of the three volcanic glass beads shows that they formed 123±15 million years ago (Ma).

The radioisotope dating of the three Chang'e-5 volcanic glass beads provides definitive evidence for 120-million-year-old volcanism on the moon. The presence of such young lunar volcanism implies that small celestial bodies, such as the moon, could maintain sufficient heat to sustain internal vitality until a very late stage. These results contribute additional constraints for geophysical models on the thermal history of the moon 's deep interior.

This study was conducted in collaboration with Nanjing University and the State University of New York at Albany.

The samples used in this study were provided by the China National Space Administration.

Journal information: Science

Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences

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The Moon had surprisingly recent volcanic activity, samples from Chinese space mission confirm

Emeritus Professor, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University

Disclosure statement

Lionel Wilson has in the past received funding from the Leverhulme Trust for work on lunar volcanism.

Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK.

View all partners

Volcanoes were erupting on the Moon as recently as 120 million years ago, evidence collected by a Chinese spacecraft suggests. Until the last few years, scientists had thought volcanic activity ended on the Moon around 2 billion years ago.

The findings, published in Science , come from analysis of lunar rock and soil delivered to Earth by China’s Chang'e 5 spacecraft in 2020. While these results are difficult to reconcile with the accepted history of lunar volcanism, it’s possible some areas of the Moon’s interior were more enriched in radioactive elements that generate the heat that drives volcanic activity.

The region where Chang'e 5 landed, called Oceanus Procellarum, may be one such area where rocks were enriched in these heat-producing elements.

Volcanism is a major way in which all rocky planetary bodies lose their heat . The rocky bodies in our Solar System are Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter’s satellite Io, and Earth’s satellite, the Moon.

All available evidence suggests that Venus is currently volcanically active . On Mars, we can date the ages of formation of large lava flows by counting the numbers of impact craters on these flows.

This crater-counting technique relies on the fact that craters form randomly and uniformly across planetary surfaces, so highly cratered terrains are considered older. The results suggest that Mars, which is half the size of Earth, is volcanically active every few million years .

This is expected, because larger bodies conserve heat better than smaller ones. On this basis Mercury, which is a third of Earth’s size, and our Moon, a quarter the size of Earth, should have been volcanically dead for about 2 billion years.

The same should be true of Io, which is similar in size to our Moon. However, tidal forces generated by gravitational interactions with Jupiter give Io an additional, strong heat source. Io is very volcanically active as a result.

The Moon’s dark areas

Most eruptions on the Moon took place near the edges of giant depressions formed early in the Moon’s history by asteroid impacts. Lava flooded the interiors of these basins to form the dark areas on the Moon’s near side. These areas are call maria (singular mare), the Latin for seas, because the flat sheets of lava were mistaken for expanses of water by early observers.

Analyses of the composition and age of samples returned from these mare areas by the six Apollo missions and three Soviet robotic probes were consistent with the belief there had been no geologically recent volcanic activity on the Moon.

This understanding persisted until very high-resolution images of the lunar surface from the US Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission became available following the mission’s launch in 2009. Counts of the numbers of very small impact craters revealed a lack of craters in some volcanic areas with unusual surface textures, named irregular mare patches (IMPs) .

The simplest explanation for this was that these IMPs were young, typically about 100 million years old. This is 20 times younger than the 2 billion-year youngest age that had been expected.

In an attempt to reconcile these observations with the accepted history of lunar volcanism, it was pointed out that the lack of any atmosphere on the Moon would make eruptions there significantly different from those on Earth. The lack of confining pressure would have allowed erupting lavas to release almost all of the gaseous compounds dissolved in them, allowing some lava flows to contain very large numbers of gas bubbles – to the extent of being a foam .

Meteoroid impacts into this soft foam would produce much smaller craters than in solid rock, thus causing the crater-counting method to give ages that were too young.

This issue has seen much debate, and the best way to resolve it is the return of samples to Earth for detailed laboratory analysis. Chang'e 5 brought back samples from a very large lava flow which was already known, from crater-counting, to be relatively young in geological terms.

Initial analyses of many fragments of the lava were consistent with the long-accepted theory that lunar volcanism stopped 2 billion years ago. However, closer examination of the Chinese samples, as described in the new Science paper , focused on some of the smallest fragments – the majority from rock shattered and melted into droplets by meteoroid impacts.

Three of these 3,000 droplets were identified from their detailed chemistry as volcanic in origin, and are only 120 million years old – very similar to the young ages inferred for IMPs elsewhere on the Moon.

Lunar eruptions

Lunar eruptions should have involved high lava fountains like those commonly seen erupting in Hawaii, for example. While most of these droplets would have accumulated into lava flows, some would have been thrown out for tens of kilometres to other parts of the Moon’s surface.

The three “volcanic droplets” identified in the Chang'e 5 sample were probably not erupted from the same vent as the bulk of the rock and soil delivered to Earth. This would explain why these droplets are much younger than the lava flow at Chang'e 5’s landing site.

These three glassy droplets are the first physical evidence we have for anomalously recent volcanic activity on the Moon. There would have to have been much higher concentrations of heat-producing radioactive elements in some areas than others for volcanic activity to have occurred as recently as the new results imply. So, these findings could prompt a major revision in our understanding of how the Moon developed.

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