Volcanoes

A bit messy but a whole lot of fun.

What you’ll need:

• flour
• salt
• oil
• warm water
• bottle or glass
• vinegar
• red food dye
• dishwashing liquid (optional)
• bi-carb (bicarbonate) soda
• tray or dish

What to do:

1. In a large bowl, mix 6 cups of flour, 2 cups of salt, 4 tablespoons of oil (eg. vegetable oil) and 3 cups water.
2. Mix everything together. You may need to add a bit more water to make it completely stick together.
3. Pour water into a bottle or glass, until it is about 3/4 full.
4. Place the bottle or glass in the middle of a tray; this helps to keep the mess contained. Use the flour mixture to build a volcano around it, leaving the top uncovered.
5. Add a heaped tablespoon of bi-carb soda.
6. Add a few drops of red food dye.
7. Add 6 drops of dishwashing liquid (optional). This will help the whole thing to froth, but isn’t actually necessary.
8. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar.
9. Stand back and watch your volcano “explode”.

What happens:

This is a typical bi-carb/vinegar reaction, where bubbling occurs due to the production of the gas carbon dioxide (CO₂). The red food dye and dishwashing liquid just make it look a bit more like lava.