Make your own Volcano!​
​

Key Concepts

Materials: 
2 tbsp        baking soda
4 tbsp        white vinegar
1                    bowl
1-2 cups    cornmeal
1                    small cup (about the size of a shot glass)

​Optional:  red food coloring

Activity Directions:
  1. Add the cornmeal to the bowl. Add water to the cornmeal gradually and stir it into the cornmeal until the mixture is the consistency of wet cement. If you accidentally add too much water, simple add more cornmeal to compensate.
  2. Put the small cup in the center of the bowl. Form the cornmeal into a volcano shape around the cup. 
  3. Add the vinegar and the red food coloring to the small cup in the center of the volcano and mix them together.
  4. Pour the baking soda into the small cup and watch your volcano erupt!
  5. Repeat steps 3-4 to watch your volcano erupt again!

Discussion Questions & Science Explanations:
  1. Is this a chemical reaction?
    1. A chemical reaction occurs when the molecular bonds of a substance change. Changing the physical properties of a substance, such as state of matter, isn’t a chemical reaction because the substance is still the same. Some common examples of each include: burning wood (chemical), cooking an egg (chemical), iron rusting (chemical), ice melting (physical), cutting paper(physical), mixing play-doh (physical). 
    2. The eruption of the volcano is a chemical reaction because the chemical bonds in the reactants are broken and they change into different substances during the reaction. Baking soda and vinegar are reacting to form sodium acetate, carbon dioxide, and water.
  2. What substance makes up the bubbles that form during the eruption?
    1. The bubbles are made up of carbon dioxide gas that is formed when the baking soda and vinegar react.
  3. What makes real volcanoes erupt? Is it the same reaction?
    1. Eruptions occur when molten rock called magma rises to the Earth’s surface and builds up pressure. When the pressure is high enough, the volcano erupts and releases lava, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases when they erupt. Our experiment with baking soda and vinegar is a different reaction that looks similar to a volcano eruption.  

Additional Experimentation:
  1. Try the experiment with different amounts of vinegar and baking soda. 
  2. Try using a different type of vinegar and see if the volcano still erupts.
  3. Try using different colored food coloring—does this make a difference?
  4. Change the size of the volcano and see how it affects the eruption.
  5. Try making a paper mache volcano and see if the eruption looks the same.
Suggested video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFSYLQkMR7U&feature=youtu.be

​Published 5.29.2020

Author: Anna Hudson