The Ring of Fire

If you haven't seen Finding Nemo, you won't truly get the full effect of the title.  So we'll just move on.  Today, we're talking about volcanos.  You know, the things that explode.  Yep, every boy's dream.  I was perusing other blogs this morning and found an activity I used to do with my fourth graders every year. I never really thought to do it with Little Man until I saw another mom post about the activity she did with her son that is also three. 

Here's what you'll need...

I didn't want to take the time to make homemade play-doh, but this is my favorite recipe. 

First, cut out a hole on the bottom of the dixie cup.  This is called the Vent.  Then squish the play dough all aroung the dixie cup until it looks similar to a volcano (or until your 3 year old is tired of doing it).  Next up, pour about 4-5 Tbsps of baking soda into the bottom of the cup.  Where the baking soda collects at the bottom is representative of the Magma Chamber.

Then slowly pour the vinegar into the vent.  EXPLOSION! 

What comes out is called Lava.  When it's inside the volcano, it's called Magma.  If you have older kids, I would suggest skipping the play dough and doing a paper mache instead.  You can use a larger plastic cup and cut tiny holes in the sides.  Attach straws to the holes in the sides to represent Side Vents.  This is more indicative of true volcanos.  This was always a favorite in my class.  You can go here to learn more about parts of a volcano, and volcano facts.

Happy Learning!