How to Make a Salt Volcano
If you are preparing a science project on volcanoes, you may need to build an explosive mound of clay. However, this type of volcano project is very common and does not seem original as a science experiment. One alternative is to make a salt volcano that shows how a volcano works without using the standard materials used in volcanoes with mud or paste.
You'll need:
- 6 cups flour
- 2 cups salt, 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 cups water
- Food colouring (the colour of your choice)
- A cardboard box, newspapers
- An empty bottle of soft drink
- Glue
- 1 tablespoon dish soap
- ΒΌ cup white vinegar
Steps to follow:
Once you have all of the material you need gathered, the first step to make a salt volcano is to mix 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of salt, 4 tablespoons of oil and 2 cups of water in a bowl. Stir the ingredients with your hands until the combination forms a consistent paste.
Put a few drops of food coloring into the mixture, preferably brown or red, to get the exterior color of a real volcano. Leave the dough to one side.
Place a piece of cardboard on a table. Stick a bottle of soft drink into the middle of the cardboard.
With the top up, make some small balls with newspaper and place them around the bottle, sticking them together to form a base, and also at the tip of the volcano to make a cone.
Stir the dough and place it over the paper balls and bottle to form the outer shell of your volcano. Mold the dough gently and smoothly. Make a hole in the center of the dough to expose the top of the bottle of soft drink.
Now you have to paint the volcano dough to make it more real. You can use images of volcanoes to help you or draw a design you like. When you've finish painting let it dry for a full day.
Now you should add the following to the bottle: a tablespoon of washing up liquid and a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda along with a little red food coloring and a cup of water. When you're ready for the lava to erupt add vinegar to the bottle, quickly step back and wait for the results.
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