26 May 2010 Volcano

This month’s country is Iceland. Sam requested it after hearing so much about the Eyjafjallajokull volcano that erupted in April and continues to spew. (And no, I still can’t pronounce the name, despite our Icelanic studies.)

Today we made our own volcano. It’s the only one in the British isles! Sam named it “The Queen Volcano.” Take an empty water bottle, cover it in playdough (we made our playdough– it was supposed to be yellow but looks more beige in the photo), add villages and farms at the base (Sam drew these), fill the bottle with a mixture of water, vinegar, detergent, and red food coloring. Then, when the villagers are least expecting it OR when you’ve warned them to move away from the mountain, drop a piece of tissue paper filled with baking soda in the bottle.

Then you wait. We were foolishly expecting a geyser-like reaction, but our lava took its time, coming slowing up the vent of our stratovolcano (that’s one with a long pointed spout).

Then the lava rolled down the side gently (a Hawaiian type eruption, apparently) AWAY from the village!

I guess I put the packet of baking soda in the wrong side. Silly me. Disappointed Kid. Happy Villagers.

We found the instructions for the volcano at VolcanoLive.com.

We read about volcanos in Anna Claybourne’s fascinating book (for kids): Volcanoes