Hands-On Science – Got Baking Soda and Vinegar? Let’s Make a Volcano (and more)!

By: Laura Kane, Education Manager

There are lots of opportunities for easy, hands-on learning while at home! Here is fun activity parents and kids can do together using regular household items.

Ready? Gather up your baking soda and vinegar so we can learn about reactions – by making a volcano!

Plus, you can even get creative and use the same materials and reaction to make other fun things. Did someone say dragon?!

Materials Needed:

Baking soda Vinegar Bottle with a skinny neck Spoon Dish soap (optional) Food coloring (optional)

Instructions: Pour about ¼ cup vinegar in the bottle. Add a few drops of food coloring if you’d like. Add a few drops of dish soap if you’ve got it – not a big deal if you don’t! It just slows down the reaction a bit and makes things more foamy. Gently swirl this mixture around but don’t shake it. Add about a tablespoon of baking soda very quickly (swirl again – super fast – if you need to) and watch it explode!

Get Creative: If you want to get fancy you can take the time to add some construction paper or clay around it to make it look like a real volcano! Or you can make it look like a tube of toothpaste. One of my favorite things to do is to add a tail, arms, legs, and eyes and make it look like a dragon foaming at the mouth! Use your imagination and remember to share your results with us!