volcano experiments

Ms. Sarah found these really cool volcano experiments.  Right now the kids are building some volcano's to go in their dinosaur world.  Ms. Sarah had them experiment with some different ingredients to see which combinations made the best lava.  She had three different tests.  The children invited some other classrooms to come to our room to take part in the experiment in the afternoon class. The morning class and the afternoon class did the experiments.  The video is of the afternoon class doing the experiments. 

Experiment One:
Materials Used:  Vinegar, Water, Liquid Watercolor and Baking Soda



Experiment Two:

Materials Used:  Lemon Juice, Dish Soap, Water, Liquid Watercolor, Baking Soda

Experiment Three:

Materials Used:  Ketchup, Water, Baking Soda

So which "lava" do you like best after watching the videos?  The children voted and it looks like the second experiment with the lemon juice and dish soap won!  When we finish our volcano and it is ready to erupt (and we will video that for you as well and post it) that is the lava we will use.

So, how was all of this educational?  The children were exposed to chemical reactions.  Scientific inquiry.  Forming hypotheses and testing them.  The children had to use their power of observation, had to wait turns, had to remain focused and had to work together so everyone could participate in the activity.  The children also used a tremendous amount of descriptive language to describe what they observed during the experiments.  The children had a wonderful time participating in this activity.  I can not wait to see what they do next with this unit.