kitchen science: volcanoes

Here's a super-dooper easy activity that kids love. My nephew never gets tired of this one, and I can't wait to try it with little B when he's a wee bit older. I recommend it for ages 3 and up.

Materials:

• aluminum pie plate or heavy-duty paper plate (or just lots of newspaper)
  
• empty aluminum can
• modeling clay or Play-doh
• vinegar
• red food coloring
• spoon
• baking soda
• optional: glitter, dinosaurs or other figurines

Place the aluminum can in the middle of the plate. Use modeling clay to build a volcano around the can. Do not cover the opening. Fill the can about half way with vinegar. If using glitter, add a pinch to the vinegar. Add a few drops of food coloring. If using figurines, place them around the volcano base. Add a couple spoons of baking soda and watch the eruption! If you don't have an aluminum can, you can just make the model without it. Kids are pretty good at shaping their own volcanoes. Just be sure to leave an opening at the top.

To learn some cool stuff about volcanoes, go here. To learn about the chemical reaction that caused the eruption, go here. The amazing photo was taken by SarahPie over at Creative Commons. You can see the lava running down the side of the volcano. The smoke is most likely a huge ash cloud. This is the stuff that causes lots of harm to humans and animals. It can suffocate them.