Mad Science Monday: Volcano Fizzy Science

If the idea of something 'sploding on a Monday morning gets you all warm and fizzy, then this Mad Science Monday post is for you! Whether you are at home with your kids, in a classroom setting or looking for a great take-along for your next outdoor adventure, baking soda and vinegar never disappoint. In fact, last Monday, we took our show on the road at my nature-based play group and held a pop-up laboratory for children of all ages at a local park and sprayground. When it comes to teaching children about science, I often tell parents and educators that you don't need to really teach at all; children are inherently scientific in the way they wonder, discover, observe and explore. Allowing space and time for this to occur naturally is just the fuel that is needed to ignite a lifelong love of learning and to develop the skills necessary for critical thinking.




That being said, a directed experiment or even a set up to explore materials (like those found in nature, or chemical reactions between baking soda and vinegar) can be a great way to bring a little science into your child's life. After a couple of hours of fizzy fun at the park, many children went home slightly colorful from food coloring and begging for more. S was especially interested in making a volcano after seeing a version of this experiment depicted in a Starwars activity book we checked out of the library and after visiting an exhibit on Pompeii at our local science museum with his Poppa last month. Both boys dug right into our blob of potter's clay to build our volcanic mountain. You can also use playdough or even build your mountain from paper mache. It would be really cool to build your mountain outdoors using mud or sand. Since clay was what we had on hand today, it's what we used. The boys smoothed the sides, and pressed a large dent deeper and deeper into the center. I helped pinch up the edges until we were happy with the shape of our mountain. I poured a bit of baking soda into the bottom.

It was time for our eruption to begin! I set out some safety goggles and Y chose to wear his lab coat as well. S discovered he has a unique talent for getting baking soda and vinegar into his eyes last week, so safety goggles are not a bad idea here! We found these at our dollar tree in the hardware/auto care aisle. I filled a couple of empty condiment bottles with vinegar dyed orange with food coloring. I also filled a small container and added a couple of pipettes. The boys got busy with the squeeze bottles first, watching it bubble higher and higher in the volcano until our lava ran right over top!

I can tell you, I've done this experiment many times in my life and it's still fun and exciting! Baking soda and vinegar are inexpensive, easy to obtain and I often call it "self-cleaning" science--it does have a tendency to bubble over, but it likely won't damage your surfaces or clothing. We used a clear plastic file bin to contain the science residue and you can also opt to take this outdoors if the thought of an indoor explosion seems over the top.

 Happy Playing!

This experiment is great for a rainy day. It's a sure to impress an audience if you need an activity for a playgroup, classroom or birthday party. It's budget friendly and pretty fail proof. And the best part? You can do fizzy science again and again and again and it's still fun every time! S and Y have both already requested more fizzy science experiments next Monday--so we'll be back with more! Until then...