How to Make an Erupting Volcano

 After learning about volcanoes for Science, I decided that CJ should make his own erupting volcano. He did the research and this is how he made it.

Materials He Used:

Cardboard Box without flaps

Bottle (the size of the bottle determines the size of the volcano)

Tape

Strips of Paper

Chicken Wire

Flour 

Water

Paint (Ours was Acrylic)

Food Coloring (We used Cherry Kool-Aid Mix)

Vinegar

Baking Soda

Dish Soap

Poor, Defenseless Dinosaurs (optional)

CJ started this project by removing the flaps of a cardboard box. This helped keep the "eruption" from making too much of a mess.

Bottle taped to bottom of cardboard box

He taped the bottle to the bottom of the cardboard box to keep it stationary.

Bottle covered with chicken wire

He formed the chicken wire into a volcano-like shape.

Newspaper strips in paper-mache

He mixed 1 part flour to 2 parts water. The paper-mache should be the consistency of glue. The amount needed will depend on the size of the volcano. 

Adding strips to volcano

He dredged the strips of paper through the paper-mache, squeezing off extra before placing on chicken wire form. 

Volcano completely cover with newspaper

He continued until all the chicken wire was covered. It took about a day and a half to dry completely. He painted the volcano. (I thought he did a fabulous job!) Once the paint dried, it was ready for eruption!

Pouring in Vinegar

He added a packet of Cherry Kool-Aid Mix (I was out of food coloring), about a 1/4 cup of baking soda, and a tablespoon of dish-washing liquid (helps the "lava" to foam more) to the bottle. Then he added a cup of vinegar.

Erupting Volcano

It took a minute for the chemical reaction to reach the top, but once it did, it just kept coming.

"Lava" flowing.

Poor defenseless dinosaurs!

Thank you for reading today! I hope you feel inspired to make your own Erupting Volcano. If you enjoyed this project, try his Milk Jug Bird Feeder Project.