Introduction

Chemical reactions are a daily part of our lives. When we burn firewood, the brown wood has a chemical reaction and changes into ash. When you bake a cake, the liquid batter chances into something solid, fluffy or spongy. Chemical reactions, however, cannot be reversed. Whenever a substance changes its form it cannot be change back to its original state. In this activity, you get the chance to create your own chemical reaction!

Purpose

• Reinforcement of curriculum in Science
• Participate in Science activities and discussion

Time

This activity will take 45 minutes to an hour.

Materials

• Paper cup
• Paper
• Paint
• Piece of cardboard
• 1/3 cup Baking soda
• 1/3 cup Vinegar

Directions

• Wrap the outside of the paper cup with butcher paper and color or paint the outside. You can decorate the paper cup before you wrap it around the cup. Staple or tape the paper around the cup so that your cup is inside the paper cone. (You may need to cut the paper to make this work)
• Using a large piece of cardboard, create a base and attach to the bottom of your volcano.
• Place 1/3 of a cup of baking soda into the volcano’s center.
• Measure out 1/3 cup of vinegar and carefully pour the vinegar into your volcano.
• Observe the reaction!

Other Information and Resources

• If your Dreamer is interested in volcanoes, try watching Ring of Fire (1991), a movie that features spectacular photography of volcanoes around the Pacific Rim.
• More chemistry projects here.
• The science behind it:
Chemical reactions occur when two or more molecules react to form something new. The type of chemical reaction that occurred is called neutralization reaction. The vinegar is a weak acid, while baking soda is a strong base. When you put a base and an acid together, they neutralize each other in a reaction and form neutral water.