Summary

Learn more about the components of a volcano and then create a simple volcano.

Materials

• Cookie sheet with edges
• Play dough, either store bought or homemade (Note: There are many recipes for homemade play dough online.)
• Baking soda
• Vinegar colored with red food coloring
• Plastic spoons
• Small measuring cup
• Printable page – cross-section of a volcano (1.24MB)

Related Video Clip

Dinosaur Train: Under the Volcano (4 minutes 57 seconds)

Procedures

1. Ask students, "What is a volcano?" Help them understand that a volcano looks like a mountain that shoots out very hot rock, smoke, and ash. "Where does all this hot stuff come from?" Answer: Inside the Earth. Explain that the inside of our planet is SUPER hot, so hot that rocks there are melted. This melted rock under the surface is called magma – and is more than 1000 degrees. For comparison, you can point out that boiling water – is only a couple hundred degrees (F). When this melted rock (magma) blasts out of a volcano – it name changes, and is now known as lava. Help students understand that lava and magma are the same substance – it's just that lava is what it is called when it escapes. This blasting out of lava is called an "eruption."
2. Show the cross-section picture of a volcano from the printable and point out all the parts: lava, magma, steam, and so on.
3. Show the students a video clip (above) of a volcano eruption from Dinosaur Train.
4. Explain that they are going to make a model of a volcano eruption. Have students make a mountain out of playdough and use their thumb to press down an indentation at the top. Then have them use a small spoon to put at least a teaspoon of baking soda in the top of the volcano. Next have them use a small measuring cup to SLOWLY pour a small amount of red vinegar on the baking soda. Have them look closely and describe what they see. (NOTE: As an alternative to playdough, vary this experiment by creating a volcano out of a pile of dirt or sand.)

Extensions

1. Use the Internet or a video from the library to see what a real volcano eruption looks like. How is it similar and different to the model the students created? Some videos to check out are: Nature: Vibrant Volcanoes or The National Parks: Mark Twain and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
2. Students can experiment by mixing different proportions of baking soda and vinegar in their volcano. If they double the amount of baking soda for example, will it make more bubbles?
3. Students can use library resources to learn more about what real volcanoes look, sound and smell like. When a volcano erupts, the gases (containing sulfur) make the volcano smell like rotten eggs.
4. Learn more about active volcanoes in the world today. Many students will be surprised to learn that most volcanoes in the world today are UNDER water.