how to make a volcano for school
How to Build a Model Volcano for School
Making the model of a volcano that erupts is not difficult, provided you use the required ingredients in the right quantities. For your volcano to explode, you will require baking soda and vinegar as the main ingredients along with other supplies.
- Spare newspapers
- Aluminum or thick paper plate
- A one-liter plastic bottle (soda bottle)
- Flour dough (or modeling clay)
- Warm water, 1 cup
- A few drops of red food coloring
- Dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon
- Baking soda, ½ cup
- Vinegar, ¼ cup
- First of all, let's work on preparing the flour dough. In a large bowl, combine 6 cups of flour with 2 cups of water, 1½ cups salt, and 3 tablespoons cooking oil. Mix well to make a smooth dough.
- Lay spare newspapers on a table, and place an aluminum plate over them to form a base for the model. Cut the top narrow portion of the soda bottle (which will serve as a crater), and position it in the center of the plate.
- Mold the flour dough (or modeling clay) around the bottle in a cone shape so that it resembles a volcano. But make sure that the bottle opening is not covered or clogged with the dough.
- Add some plant twigs, sand, small rocks, and pebbles to impart a real touch to the model. You can refer to the picture of a volcano, and try to mimic it with respect to its shape and appearance.
- Carefully pour warm water in the soda bottle, and add a few drops of food coloring. Add detergent in the water and food coloring mixture.
- In this homemade science project, the detergent is useful for creating bubbles, and upward rising of lava. Without wasting time, add baking soda in the concoction.
- In the next step, pour vinegar (acetic acid) to the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) mixture for initiating the acid-base reaction.
- Be careful as it is explosion time, and maintain a safe distance from the exploding volcano. Within a few minutes time, you will notice a red colored, foamy mixture flowing out of the crater.