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How to Make an Eruptible Volcano

Volcanoes in nature are dangerous when they are on the verge of spewing hot lava. However, you can mimic the effects of an erupting volcano at home with an interactive miniature model. The eruption comes from items found in most kitchen pantries, and you can re-purpose household objects for the construction of the volcano. This project is ideal for children who can help build the erupting volcano as they learn about Earth science and chemistry in the process.

Things You'll Need

20 oz. plastic bottle
Masking tape
Flat cardboard box approximately 2-by-9-by-13 inches
5 lbs. sugar
Gallon-size zipper-top bag
Black food coloring
8 tsp. baking soda
Funnel
1 cup distilled vinegar
Red liquid food coloring
1/2 cup dishwashing liquid
Large drinking glass

Instructions

- 1
  Wash and rinse a 20 oz. plastic bottle. Remove any label. Dry the outside of the bottle completely.
- 2
  Wrap masking tape around the bottle with the sticky side of the tape facing out. Wrap the tape all the way to the mouth of the bottle. Place the taped bottle in the center of a flat cardboard box approximately 2-by-9-by-13 inches.
- 3
  Fill a gallon-size zipper-top bag with sugar. Not all the sugar will fit in the bag at one time. Add several drops of black liquid food coloring. Massage the food coloring into the sugar until the sugar is tinted black. Add more food coloring as necessary to achieve a bold, black color. Pour the tinted sugar around the base of the 20 oz. bottle. Mound the black sugar up around the bottle.
- 4
  Tint the remainder of the sugar using the same method. Press this sugar to the masking tape-covered bottle. Mound and mold the sugar up the bottle so that it forms a mountain.
- 5
  Pour 4 teaspoons of baking soda into the mouth of the bottle using a funnel.
- 6
  Stir 1 cup of water, 1 cup of distilled vinegar, 1/2 cup of dishwashing liquid and several drops of red food coloring in a glass.
- 7
  Erupt the volcano by pouring the liquid mixture into the plastic bottle. Remove the funnel as soon as you're done pouring and stand back.

Nature