Making a Volcano

Luke has been wanting to make a volcano for ages.  I kept putting him off because I thought the project would be very difficult and time consuming.  We finally make one yesterday, and it was so easy!  Here's what you need:

To make the volcano form:
6 cups flour
2 cups salt
4 Tablespoons oil
2 cups of water
plastic water bottle

Mix all ingredients until it forms a dough ball.  All more water if needed.

Place the plastic water bottle in the middle of a cookie sheet or other type of baking dish.  Use the dough mixture to form the shape of the volcano around the bottle.  Luke did not feel like we made enough dough to make a big enough volcano, so you may need to make more.  We didn't have any more salt though!  We had other things to do, so we allowed the volcano to sit and harden for several hours.  I'm not sure that was necessary though.  Then we added chocolate syrup for visual effects.

Now fill the bottle about 3/4 full of warm water.  You can add food coloring to the water for better effects.  We added red and orange, but we found if you add the food coloring to the vinegar the color is better.  You can also add a small amount of dish soap for a better bubble effect. Then add about 2 Tablespoons of baking soda to the water in the bottle.  Finally, slowly add vinegar to the bottle, and enjoy the show!

After the experiment we discussed the reaction and what actually happened when the baking soda and vinegar mixed.  Click here to go to the site where we found our idea and most of our information.  

Do you have any great science projects for kids?  Please share with us!