Volcano lava recipe - experiment and model.

Model:

Build a volcano of clay around a container that is thin and tall. You can use an empty tin can. You cut the top off a soda bottle or use pint milk cartons. Instead of clay you can mix flour with water into a paste and let it dry. Plaster of paris is also good for the outside. Mix the liquids together. When 2 tablespoons of baking soda are added a bright red foamy lava comes out.

Experiment:

  1. Present two clear containers (bottles, jars,) of equal volume and shape. Add 1 cup of vinegar to each container. You will need a tray to catch the overflowing foam.
  2. In one container add the drops of dish washing soap. Do not add any soap to the other.
  3. Measure the tablespoons of baking soda into two other cups so that it can be dumped into the two containers of vinegar at the same time.
  4. Have the students name the only difference between the mixtures in the two containers. (One has soap.)
  5. Have students speculate or predict in writing if the two will appear different or not and what we will see.
  6. Dump the baking soda from the cups into the containers at exactly the same time.
  7. Have students read what they wrote and use adjectives to describe how the two mixtures are different. Does one formula last longer? What was the only difference between the two cases?

NASA's Volcano World is a great source of more models and recipes. It is also a source for both lessons and classroom center use. http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/learning.html

Weather | Pets | Magnets | Plants | Rocks | Colors | Dinosaurs | Experiments | Static | Oceans

Our Class | Centers | Books |

Links for KIDS! | Home