Plan
- What supplies do you need for this activity?
- Has anyone ever made a baking soda and vinegar volcano before?
- What do you think will happen when you add vinegar to your volcano?
- Will you make your volcano in a pair, a small team or as a big group?
Do
- Take a plastic cup or bottle. Add 1 tablespoon of dish soap, then fill the cup halfway with baking soda. Add ¼ cup of warm water and mix. If you want to add a pop of colour to your volcano, add a couple of drops of food colouring.
- Place your cup in the snow and form your volcano around it. You’ll want to build it high enough that the cup can’t be seen. Make sure you leave a hole in the top for the lava!
- When you’re happy with your volcano, add the vinegar into the top and watch it erupt! You can repeat the eruption by adding more baking soda and vinegar.
Review
- What happened when you added vinegar to the baking soda mix? Is that what you thought would happen?
- What happens when you change the amounts of baking soda, dish soap and vinegar?
- Do you know what caused the reaction?
Materials
- Snow
- Plastic cup or bottle
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Dish soap
- Warm water
- Food colouring
Keep it Simple
- You can build a volcano without making it erupt! Try building a snow volcano, leaving a hole where you would normally put the baking soda mixture. What else could you use to make it look like your volcano is erupting?
Take it Further
- Try a twist on this experiment and make elephant toothpaste!
