STEM Learning: Erupting volcanoes

Wednesday April 18 2018

Question: Do you think adding baking soda to vinegar or adding vinegar to baking soda will make a bigger reaction?

The number one request my children have had over the past few weeks was to make volcanoes. Before starting the experiment, we asked the children what they predicted would explode more. We wrote each child’s name under their prediction.

‘What will explode more?’

After making their predictions and writing them on on our sheet, the children gathered around the sand pit upstairs. To create our volcanoes, each child started by filling a glass jar with a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar. In one jar,the baking soda was placed first, then the vinegar was poured on top. In another jar, the vinegar was poured inside, and then the baking soda was added.

We watered down vinegar will to extend it’s use for longer. Each of our children chose one food colour to add to their water and vinegar mixture. We added the food colour so the children could more easily see their volcanoes when they erupted plus it is just more fun to have colourful bubbles.

Once the bottles were all ready to go, the children went outdoors and picked a spot on the peak of our big volcanic mountains

The children dug a hole in the mountain (sandpit) with their hands and then buried their bottles up to the tip of the jars or as deep as they could get them to go.  The sand was very soft which made this process work out very well. After the bottles were buried, then the children went to get a teaspoon of volcanic ash (baking soda) to add to their bottles. We then stood back and watched the eruptions begin. Each time the bubbles would slow down, the children ran back to fetch more baking soda on their spoons and back up again to make the volcano erupt once more.

This process brought together outdoor play and large motor skills (climbing in the sand); science  (exploration, flow of gravity and the mixing of different properties); problem solving (asking questions and seeking answers to how to keep the bubbles going); as well as maths skills (measuring out the ingredients). But above all else, this process was something the children found meaningful because it was their idea!