Erupting Volcano Model

Materials:

·  A square of firm cardboard: approx 40 cm by 40cm (16 x 16 inches)

·  A plastic bottle: approx 10 cm tall ( i.e. small water bottle or jar of baby food)

·  Strips of newspaper; approx 2 cm wide

·  1 big bowl

·  Flour and water mixture (watery paste consistency)

·  Masking tape

·  Brown, green, yellow and red paint (non-washable so it does not run off at eruption time!)

Directions:

  1. Bunch newspaper together into a cone shape (about the size of a football) leaving a hole at the top big enough to fit your bottle. Hold the shape together with masking tape. Affix the cone to the cardboard base with masking tape.
  2. Fit the bottle into the hole at the top of the cone.
  3. Dip strips of the newspaper into the flour/water mixture. Squeeze excess water out of strips between two fingers. Run strips from the opening of the bottle, down the sides of the cone. Do not cover the opening of the bottle. Cover the entire cone down to the base. Each layer must dry before adding another layer. More than one layer will make the model stronger.
  4. Finish off the outer layer of volcano by sculpting paper strips to create a rough and rugged mountain surface.
  5. Once the whole thing has been covered, let it dry over night.
  6. Paint the dried completed volcano.

How to Make the Volcano Erupt:

Materials: (proportions of ingredients are only suggestions, try different proportions to see which works best for your child.)

·  Paper mache volcano

·  1 cup Vinegar

·  4 Tablespoons Baking Soda

·  Red/yellow (orange) food coloring.

Directions:

1.  Pour vinegar into the top of the volcano.

2.  Drop in about 10 drops of food coloring.

3.  When you are ready to make the volcano erupt, pour in all the baking soda in one swift motion. It will be easier to get in the bottle if you make a paper funnel to pour it through.

4.  Step back and watch!