How to Make a Really Powerful Baking Soda Volcano

Red or orange food coloring will make your eruption look more realistic.

There are three kinds of volcanoes - shield volcanoes, calderas and composite cones. Of the three, calderas are the most explosive, and thus the most dangerous. To replicate a volcanic explosion at home you need baking soda and vinegar. This is a fun and educational craft but can be very messy, so take necessary precautions.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard
• Cookie sheet
• 16 oz. plastic soda bottle
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 3 drops dish detergent
• 10 drops red food coloring
• Funnel
• 6 cups of flour
• 2 cups salt
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups warm water
• Acrylic paint (brown, green, white)
• Paintbrush
• 4 tablespoons baking soda
• Tissue

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit inside a large cookie sheet and lay it inside.

2. Cut the top off the plastic soda bottle with scissors or an Xacto knife to create a wider opening for the lava flow. To do this with scissors poke a hole into the neck of the bottle and then insert the scissors and cut. Cut it at an angle for a more realistic looking volcano.

3. Set the soda bottle in the center of the cookie tray and glue it down with a hot glue gun. Allow the glue to dry for 30 minutes.

4. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar, three drops of dishwasher detergent and 10 drops of red food coloring to the soda bottle. Use a funnel for easy pouring.

5. Mix 6 cups of flour, 2 cups of salt, 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2 cups of warm water in a large mixing bowl. Keep mixing until you get a clay consistency.

6. Mold the volcano by building the clay up around the bottom of the soda bottle and working up to the top. Make sure you don't cover the hole at the top or drop clay inside.

7. Allow the volcano to dry overnight.

8. Paint your volcano brown to make it look real. You can also paint the base green and add white paint at the top of the volcano for snow.

9. Allow the paint to dry for two hours.

10. Pour your baking soda onto a tissue, gather the edges and twist them together.

11. Drop the tissue into the volcano opening and watch it explode.

Tips & Warnings

• Cover your workspace in newspaper for easy cleanup.

• Add small twigs and moss to your volcano to make it look realistic.

• Your volcano will be durable enough to reuse.