How to Build a Volcano

Or “How to Make a Complete Mess of Your Kitchen Table for about Ten Seconds of Excitement.”

Dirty Harry has been studying the earth for a while now.  For a culminating activity, we built a little volcano in our kitchen.  It was a fun project for a kid who likes to build things, and we did ours on the cheap.  Sure, you can buy a kit for about $20, but I’ll bet you have the materials to make one just behind your kitchen cabinets.

Here’s what you’ll need…

• vinegar
• baking soda
• a small glass (we used a shot glass, but you could use any size)
• clay or Play-doh (optional)
• a cookie sheet or some other flat pan to protect the surface of your table or counter (optional)
• other objects to create a scene such as Lego figures, grass, rocks, etc. (optional)

First, if you’d like your volcano to look authentic, you will need to cover your glass with the clay, leaving an opening at the top.

Then, if your child wants to be creative, allow them to make a volcanic scene on the cookie sheet.  Dirty Harry used Lego people and grass and rocks from outside.

Oh, and look…Indiana Jones has made an appearance to watch the eruption…

To create the actual eruption, you fill your glass half full with the vinegar.  Then you will spoon the baking soda into the glass until the mixture starts to bubble up and out.  You can continue to add vinegar and baking soda alternately until your child has had their fill of volcanic activity.

Here’s a little video of ours…

Then have your child clean up all the mess so that you can put dinner on the table.  They will grumble, complain, cry and gnash their teeth.  Then threaten them with a grounding from their Wii.  At this, they will probably comply, but you can probably still expect a dirty look or two.

Of course, you will probably want to remind your student that this project differs very much from what happens beneath the earth’s surface.  This eruption is caused by a chemical reaction of the vinegar and baking soda and is simply a fun visual of a real, live volcano.

Related links:

A cool site with various kinds of homemade volcanoes and videos  (Please note that while the volcano material is completely fine, that there are links to some questionable videos that may appear randomly in the sidebars.  So, please use caution if you’re viewing with your children nearby.)

Information, stories and photos of real volcanoes