National Geographic Build Your Own Volcano

As you probably know by now Skye love Science in any form so when we received a National Geographic Build Your Own Volcano which is suitable for ages 8 years and over and is linked with STEM, she was super excited to get started with it.

Research has shown that STEM subjects help kids learn how to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of information.

National Geographic are helping kids spark an interest in science with toys that engage young minds and foster a lifetime of discovery through fun and hands-on learning. In the 21st century the leading concept of education is STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. It is a cross-disciplinary approach to learning that entrepreneurs and educators believe is key to a healthy innovative economy.

Inside the box was;

Bag of Plaster (Plaster of Paris)
Bag of eruption powder (Sodium Bi-carbonate)
Bottle of eruption powder (Citric Acid)
Volcanic Mold
Paint and Brush Set
2 Volcanic Specimens
Stir Stick
Information Guide

After we had read the booklet thoroughly she decided Dad could make the Volcano as she wasn’t sure she would get it right. Skye connected the volcano mold together making sure that each corner was snapped properly to stop any leaking. She then placed the mold upside down on top of the eruption chamber.

Dad began to measure out water and plaster and started to add the water to the plaster. However he did fluff up and it ended up way to runny which meant the experiment was ruined before it got started. Luckily the following day we got some more plaster and he started from scratch and this time the plaster was perfect. He then poured the plaster into the mold.

We had to wait about an hour for it to set, the plaster went from cold to really warm then cooled down again once ready. When we were satisfied we took the mold away from the volcano, scrapped excess plaster off of it and then let it dry completely which took a couple of days.

After a couple of days Skye painted the volcano and left it to dry.

Now the fun began… we were going to make the volcano erupt!

We laid newspaper down and put the volcano in the plastic container that all the contents was stored in the box as we knew it would be a messy experiment.

We mixed the citric acid together with the sodium bi-carbonate powder together, gave them a good mix up and the put one tablespoon of it into the top of the volcano.

Skye got a small glass of water and she was ready to erupt her volcano.

She poured a little water into the top of the volcano and it started bubbling and after a few seconds it was erupting, bubbling and fizzing. I must admit it looked really good and Skye was really excited with it. She continued pouring a little water at a time to it and it continued bubbling for quite a while.